In this episode of Magic in the Cloud, host Joe sits down with Jon Cline, founder of The People First Method, to explore how mastering soft skills can lead to hard results — in leadership, sales, and tech.

From over a thousand Salesforce projects to years of coaching experience, Jon shares how empathy, communication, and trust have become the new power skills that separate thriving teams from struggling ones.

Whether you’re leading an AI transformation, running a Salesforce team, or simply trying to build better relationships in your career, this conversation is packed with real-world strategies and stories that remind us: your people skills are your power.

⏱ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Turning soft skills into hard money

01:00 – How Jon’s early tech job revealed the power of patience and empathy

03:12 – Why the best technicians aren’t always the best teammates

05:40 – The “People-First” spark: helping others grow inside the Salesforce ecosystem

07:18 – From mentoring to entrepreneurship — monetizing what you love

09:45 – Teaching empathy and communication to technical talent

12:03 – Why soft skills outperform hard skills in real project outcomes

14:22 – How to overcome introversion and build confidence in communication

17:08 – What research says about why IT projects fail

20:15 – How “People-First” methods cut project failure rates and improve ROI

23:40 – The cost of skipping discovery in the Salesforce ecosystem

27:12 – Defining the “Why, What, and How” of every project

30:05 – Executive misalignment: why AI projects fail faster

33:10 – Who benefits most from the People First Method

36:00 – Soft skills as the secret sauce — empathy, small talk, and active listening

39:22 – Using small talk as strategy to build trust and reduce tension

43:30 – How to say “no” by saying “yes” and keep clients engaged

47:15 – The People-First approach to AI: putting empathy before automation

51:00 – Teaching leaders to introduce AI as empowerment, not replacement

54:44 – Jon’s farm roots, foster care, and how adversity built empathy

59:50 – From foster kid to founder — turning challenges into strengths

1:03:10 – Lessons from his foster dad: leading with love, connection, and purpose

1:08:22 – Empathy as the foundation of influence and leadership

1:12:00 – Final insights: why kindness is a competitive advantage

1:14:00 – Where to find The People First Method and free resources

1:16:20 – Closing thoughts: lead with heart, lead with purpose

🔔 Call to Action

If this episode inspired you to lead with people first:

✅ Subscribe to Magic in the Cloud for more episodes on tech, leadership, and growth.

💬 Comment your biggest takeaway or story about how soft skills helped you win.

📢 Share this episode with a colleague who’s ready to turn soft skills into hard success.

Together, let’s build smarter teams — and a more human future in tech. ☁️💡