ISSUESWATCH PODCAST

The Hard Facts About Soft Skills

August 26, 2025

Whether you call it soft skills, people skills, relational abilities or core professional competencies — communication, emotional intelligence and adaptability often make a big difference in a professional’s career growth. CPA and author Jerry Maginnis returns to the podcast to discuss the role of soft skills in a successful career.

Topics discussed:

How soft skills can be a differentiator between average and outstanding professionals
How the value of soft skills has changed
The most critical soft skills for young CPAs
How companies can better identify, nurture and reward soft skills among their teams
An example of how soft skills played a crucial role for Jerry

Resources:

Don Meyer

Don Meyer, CAE, is the chief growth officer of the New Jersey Society of CPAs, where he is responsible for setting the vision, strategy and direction for the organization’s marketing, communications and membership campaigns and for driving the success of a deep and broad swath of organizational initiatives.

More content by Don Meyer:

Learn more from Don Meyer:

9/24/25 - Starting Your Own Accounting Firm
9/30/25 - Starting your own Accounting Firm
IssuesWatch Live: Professional Issues Update

Jerry Maginnis

Jerry Maginnis, CPA, is an executive in residence at Rowan University and author. Previously, he spent 36 years with KPMG in Philadelphia, serving as managing partner from 2006 through 2015. He is a member of the NJCPA and serves on the Strategic Planning Committee.