As a leader, I’ve read my fair share of resumes. These professional snapshots often call out a candidate’s hard skills, anything they’ve learned or developed during their professional career. Very rarely does a resume include soft skills, or the learned behaviors that enable them to get their job done effectively and efficiently. These traits and attributes, however, are becoming increasingly important to the workplace because they directly relate to a company’s culture.
A company’s culture is defined largely by its employees. Executives and leaders set the tone through their actions, body language, and communication style. These mannerisms trickle down to the organization’s employees. A workplace with an overly-communicative leader who checks in on their employees daily and asks how their weekend was is demonstrating their positive attitude.
This behavior will seep into employees who will understand the value of chatting with their teammates and getting to know them. These soft skills are picked up over time as individuals see how their leaders are interacting at work. That said, here are three critical soft skills that I believe leaders need to succeed in today’s workplace.
Emotional Intelligence
Work can be demanding and stressful. Whether a project you’ve been excitedly spearheading for months is paused due to a lack of budget, or a client asks for a new deliverable in an unreasonable amount of time, sudden changes can throw a wrench in your plans. It can be extremely frustrating for things like this to happen, but this is why leaders need emotional intelligence to navigate these challenges properly. Sudden outbursts, eruptions, and other public displays of emotions can alarm employees.
Early in my career, I’ve worked in toxic workplaces where the leaders treated people poorly. This is why it’s important for leaders to remember that others (including more junior-level employees) are observing your actions, so respectfully presenting yourself is key. Emotional intelligence involves managing one’s own emotions while also recognizing the emotions of others. Sure, there will be plenty of times when you feel overwhelmed, but taking a second to pause, take a deep breath, and have a valuable conversation that leads to a solution will be much more beneficial.
Case in point, Gary Vaynerchuk, a well known C-suite executive, highlights this mindset in his LOVE framework. The acronym, LOVE, stands for learning, observing, value, and execution. This all-encompassing strategy can easily be applied to any area of life, as its relevance is seemingly limitless. For this reason, deploying this strategy in the workplace can help with even the most unique situations.
For instance, let’s say an employee is distressed and comes to you for help, or perhaps you’ve noticed that they seem distant. Having learned these soft skills–like emotional intelligence–can help you in these scenarios to observe the situation carefully and better understand their needs. This way, you can ensure you’re helping them in the most valuable way possible when executing a strategy. Whether they’re going through something personal such as a divorce, feeling unappreciated at work, or dealing with other unspoken challenges, being there to help them problem-solve shows that you care for them as an individual and want them to thrive.
Adaptability
Digitally-focused companies, like software or technology businesses for example, are all too used to change. But, change occurs in every industry. New leadership, reorganizations, updated processes, and loss of teammates are just some instances when adaptability will be necessary at work. Being adaptable means being able to pivot and think quickly on your feet without feeling like the rug is being pulled out from under you.
While change can be difficult, it’s oftentimes best for the company. Innovation requires change as teams identify new ways to re-evaluate existing practices and find areas of improvement. This can lead to increased growth and prompt the onboarding of new methodologies and technologies. An adaptable leader embraces change and finds a way to steer through it with ease.
For instance, when the pandemic started, countless businesses–including my own– were forced to adapt to working remotely. I know that without adaptability, this wouldn’t have been possible. Leaders who can work in diverse and flexible environments and adopt new practices easily can help their teams thrive during vulnerable times. When people see that you are going with the flow and championing the new situations, others will follow suit.
Active Listening
Active listening is a key ingredient in the workplace. In fact, Caroline Castrillon, founder of Corporate Escape Artist, highlights several ways active listening can actually lead to improved leadership. And the benefits of active listening aren’t limited to leaders alone. These benefits also extend to teams as well as external business partners.
So, while leaders may be used to others listening to them, it doesn’t necessarily mean that this top-down approach will always be best for their business. For instance, a direct report may have an opinion on a new structure or process that isn’t working well. In this situation, it’s important to fully listen to their complaints before jumping in with a resolution. Interrupting them can disrupt their train of thought or even lead them to believe that you aren’t truly aware of what is happening.
Since active listening requires you to pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues, avoid the temptation to take notes on your computer or scroll through your email on your phone. Put away the distractions and listen to what the person has to say, as these cues demonstrate that you are fully engaged and paying attention. When the conversation is complete, you can ask open-ended questions to better understand the scenario or summarize what the individual said to ensure you fully comprehend their thoughts. Lines such as “So if I’m hearing you correctly…” or “If I understand what you’re saying…” are some options that I like to use to summarize a conversation.
Soft Skills Are Necessary Skills
Data analysis, accounting, programming, and social media marketing are all vital hard skills, but soft skills can really set a leader apart. I can attest to my experience with soft skills like emotional intelligence, adaptability and active listening being especially helpful with building healthy relationships with colleagues. These learned behaviors are essential to helping organizations thrive and excel in today’s competitive marketplace.
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