I agree with some of my peers that depending on the type or environment of work this ratio should be justified. However, I partially disagree with ih37, in that interpersonal skills don't necessarily mean "talking your way to the top or doing the bare minimum with a C average" and having these interpersonal skills goes a long way *especially* in the science/medical field. The fact that an engineer/scientist, or in this case, cardiologist even made it to and through med school suggests that this person is already above average. To your point you prob would want the doctor who had the higher GPA but since we don't receive a transcript upon each visit I'd much rather have the doc who makes me feel more comfortable because similar to the placebo effect Dr. Simon once described, mental consolation can go a long way with the actual treatment. 

Technical skills do require hard work and effort however interpersonal skills are a trait that can't really be taught whereas skills for a specific job can be taught on the job as long as the proper foundation is there. For example, I worked as a Design Engineer for a company where I had the CAD foundation necessary to perform the job, but everything else was taught to me along the way. I had a co-worker who was extremely toxic in the office, making rude remarks, causing fights, and always giving an attitude even to customers. No one wanted to work with him and his actions actually lead to my resignation. During my farewell interview with HR they admitted that there are numerous complaints weekly about his behavior and actions, however, due to his "skills" he hasn't been fired *yet*. 

So all in all I believe that the 70:30 ratio is very accurate. Being able to express yourself, make connections, and deal with others to work as a team is a huge key to success in the industry and the fact that you have that STEM degree to begin with should mean that you are competent enough to be successful or competent enough to adapt to become successful. 

I am actually also very curious to hear Dr. Simon's take on this since he has more experience than us in the field. 

Both technical and interpersonal skills are crucial components of successful project management.  Although it is difficult to assign mere percentages to either skill, arguably interpersonal skills can be just as valuable or even more valuable than technical skills.  For most projects, a certain amount of technical proficiency is usually needed, yet interpersonal skills are conceivably almost always needed and could potentially be the basis for the success or failure of a venture.

Teams whose leader lacks or is deficient in interpersonal skills such as respectful communication and collaboration can have the effect of lowering the morale and decreasing the motivation of team members.  Such team members would tend to be less invested in the successful outcome of a project and in some cases may actively attempt to sabotage a project.  On the other hand, leaders with superior interpersonal skills can inspire team members to excel and go above and beyond in their contributions to a project.

I couldn't agree more. Interpersonal skills are essential to any job or project for that matter. When it comes to completing a job or project deligation is key. If you are able to appoint the right people to do the right jobs and motivate them to do it well and in a timely fashion that is 70% of the job. It's the same idea in management that you don't necesarily have to be the most knowledgable about a topic but know how to delegat and mange people and you still accomplish the goal.

I would have to say I disagree with the disproportioning ratio; 70% towards interpersonal skills. This reminds me of that old saying, "It's not to know what you're doing, but to look like you know what you're doing." Both skills should complement each other else; the shortcomings of the individual will come to the surface sooner rather than later.

Interpersonal skills and technical skills are highly important in various sectors. However, it is possible that more can be said of someone who has the skills to effectively communicate and interact with their counterparts. With that being said, it seems feasible to agree that interpersonal skills can, in some cases, benefit one more than technical skills.

Although I think interpersonal skills are extremely important within the engineering field, I feel like technical skills are just as important. In my opinion, 70% interpersonal skill has more of a meaning in saying that you need to use this skill a lot as you interact with you colleagues, managers and other employees. You need to have good working relationships within your company so that you know that you have a reliable working environment. As someone working in the field, I realized that almost everyday I have to use interpersonal skills as I talk to my managers, directors, other department employees, ect. I rarely have to use my technical skills unless I am performing a process or a training. To me, the 70:30 ratio makes sense if you don't think of it as a ratio of importance but more as a ratio of usage within the workplace. I believe both of these skills are equally as important in the workplace though since to get promotions or even applying to new jobs, you need to use your understanding of the technical skills you have gained to provide more context into why you feel like you deserve the promotion or job while the interpersonal skills are to help effectively communicate these points to a manager or hiring personnel. 

Based on my experience, I agree with Daniel Goleman’s perspective when particularly looking at success within project management. Project managers have an integral role in managing scope, schedule, cost, quality, etc. For one to be successful in making decisions in these areas I think it does require a certain amount of technical expertise, however, communicating these decisions and ideas requires a great deal of interpersonal and communication skills. Based on Figure 1-7 from PMBOK 6^th Edition, in the end all project information from various processes gets funneled down to one key step – project managers communicating this information to team members and stakeholders. Making great technical decisions and executing processes is extremely important, but not being able to communicate them properly could be extremely detrimental. From personal experience, managers were still successful at project management when they had gaps in technical knowledge but had fantastic interpersonal skills. I attribute this to their ability to leverage those communication skills to learn and work with team members to address those gaps in technical knowledge in order to make the proper decisions and execute on project milestones. On the flip side, I don’t think someone can leverage technical skills to adequately communicate information or decisions when in a project management role.

I think ama224 brought up a fantastic anecdote from their experience in industry. They did not mention what role their coworker had on the project, but I’m assuming they were not in a PM role. I think someone can skate by in the industry with a ratio of 30% interpersonal : 70% technical skill. However, I don’t think this person will make it to a project management role, or if they do, they will not be successful.

