6 BUSINESS SOFT SKILLS EVERY LEADER NEEDS

Soft skills are imperative for all members of an organization, from the intern to the boss, but team leaders and managers must have them as their top priority. All good team leaders share a number of specific, consequential qualities that keep the boat afloat.

Leadership, a fusion of soft skills

Leadership is a soft skill that is also often defined as a combination of soft skills; after all, a good leader will need exceptional communication abilities, a sixth sense for business decisions, and a knack for inspiring and guiding their people, and that’s just the start! 

But among the most determinant skills that leaders seek in soft skills training, these six occupy the highest spots on the list.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence, a general term that comprises interpersonal and intrapersonal skills, is considered the “hardest” of workplace soft skills, as it has been proven to account for up to 90% of what moves people up the corporate ladder. Interpersonal skills are incredibly valuable to lead, a duty that requires a deep understanding of the social arena and the psychology of workplace teams.

Emotional intelligence is also essential to master public speaking, as having full control of oneself and one’s public ensues that the message gets across in exactly the way the speaker intends it to, and captivatingly so!

Decision making

Decision making is integral in leading a team towards success. While it is important to take different opinions into account, leaders and managers are often responsible for the final choices, and therefore liable for its consequences, too.

As such, decision making is a soft skill that demands precision and temple under pressure, confidence in oneself and one’s team, and a sense of opportunity that can be refined and trained.

Assertiveness, one of the most popular soft skill courses

Being assertive in a business setting is a must: it’s the art of communicating and conveying information, ideas and opinions in a clear, polite, valuable and powerful way. An assertive leader transmits confidence and honesty, showing strong initiative and leading by example; they control their emotional reactions in order to be constructive, collaborative, and kind.

Assertiveness is one of the most popular soft skill courses seeked out thanks to the way it enables teams and persons to show their best self and leave their comfort zones. 

As being assertive has many other facets, like delegating skills and conflict management, seeking out soft skills training is how companies make sure that the balance is adequate and all areas are addressed.

Strategic thinking

Strategic thinking skills enable critical thinking and problem-solving in the long term, which creates high impact in a business environment. Strategic thinking involves analysing problems logically, identifying weaknesses and unforeseen risks, and attuning your sense of opportunity, which is the fast track towards innovating and leading the market.

Learning how to think strategically is crucial for leaders and, like many others, is a soft skill that can be trained and cultivated.

Compassion

In the middle of a global shift of work priorities, styles of management are a significant factor in job seekers’ choice of workplace. The old stereotype of impersonal, rigid offices is exactly that: old! Companies and managers have to care about their people. A good paycheck is no longer enough: younger generations ask to be treated like humans, too.

Compassionate bosses understand that happiness and personal satisfaction matter; they worry about their employees’ wellbeing, are mindful of their personal and professional boundaries, and support them along the way.

Coaching

Coaching is a soft skill that is closely tied to others like interpersonal skills and compassion, but takes them to a new level: coaching employees means guiding and supporting them, creating a collaborative environment and influencing teammates to feel motivated and validated in the workplace.

The need for leaders able to coach their teams has lead to a significative increase in soft skills training, as coaching directly focuses on improving performance and unlocking potential. Training their leaders’ coaching skills directly increases the value of a company’s talent, as it gives them the key to develop personally and professionally.

How companies create great leaders

Leaders don’t grow on trees: they are forged by the needs of the environments they’re in, and the demands of their position. However, they’re also supported and guided. Leadership is rarely a soft skills that dawns upon people like divine inspiration. The greatest of leaders have the greatest of teachers, and examples, behind them.

Businesses are aware of this, and coaching and mentoring their best and most talented towards positions of leadership is an worthwhile effort that takes a myriad of forms and names. 

Soft skills courses are a fail-safe choice, as they reduce organizational costs greatly at the benefit of improving both talent retention and happiness, and increasing competition and revenue, ultimately becoming a lasting asset for any business.

If you don’t want to be left behind, contact us today and take the opportunity to train your employees in soft skills.