Soft skills that give Leaders the power to face “hard” challenges. 

Leaders face many challenges in this ever-changing business landscape. They must possess not only the technical skills and competencies to overcome difficult challenges, but also the soft skills to adapt to changing environments and lead with confidence.

One of the long-standing challenges for leaders is how they “deal” with the constant obstacles they face with their teams and organisations. Navigating these obstacles is similar to a sailor on choppy seas, trying to find their way to the other side with a combination of skill, knowledge and experience, while also relying on their intuition and gut feeling to make the best decisions.

This can be an incredibly daunting task, requiring a carefully curated mix of analytical thinking, emotional intelligence and the ability to anticipate potential issues in order to traverse the choppy waters successfully.

The human habit of doing unpredictable things makes people challenges unique as they don’t follow a rigid process. We can’t just apply technical processes to people dilemmas since we know that fixing them is not always as simple as switching them on and off.

Our people are critical to our success. We can’t achieve our objectives without their engagement and cooperation. This is why we should either develop our own soft skills or tap into our own natural resources.

What are soft skills?

A soft skill can be defined in many ways, but they are usually composed of organisation, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, conflict management, motivation, and communication. Ultimately, these essential elements refer to a mindset or set of behaviours that can be cultivated proactively through development, whether it’s self-development, reading Mindset by Carol Dweck, or enrolling in a leadership development program with specific content for developing these abilities.

Still, why bother? According to Eric Frazer, author of The Psychology of Top Talent, many soft skills are highly practical, like efficiency, prioritisation, time management, and organisation, which we know help people be their most productive. This can then have a positive impact on your relationship with your co-workers, whether you work remotely or hybrid.

When leaders have good organisational and prioritisation skills, they can give themselves the gift of time, which then allows them to invest in communication, connection, and trust, all essential building blocks for building high-performing organisations, teams, and people.

A survey conducted recently identified soft skills as THE most sought-after qualifications for 91% of managerial jobs. Today’s leaders must be self-aware, emotionally intelligent, able to build relationships, and capable of creating a healthy culture in which employees want to stay. It has become increasingly clear that people come first (a somewhat cliché sentiment), but it rings true across industries now more than ever.

Putting people first involves engaging with them, building trust, being our true authentic selves, communicating with them, and minimising the threat of a toxic work environment.

Developing the “soft skills” of those who will lead them is crucial to recruiting, engaging, and retaining talented people. This, in turn, demands that companies focus on honing the leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills of their workforce. There is a lot to do. Now let’s get started.

Author: David Davies
Lead Talent Head of Leadership, Talent Development and Mentoring