Leadership was telling people what to do, giving direction, and mostly, it was about leading in a non-collaborative fashion. Employees’ opinions were not considered important enough to impact company decisions or direction. Leadership was about power.
Leadership in the 21st Century
Today, this could not be further from the truth. Although such skills as writing business plans, project managing, and task delegating are strong leadership skills to have the focus now is more about understanding human behavior in the workplace.
What are Soft Skills?
Leadership skills are no longer just based on basic core competencies to get the job done. Soft skills are those qualities and characteristics that can make someone a good employee and compatible to work with.
Here are a few examples:
Servant Leadership
The idea behind this is that the servant leader is always there to help and guide above all else. This is not to be mistaken for someone that is a “pushover” or weak.
Empowering Others
This leadership quality is when a leader learns to trust and empower those around them to make decisions. This demonstrates that you trust their judgment, sometimes even showing you know they have more expertise than you do.
Empathy
Empathy allows you to put yourself in another person’s shoes and understand what they’re going through.
Honesty
Being honest allows for leaders to share their true feelings with people. This helps to build trust and enables you to have more powerful and meaningful conversations.
Soft skills in leadership are becoming more of the focus as workplace trends continue to evolve. Wouldn’t you want to be on the right side of this movement?
Resources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/90379242/five-soft-skills-you-need-to-be-a-better-leader-in-2020
https://www.skillsurvey.com/resource/truth-about-soft-skills-webinar/
