Interpersonal Skills - The Keys to Management and Leadership

According to some studies, the number one reason for managers and executives find themselves with a stalled or underperforming career is a lack of interpersonal skills. This might seem surprising, given the amount of training and attention to the technical and business knowledge, but the fact remains that there is more to a successful career not only know the facts.

Hard skills vs. soft skills

A typical graduate program in economics or executive training program will focus on what are considered hard skills. Examples may include strategic business planning, financial analysis, budgeting, and product development. These are all important things to know, but a growing number of companies are also interested in the so-called soft skills.

These soft skills are best defined as how a manager interacts with people. An evaluation of soft skills might include answer the following questions:

What behaviors are consistently show the manager?

As is seen by the operator level, above and below its level of organization?

How does the manager communicate with others?

How does the manager handle team-building situations?

The manager get along with other people?

Getting Personal

Many professionals have difficulty with soft skills because they are so personal in nature, but it is exactly these soft skills that are keys to success as a manager and leader. Even more difficult is to accept the reality of poor soft skills and making an effort to improve.

It is no longer enough to know how to analyze a profit and loss. A good manager or leader who will profit and loss account and use it to coach employees, facilitate team productivity, and lead to improved performance. This can not be done simply by reading the numbers and tell people that the numbers have changed. It 'done by interacting with people in a way that encourages them, motivates them, and reinforces their value to the team.

Improving interpersonal skills

The good news is that anyone can learn new skills and improve their interpersonal old. Most managers say they have good interpersonal skills, so it comes as a shock when they receive open, honest feedback that says you need to make improvements. Without such feedback, however, may be areas of improvement identified and targets set for practicing new behaviors.

For example, if you are perceived as a poor listener, then you can practice new behaviors to change this perception. You could set a goal to focus more on listening to another person one-on-one, or to limit your contributions in a group discussion so that others can contribute more.

Another strategy is to enlist the help of a learning partner. This person observes you and provides you with regular feedback on any behavior you are trying to improve. He or she is your cheerleader when you do well and your coach when you can do better.

Putting it all together

The bottom line is that when it comes to being a good manager or leader, you must master the skills of your hard work as well as the specific soft skills of interpersonal relations. Interpersonal skills should be a focal point of your leadership development. Some people are naturally more personal interactions, but anyone can learn to do better. The key is to recognize the importance of interpersonal relations, honestly evaluate your skill level, and consciously improve those behaviors that need work....