5 Underrated Leadership Skills Every Manager Can Master to Deliver Better Results

Look for what is great, but most people don't recognize.

Take the following list of foods:

Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Milk Duds, Orville Redenbacher's Popcorn, Alpine Fresh, Inc. Jumbo Blueberries, 星巴克 Americano.

The one thing they all have in common is that they are wildly underrated.?

It's easy to focus on what is popular; it takes keen observation to find what is underrated.??

The world of leadership is similar. There are appropriately rated skills like coaching , communication , decision-making, and accountability that are essential to deliver results. Then, there are underrated qualities that are often overlooked or undervalued.? These skills might not receive as much attention but are equally crucial for sustained success.?

Underrated Skills to Boost Team Performance?

Skills can be underrated for many reasons, but often, they aren't easily measured.?There isn't a tangible connection made between action and the result.? For example, coaching is an essential leadership skill because it's easy to measure the impact of coaching and the number one-on-ones. It's easy to draw a connection between the number of difficult conversations and accountability.?(Sign up for the Free Workshop Here)

However, regarding underrated leadership skills, the direct correlation to results is often a gray area.? When you experience these things, you know something is different, but it's challenging to point to them as the exact reason a team is successful.??

So, what are these underrated leadership skills??

1. Setting the Culture Thermostat

Peter Drucker famously said, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast."? Drucker's point was that no matter how advanced a company's strategy is, its success ultimately depends on the culture. You can think of it like a football play.? A head coach might have a perfect play called up in the huddle, but it won't be successful if the players don't believe in it, as shown in their behavior.?

In Building the Best , I defined culture as "The shared values and beliefs that guide thinking and behavior." Ultimately, leaders create the culture, culture produces behavior, and eventually, collective behavior becomes your result.??

There is an excellent metaphor example of culture I learned from Jason Barger : A thermometer culture reads the environment, merely indicating the current state without influencing it. Conversely, a thermostat culture sets the temperature and actively works to maintain and mold it, much like a thermostat sets the temperature in a house.?

Setting the culture temperature is complex and challenging work, but the results are astounding when done well. That's what makes it underrated.??

2. Bringing Positive Energy

In the information age, we all work and live in, people are more in tune with all the challenges and negativity in the world. It has made it hard to be optimistic.? So, to be an optimistic leader who relentlessly brings positive energy is a true competitive advantage.?

To be an optimistic leader who relentlessly brings positive energy is a true competitive advantage.?

Not only is bringing positive energy a competitive advantage, but it's also a choice you make.? The benefit of being positive is that it creates a magnetic pull for like-minded people toward you. Take the heliotropic effect, as an example.? Which states that all living systems are inclined toward that which is life-giving and avoid things that are life-depleting.? For example, if you put a plant in the window, it leans toward the light over time.??

Now, this isn't to say leaders should avoid the truth or practice toxic positivity. Napoleon said, "A leader's job is to define reality and deliver hope."? Evaluate the truth of the current situation, then focus on bringing positive energy daily despite it.?

3. Keeping Your Commitments?

Nothing will erode trust in a team faster than a leader failing to keep their commitments.? Since trust is the foundation of any relationship and it's built consistently over time, honoring promises is essential.? Said differently, trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.

Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.

You will demonstrate character, integrity, and reliability by keeping your commitments.? These character behaviors set you apart in a work world where many people are the opposite.? Keeping your commitments is table stakes if you want people to follow you because of your actions instead of your title.

4. Empowering Team Members with Ownership

Rarely are managers taught how to empower others.? Empowerment means helping other people make decisions and is a catalyst in helping improve efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement.? Unfortunately, most managers micromanage.

When you micromanage, you create a bottleneck.?It is arrogant. It assumes other people can't learn to do something as well as you. It creates a dependency on you that shrinks the team's potential instead of expanding it.?

Instead of micromanaging and controlling every piece of a process, the best leaders empower others to make decisions where the information is.?

5. Engaging In Active Listening

Did you know that 70% of employees say they would feel more valued if their managers were better listeners and employees are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work when they feel heard?? Despite these staggering statistics, the listening skills of managers are appallingly bad.?

The reason is most managers overestimate the quality of their listening skills. To avoid this, don't assume you are listening, assume you are not listening. This is essential because listening must come before acting.?

Listening must come before acting.

Be an active listener by engaging your mind, asking curious questions, and giving team members the space to be heard.? While it seems simple, it's difficult.?

Closing

Embracing and honing these underrated leadership skills can dramatically enhance your ability to lead effectively. Remember, being an effective leader isn't just about the known abilities; it's also about the underrated skills. It's about culture, positive energy, empowerment, keeping commitments, and listening.

Focus on developing these skills, and you'll drive your team to success. Start today because the path to becoming a remarkable leader is well within your control.

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About the Author: John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft and the creator of the Accelerate Leadership System . He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success . You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades .

Accelerate Leadership Program: Looking to turn your managers into highly effective leaders? Instead of having high expectations, now is the time to also provide a high level of support. Leverage the Accelerate Leadership System for managers in your organization. Learn more here.