I believe that interpersonal skills are more valuable than technical skills in the industrial world. The 70:30 ratio makes sense to me due to the fact that I experience it daily in my workplace. Being technical is good because you know how to perform your job efficiently and flawless since you know how to operate the equipment you are working with. On the other hand, have in the interpersonal skill sharped will get you farther. You might be able to get a promotion since you know how to engage with people around us. For example, the Head of the Quality Control Department is deficient on the technical skill aspect but excels at building productive relationship with others and managing social dynamics. He doesn’t have the knowledge on how the equipment works, or how the analysis is done. However, he knows how to get the job done by asking other people to do it for him.  A former technician within the same department just got promoted to be the lead of the other technicians. When a supervisor position was available, she wasn’t even considered for the job because she wasn’t a great candidate to do such tasks. She knew how to run all the analysis the laboratory. She knew how things work in her area. She was an expert in her department, but she never got the position to oversee the quality issue that might exist in the department. Overall, interpersonal skills have an advantage over the other because an individual can become more prosperous by knowing how to be involved with others and how to strength that relationship.

I think that the bias towards raw technical knowledge that is described here is a damaging trend. Nobody wants to work with an asshole; excuse my language. Systemically, a lot of the toxicity in engineering is due to the acceptance of such bad attitudes due to the overwhelming technical ability of an employee. Getting things done is just as much about teamwork as it is individual ability. Sure, a team of assholes with super ability could probably make something great; but would they be productive, happy, meet deadlines? Or would interpersonal struggles sideline the project? It really is up to the hiring manager & project manager at the end of the day. What culture do they want to cultivate?

As everyone mentioned above, the ratio of success in 70:30 is not absolute. It depends on the project team size and what kind of project or program it is. The ability required between advertisement design and the medical device's design is quite different. Although I agree that technical skill is more critical for BME engineers, I believe the engineer must put at least 30% of effort into interpersonal skills. There are too many examples of misunderstandings between the opinions of clients and the design department. How to understand the client's needs and transfer them into engineering forms with easy-to-understand forms for clients to understand is also significant nowadays.

Interpersonal skills are definitely more valuable than technical skill. An individual can always be taught a technical skill while I feel how one is able to interact with a person is difficult to teach. The ratio 70/30 is valid and without a leader who can properly interact with people, projects wont be as successful.

I think that both interpersonal skills and technical knowledge are important to perform a job. Different aspects of a job require more interpersonal skills in one instance and technical skills in another. However, I do not think there's a golden ratio of both; in most cases, interpersonal skills end up being a lot more important than technical skills. Most industry jobs require working in groups, and especially if someone is in a leadership position, they need to not only collaborate with others, but also lead and guide them. Interpersonal skills end up being extremely important in such cases. People with good interpersonal skills tend to communicate better, network better, be better at problem-solving, motivate those around them, and are able to build and sustain good work relationships. In my option, this translates to better work output. Such qualities make you an easier person to work with — people are able to approach you easier, they’re able to discuss and solve problems effectively, they’re able to motivate you or take motivation from you, etc — all of which make the workflow faster and more efficient. In addition to getting the work done, especially if the job entails marketing, interpersonal skills are imperative to promote a product, company, business, etc. However, this is not to say that technical skills aren’t important. Technical skills are required to get the job done, they allow companies to pursue projects, meet deadlines, and be successful. A certain amount of technical knowledge is required for anyone to do their job. Good interpersonal skills may make up for a lack of technical skills, but I don’t think good technical skills make up for a lack of interpersonal skills, especially as you go higher in management positions.

Working in the industry has taught me that interpersonal skills are more valuable and useful than technical knowledge/skills. In my opinion that ratio stands because no matter how knowledgeable someone is or can be, if he can not convey and articulate that knowledge, it nullifies that individual's technical skills. In the case of a team project setting with each member having different knowledge/disciplines, each member needs to be able to articulate their knowledge and ultimately teach each member of the team so the team can further understand that individual's role and contribution to the team/ project. In this example one can argue that 70/30 ratio is perfect since each member is apt in communicating their knowledge while also being flexible and able to learn their teammates knowledge. At the end of day technical skills can always be taught and learnt, while interpersonal skills is a bit more in depth and vary with each person. 

When regarding the position of a Project Manager, I think the ratio from Goleman's perspective can be applicable or more towards 60% interpersonal skills and 40% technical knowledge. In positions where you're the decision maker or need to converse about your product with the higher-ups, your approach makes the difference. If one were unable to convey their thoughts and knowledge in a precise manner, then their project will be less likely to succeed. I think there should be a 10% change in the ratio because BME has a vast amount of knowledge to intake so the more you retain, the better for your career. Although, I believe what the original poster stated about the ratio applying to graduates should be switched around.

I believe that interpersonal skills in general are just as important as technical skills. Nobody, in my opinion, is able to accomplish everything by themselves. This implies that everyone will eventually require assistance, and this is particularly true of those who labor. Without interpersonal skills, networking and obtaining extra resources to finish a task are more difficult. Many technical skills can be acquired through time and through on-the-job training, but without the capacity to adapt, it may be challenging to grow in a career where such abilities are required to complete projects.