5 Tips for leaders on how to improve essential soft skills

Increasingly crucial

While soft skills have always been important it is undeniable that they have only increased in value within recent years. While COVID-19 has kept us more apart, it has also brought us closer together due to the immense push for digitization of the workplace. We are even more connected than before, so it makes sense that soft skills take a bigger stage - this is especially true for leaders. How you interact with your people can make or break a team. All the expert knowledge in the world is worthless when it can not be effectively implemented. Leaders must be first and foremost people-experts to achieve maximum work efficiency. The future workplace is interpersonal and flat in hierarchy. Numerous top-performing companies in the world are getting rid of old structures to make space for collaborative and creative spaces. We must adapt and hone our soft skills or become relic of the past.

Engage with your people

First, it is necessary to get a feel for whom you are working with. Get to know the people in your team, have a chat with them, ask about their qualities, their hobbies, and the like. Employees who have a good relationship with their leader are more enthusiastic, report problems early and have the motivation to share new ideas more freely. Creating an atmosphere where workers feel comfortable to express themselves and follow their ambitions is extremely important not just for the performance of your organization, but along the way you will improve your people skills naturally.

Commit to a feedback loop

You are not alone in this, spread responsibility by giving people the opportunity to be proud of their work. This will make them more critical of themselves, the process, and you. After all, people give their best when they love what they are working on. Then workers will be more willing to point out what works and what doesn't. Being open to feedback on your end will make you see what your own flaws are and how to improve in the future. It may turn out that you are not the greatest listener. For example, hearing this from your team will save you a lot of trouble down the line.?

Stay fresh

Do not be afraid to try new things. Organize gatherings for employees like a Christmas party. Establish a bring-your-pet-to-work day, install a watercooler or coffee area for employees to naturally interact with one another, or involve your team in decision-making processes more actively. There are countless ways you can gain more exposure to the people you work with and practice your people skills in productive ways directly and indirectly.

Gain context

Practice empathy to understand people's motivations better. Figuring out what makes people tick can be challenging, so listen closely and observe people's behaviors. Ask questions not just about work-related topics, but make sure that your people are well. Find out why people do the things they do, how their input contributes to getting a grasp of the inner workings of your operations. Having an open ear for an employee who is going through something may also give you the chance to establish a deeper level of trust and help said worker.

Never stop learning

While a lot can be done by yourself of your own volition sometimes it is wise to seek out the advice of professionals. SEAC is offering top courses in collaboration with world-renowned partners to improve your soft skills among many other offerings. We can help you to develop mindsets that will change the way you conduct your business and how you interact with others. Our human-centric approach will help you to become a better leader with a more creative, loyal, and satisfied team.?