Latest / Career Skills with Fexingo: Hard Skills, Soft Skills, and Future-Proofing Your Career / How Skill Spotting Helps You Learn What Matters
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's a moment in any career when you realize that the skills you thought would matter... actually don't. And that's not a knock on your past self — it's just that the market rewards things that aren't always obvious from a job description. Luna: Yeah, I've definitely felt that. You spend time building something, and then you look around and the people getting promoted are doing something slightly different. Lucas: Exactly. And that gap — between what you're learning and what's actually valued — is the core of what I want to dig into today. I've been calling it 'skill spotting.' It's the practice of actively identifying which skills drive real outcomes in your specific role, your team, your industry. Not the generic list from a job board, but the skills that actually move the needle. Luna: I like that framing. It's less about what to learn and more about how to see what's worth learning. Lucas: Right. And before we go deeper — if today's conversation helps you think through a career decision or a learning priority, we'd appreciate it if you considered supporting the show. It's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a small way to keep this going. Luna: Yeah, we love doing this, and every coffee genuinely helps us keep the episodes ad-free. Lucas: Now, back to skill spotting. Let me give you a concrete example from a product manager I spoke with a few months back. She was at a mid-sized software company, and she noticed that the most successful product managers weren't the ones with the most certifications or the most technical depth. They were the ones who could translate customer pain into crisp, actionable requirements. Luna: That's interesting — because that's not typically the first thing you'd see on a product manager job description. They usually list things like 'roadmap planning' or 'stakeholder management.' Lucas: Exactly. So she started watching those PMs more closely. She noticed they spent a lot of time in customer calls, not just talking, but really probing. They'd ask 'why' five times. And then they'd turn those insights into really specific user stories. That was the hidden skill — the ability to distill messy human feedback into something a developer could act on without a follow-up meeting. Luna: So she identified that skill. But how did she go from observation to actually building it? Lucas: That's where the 'spotting' part gets practical. She started shadowing one of those senior PMs on a couple of customer calls. Then she'd write her own version of the resulting user stories and compare them. She also asked the senior PM directly: 'What's the one skill you think made the biggest difference in your career?' And the answer wasn't what she expected — it was the ability to say no to features, to prioritize ruthlessly based on customer evidence. Luna: That's a great example of spotting — not just noticing, but actively inquiring and then testing it yourself. Lucas: Right. And that's what I think separates skill spotting from just being observant. It's a deliberate process. You start by scanning your environment for what's rewarded — who gets promoted, who gets asked to lead projects, who gets the interesting work. Then you interview people, not formally, but in the flow of work. And finally, you test your hypothesis by trying the skill in a small, low-stakes setting. Luna: So it's like a scientific method for your career. Observe, hypothesize, experiment. Lucas: Exactly. And one of the most common traps people fall into is relying on job postings as their primary source for what skills to build. Job descriptions are often written by HR or based on a template from three years ago. They list things like 'proficiency in Excel' or 'experience with a specific tool' — but the actual day-to-day might be more about communication or problem-solving. Luna: Yeah, I've seen that. I remember a job posting that asked for 'expertise in a specific analytics tool,' but when I talked to someone in the role, they said they barely used it. The real skill was being able to interpret the data and tell a story. Lucas: That's a perfect illustration. And it's not that job descriptions are useless — they give you a baseline. But they're a starting point, not the final answer. Skill spotting takes it further: you're looking at the people who are thriving in that role, and you're asking what they're actually doing differently. Luna: So how do you do this if you're not in a position to shadow someone? Maybe you're just starting out, or you're in a remote team. Lucas: Good question. You can still do it even if you can't shadow. One approach is to look at public work — like a blog post, a presentation, or even a well-written email from a senior colleague. What did they do to make that effective? Another is to ask for 15 minutes on their calendar for a 'career curiosity' chat. Most people are happy to talk about their work if you ask specific questions. Luna: But what kind of questions? Because 'what skills matter?' is kind of vague. Lucas: Right. You want to ask things like: 'What's the most valuable thing you do in a typical week?' 'What did you wish you knew when you started in this role?' 'What separates a good from a great one?' Those questions get at the real, day-to-day skills, not the abstract ones. Luna: That makes sense. And then you take those insights and you build your own skill map? Lucas: Exactly. A skill map is just a simple list: on one side, the skills you think you need based on the job description or conventional wisdom. On the other, the skills you've spotted through observation and interviews. Then you compare and prioritize. The ones that show up on both sides are probably worth focusing on. The ones that only show up on your list — maybe worth a second thought. Luna: I like that. It's a way to cut through the noise and focus your learning time where it counts. Lucas: And that's the real payoff. Because time is your most limited resource. You can't learn everything, and if you're spending hours on a skill that's rarely used in practice, you're effectively losing ground to someone who's learned the skill that actually matters. Luna: So it's not just about being efficient — it's about being strategic. Lucas: Exactly. And I want to be careful here: this isn't about being cynical or just learning what gets you promoted. Skill spotting is about aligning your learning with the value you can create. When you develop the skills that genuinely contribute to your team's goals, you're not just advancing your career — you're also becoming more valuable to the people around you. Luna: That's a nice reframe. It's not just 'gaming the system,' it's about contributing more effectively. Lucas: Right. And sometimes the skill you spot is one you never would have considered. Take the example of a salesperson I know. She was great at closing deals, but she noticed that the top performers in her company weren't just great at closing — they were great at teaching the customer something new. They'd share insights from other industries, or help the customer think about a problem differently. That 'consultative' skill was the real driver of long-term relationships, not just the hard sell. Luna: So she spotted a skill that wasn't in any job description — probably not even in the sales training. Lucas: Exactly. And she started incorporating that into her own approach. She'd research her customer's industry before a call, and she'd bring a relevant case study to the conversation. It took a bit more prep time, but her close rate and her repeat business went up significantly. Luna: I love that. It's a great example of how skill spotting can pay off in a very tangible way. Lucas: So here's a challenge for our listeners: this week, pick one person in your organization who you admire — someone who's doing the kind of work you want to do. And observe them. What do they actually do that seems to make a difference? Then, if you can, ask them a couple of the questions we talked about. You might be surprised at what you learn. Luna: And if you're not sure who to pick, you could even look at a role that's two levels above you. What skills do they have that you don't see in people at your level? Lucas: That's a great point. And that's really the essence of skill spotting — it's about looking ahead, not just at the present. You're trying to see the skills that will become more important as you take on more responsibility. Luna: So it's a bit like playing chess — you think two moves ahead. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that's what separates people who just accumulate skills from those who build a career. It's not just about having a lot of skills; it's about having the right ones at the right time. Luna: That's a nice closing thought. So to recap: observe, ask, and test. Lucas: That's the framework. And if you want to go even deeper, you can start creating your own skill map and share it with a mentor or a trusted colleague for feedback. You might find that you're already further along than you think. Luna: And that's a nice place to end. Thanks for joining us, everyone, and we'll see you next time. Lucas: Take care, and happy skill spotting.