10 Soft Skills Every Leader Needs To be Successful

One of the most exciting and challenging things about leadership is that it requires mastery of a diverse set of skills. You need technical skills, specialized skills for your business or industry, managerial skills—the list goes on. One set of skills that’s often overlooked but vitally important is what’s known as soft skills.

Soft skills are closely tied to the personal character traits and qualities each of us have. They are part of who you are, generally encompassing attitudes, habits and how you interact with others.

Soft skills are much less tangible than hard or technical skills, and they aren’t learned through education or training. You can, however, develop them through experience and concerted effort—and it’s some of the most important self-development you can do as a leader.

Here are the top 10 soft skills every leader needs:

Embodying self-awareness. It’s important to develop a clear understanding of your own character, so you can understand your feelings and motivations and embrace a deep understanding of who you are as a person.

Managing with emotional intelligence. The best leaders know how to make an impact not just with their knowledge, skills and experience, but also by being able to understand and manage their emotions. Emotional intelligence enables them to connect with others in ways that make people feel understood and appreciated.

Leading with a positive attitude. It’s important to embody an attitude of positivity, optimism and enthusiasm. A positive attitude can do wonders in turning a department or company around—and it’s contagious.

Communicating effectively. Communication is paramount to almost any job, but especially to leadership positions. Knowing how to speak thoughtfully and intelligently and how to listen intently and actively, keeping both in balance, will take you far.

Embodying empathy. Empathy is arguably the most important soft skill anyone needs, in the workforce and in life. If you’re in leadership, empathy—the simple act of paying attention to another human being and working to understanding their situation—helps you work with everyone from team members to clients to senior leadership .

Solving problems creatively. Creative problem-solving is an important but often-overlooked element of success. Since problems are inevitable, leaders who can find effective solutions and forge alternative paths on the fly are invaluable. Creativity drives innovation and increases efficiency.

Accepting feedback. Accepting feedback gracefully shows genuine skill. When you apply that feedback in ways that foster your leadership development and personal growth, you take it to the highest level.

Praising publicly and criticizing privately. Most leaders understand that public praise helps people feel appreciated and recognized. But you also need to know how to give correction and criticism privately. Private, supportive feedback fosters better performance and a desire to overcome challenges instead of resistance and defensiveness.

Motivating and inspiring. A big part of your impact as a leader comes from the inspiration and motivation you impart. That’s why it’s imperative to connect with others to build trust and unity.

Mentoring and coaching. When you invest in others through mentorship and coaching, you express caring leadership. It’s an area where a leader’s actions are far more important than their words.

If you work at developing these soft skills, you can excel as a leader. There’s virtually no area of leadership that doesn’t benefit from them.

Lead from within: Knowing how to get along with people—and managing their growth and development along with your own—is crucial for success.

#1  N A T I O N A L   B E S T S E L L E R

The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.

buy now

Additional Reading you might enjoy:

• 12 Successful Leadership Principles That Never Grow Old
• A Leadership Manifesto: A Guide To Greatness
• How to Succeed as A New Leader
• 12 of The Most Common Lies Leaders Tell Themselves
• 4 Proven Reasons Why Intuitive Leaders Make Great Leaders
• The One Quality Every Leader Needs To Succeed
• The Deception Trap of Leadership

Photo Credit: iStockPhotos