We all know the importance of technical expertise, extensive experience, and cognitive aptitude. Most of us share the adage that leadership is ‘getting someone else to do something we want done because he wants to do it’. As leaders, we’re dealing with a myriad of responsibilities, complex situations, …. and we’re dealing with people.
In lower level positions, such as frontline workers or support staff, cognitive skills must closely align with specific jobs.
However, the more complex our roles and responsibilities, the more important soft skills become. In essence, the greater the demands placed on us in the organizational hierarchy, the more critical every aspect applies to our performance. No doubt cognitive abilities and technical expertise are absolutely necessary, but what distinguishes top performers is our ability to handle people.
We’ve all read about the importance of emotional intelligence. After all, the best leaders of our time integrated soft skills into their practices long before emotional intelligence ever became a mainstream concept. We can trace this back to some of the greatest leaders in history.
What was a common thread? A conscious or unconscious ability to connect with others. Take a look at some of your favorite historical leaders and consider how they handled tough situations. How they tended to the most challenging dilemmas facing them at the height of their leadership was cornerstone to what placed them in a positioned as such a renowned leader.
Common Industries & How Soft Skills Impact Performance
Some common industries where leaders who weave soft skills to enhance performance include:
Social services: being gentle, empathetic, and calm with those who may be scared, intimidated, or fearful of their situation
Finance: respecting customers private and personal situations by putting them at ease
Education: creating a cohesive culture among teachers. When teachers feel that sense of connection, they tend to relax more. It is evident in their performance in the classroom and their ability to connect with students
CPAs: capitalizing on enhanced social skills so they are able to connect with clients from a variety of industries
Law enforcement: integrating superior listening and negotiation skills; connecting with perpetrators or victims so they are better able to control the situation
Information technology (IT): flexibility and adaptability, so they can better capitalize on the constantly changing environment in a superior streamlined manner
Scientists: honing influence and motivation so they can garner and achieve the data needed to prove new theories or identify means for revolutionary results
The greater the level of expertise required to execute our responsibilities – the more crucial this becomes. The higher we sit in the organizational hierarchy, so to speak, the more this applies: emotional competence places the best leaders at an astounding advantage.
On the Flip Side
Interpersonal incompetence corrodes workplaces.
A deficiency in such competencies results in the inability to translate or convey cognitive skills and technical expertise. If we can’t transform our experience into actionable practice, we’re simply not as effective. We need to be able to weave our professional skill and competence with other [soft] areas that enable us to connect with others.
What separates the average or mediocre and the top performer? What is the secret ingredient that our best leaders share? “On average, close to 90 percent of their success in leadership was attributable to emotional intelligence” (Goleman, 1998, p. 34).
Reference: Goleman, D. (1998). Working with emotional intelligence. New York, NY: Bantam Dell.
Employees who find manifest signs of incompetence in their heads are more likely to come into conflict with them and question their decisions. Perhaps managers at a modest level in the hierarchical scale must master the technical aspects of the profession perfectly in order to be able to enforce their employees. They must therefore be professionals in their field. On the contrary, a top manager is expected to have strong interpersonal skills, that is, excellent relational skills and good communication skills. However, I believe that both types of skills are desirable at every level of the hierarchical scale.
The key to being a good leader is having everyone be addicted to your attitude, your stories, and your value. They will engage with you as often as they can so they will get their “fix”.
Very interesting Article and covers a wide spectrum. I let my manager lead and I guide them, nude them along and give honest and actionable feedback. It is important that they succeed by developing their direct reports to success.
All great points. We all need to connect at some fundamental level. There are some that do not see you as an equal — meaning you can never connect them them. This could just be ego and personality. Or it can be the result of that person raising in power and authority too quickly; see you and people like you as being “ants”.
Have you ever tried to connect with someone that sees you as an inferior, garbage, or useless? It involves playing the long game.