The most important and irreplaceable people in a company are often those whose contributions to the organization cannot be summarized in the list of degrees and certificates on their resume. In few cases is this as evident as in that of leaders and team leaders in general, since these types of positions are based, in large part, on practical skills that are difficult to find in a textbook or in several pages of notes.
Therefore, in this article we will see What soft skills should a team leader develop? to achieve adequate levels of motivation and productivity in the professionals under his/her charge.
Let’s start by examining the concept of “soft skills”. These are the skills based on communication and emotional regulation skills which, when combined with theoretical-practical knowledge oriented to a specific domain (for example, engineering, accounting, haute cuisine…) allow complex problems to be solved. Thus, in some cases soft skills are developed spontaneously as the psychological maturation process takes place, while in others it is necessary to train skills self-taught or with the help of a psychologist or educator.
In the case of the soft skills of leaders, these must be applied to make several workers coordinate and commit to the rest of the team, making the best use of their knowledge and skills and, at the same time, avoiding the syndrome of burnout that is often produced by a very authoritarian or unidirectional leadership style. Taking this into account, let’s see what the soft skills are to become a good leader.
Assertiveness is very important, especially when criticizing errors that have taken place and work dynamics that can be improved. This means that These types of observations should be seen not as a punishment or humiliation, but as something that provides valuable information to avoid making mistakes again, and as an example of the extent to which these errors are serious and harm the organization.
2. Empathy
The ease of generating an emotional connection with the members of a team is another of the most important soft skills for leading, since in this way it is better understood what the incentive system is behind the behavioral patterns of the workers. Therefore, empathy is key.
Assuming that staff members work only for money is erring on the side of reductionism and missing opportunities to adequately motivate staff members and to resolve conflicts between workers.
4. Ability to generate trust
Without trust in the project that is being carried out in an organization, there is no leadership, in any case there are instructions that are transmitted to achieve short-term technical objectives: just enough to collect at the end of the month while there is no other way to maintain that level of income.
That is why it is important for a leader to be able to demonstrate that there are reasons to maintain trust in what everyone is doing, so that commitment to the rest of the team is possible. This involves connecting the individual purpose with that of the company, so that collaborative work is seen as a way to reach meaningful goals for oneself through involvement in team work.
Leaders are characterized by always having several work fronts open at the same time, given that their role requires having a global vision of what is being done at the team, department or company level. Therefore, knowing how to properly manage stress is very important to focus on what is important at each moment and not be overwhelmed by intrusive thoughts, which are an element that drags people towards procrastination.
6. Long-term vision
If a leader limits himself to directing his thoughts and actions to keep “what already works” running, the teams he is in charge of will reach a state of stagnation, since Proactivity always depends on the ability to adapt to a changing environment Therefore, it is important not to suffer great psychological exhaustion due to the need to always be looking for opportunities to grow or improve results.
7. Ability to learn from mistakes
Although a leader’s position of authority can lead to a false sense of importance and feed his ego, another of the key soft skills for leading well is to maintain humility and always look for lessons to learn from the mistakes made in the past. last. Only in this way does time spent in a company become valuable experience.
8. Mental flexibility
Since the leader’s job is to maintain a strategic vision of the means to be applied to reach an overall goal, it is important avoid the tendency to always do things the same way because “they have always been done that way” ; You have to keep up to date and learn to change your perspective.
Do you want to train yourself in the keys to leadership?
If you want to learn the theory and practice of what it means to lead in the context of organizations and companies, the courses European School of Coaching (EEC) they’re for you.
In them you will find training programs with various formats and durations, and that give the possibility of becoming certified as an executive or team coach.
