That laser focus (and she argues her gender and relationship-building skills) has served Farrington well.

FORBES: Q&A With Venture Capital's 'Queen Midas,' Deborah Farrington

Without lowering our minimum hiring standards, we needed to identify those applicants with a high level of relationship-building skills.

CNN: Paths to Top Service

The MIT Sloan School of Management introduced its "competency model" in 2000, creating a four-zone grid that measures demonstrated success, such as test scores and standout work experience, and personal attributes, such as relationship-building skills and sensitivity to others.

WSJ: Business Schools Know How You Think,

When I asked her what sort of managerial skills she possessed she provided examples from her activities coordinating youth athletic activities that involved a level of organizational, relationship building, and financial skills that vastly exceed those of many people who have years of formal managerial experience.

FORBES: Connecting marketers to the Forbes audience. What is this?

Some teaching unions say they feel home educated children do not develop certain skills such as co-operation, conflict management or relationship-building.

BBC: Home educators made to register