I think today’s startups have a soft skills problem

After our Workforce Report found that soft skills are in-demand at modern workplaces, Natalia Shahmetova tells us why they shouldn’t be forgotten in the boardroom either.

When people picture a successful startup founder, they imagine technical prodigies and data-driven strategists with thorough pitch decks in hand. 

But this image leaves out a crucial requirement: soft skills – the ability to lead with empathy, communicate effectively, and navigate uncertainty.

My career has seen me work closely with product, growth, and marketing teams before taking on the CEO role with Woofz, the market-leading dog training app. 

That vast experience has taught me that while hard skills might build your product, soft skills keep the company afloat.

Leadership starts with strong communication

We all know that clear communication is a core requirement for effective leadership. You might have all the technical skills and industry knowledge to be successful, but you can’t build a business alone. 

As your startup grows, you must bring others on board to manage the workload. Plus, you will face countless calls with venture capitalists, trying to convince them that your vision is worth investing in. If you can’t express your ideas and inspire others, you won’t get very far.

But communication isn’t just about talking big. You need to be able to listen, too. Because, as talented as you are, you don’t have deep expertise in every area.

Human resources, finance, product development, procurement, design; a great team has people who are better than you in the areas they own. It’s crucial that you can listen to their advice and respect their expertise.

Don’t underestimate relationship building

As CEO, you’re not just the decision-maker. You’re the glue between every department – bridging gaps, aligning efforts, and keeping the entire business in sync.

That requires a complete understanding of how each function contributes to the company’s success, which relies on your ability to build trusting relationships throughout the organisation. Will a team leader openly share with you when an issue arises if you don’t have that trust and rapport? Likely not. 

While important, relationship building is about more than making friends, being liked, and keeping the peace. It’s about fostering the right work culture to break down silos, foster collaboration, and solve problems faster. 

Emotional intelligence is an asset

“Women are too emotional to lead” – it’s a tired stereotype that women are used to hearing in the workplace, with 78% of women employees having been labeled as such in performance reviews.

But emotional intelligence isn’t a weakness; it’s an asset. The best CEOs don’t shut down their emotions, but channel them. There is research linking positive emotions, such as cheer, calm, and pride, to effective leadership.

Ruthlessness is often perceived as a desirable trait, but think about it: would you rather work for someone cold, abrasive, and indifferent to your wellbeing, or a leader who treats you with respect, recognises your efforts, and celebrates your successes? One builds a team up, while the other slowly breaks them down.

Of course, the hard decisions will come, and your calls will upset some, but a team is far more likely to pull together and fight harder for a leader who leads with empathy.

You won’t succeed without resilience

Growing a startup is never straightforward. No matter how prepared you are, you will face setbacks — like struggling to raise capital, hiring challenges, or development hitting a snag.

The CEO role is one of the most demanding jobs you can take on, requiring an astronomical amount of mental stamina. There’s a reason 94% of founders say they have experienced mental health issues in the last year, with two-thirds having considered throwing in the towel.

You might have decades of experience, the backing of an investor, and the best team money can buy. Yet, if you can’t make smart decisions under mental pressure, none of that matters.

Despite the odds stacked against me, I worked my way into a leadership role. It wasn’t the degrees I possess or the data available to me that got me there, but my ability to connect, convince, motivate, adapt, and persevere.

Natalia Shahmetova, CEO of Woofz

Natalia joined Woofz as a Product Marketing Manager. In 2024, she was appointed CEO. Fully bootstrapped since launch, Woofz has attracted over three million downloads and sustained a 300% year-on-year growth rate. Under Natalia’s leadership, the company has emerged as a market leader in the pet care space, offering 70+ training courses, mood tracking, meal planning, and consultations within an intuitive, easy-to-use platform.

Learn more about Woofz