The Trifecta of Leadership Skills

Have you attained the trifecta of leadership skills? 

In my past blog posts, I’ve written about the importance of leadership and management skills. The third, and most important set of skills that leaders must have are people skills, or soft skills. “Soft” in this context doesn’t mean weak or vulnerable, but rather refers to a departure from the quantifiable, formulaic or repeatable nature of the facts in leadership issues. 

People skills deal with the emotional and uncertain aspects of human nature. They require caring about people with a personable approach. Often times, such skills are difficult to attain if they do not come to you naturally. A leader’s character and personality play an important role in the effectiveness of their people skills, so those with a poor persona may suffer in trying to gain a loyal following of employees. 

Prominent speaker and author Tony Robbins professes that the current difficulties with employee dissatisfaction are heavily impacted by the lack of people skills at the leadership level. Leaders who regard people skills as unnecessary or unimportant handicap their careers and the performance of their organizations. 

Leaders with good soft skills have a personable way of engaging people. When this topic comes up with my coaching clients, we discuss how this begins with a focus on helping others, getting to know them, and attempting to meet their needs. In response, people are drawn in, and extend their trust and loyalty. Common people skills include respectfulness, positivity, and fairness. Traits that overlap this leadership-skill category are integrity, and setting the example of morality in the organization. 

A leader can better connect with people if they focus on their personal communication skills. Specifically, actively listening to others, following through on commitments, and offering encouragement can greatly affect how your employees see you. A leader who is transparent, accountable, and open to feedback earns significant trust. 

Leaders who are to balance the three primary skill sets have the most well-rounded and successful careers. They enable people to go above and beyond, to prosper both individually and corporately. 

What do you think? Have you mastered the trifecta of leadership skills, or do you need help? Either way, I’d love to hear from you. You can reach me via my website, Twitter, or LinkedIn.