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Article #19: Interpersonal Skills - The Keys to Management and Leadership

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According to some research studies, the motivates them, and reinforces their
number one reason why managers and value to the team. Improving
executives find themselves with a stalled interpersonal skills The good news is
or underperforming career is a lack of that everyone can learn new interpersonal
interpersonal skills. This might seem skills and improve upon their old ones.
surprising, given the amount of training Most managers will say that they already
and attention given to technical skills have good interpersonal skills, so it
and business knowledge, but the fact comes as a shock when they receive open,
remains that there is more to career honest feedback that says they need to
success than just knowing the facts. Hard make improvements. Only through such
skills vs. soft skills A typical business feedback, though, can areas for
degree program or executive training improvement be identified and specific
program will focus on what are considered goals set for practicing new behaviors.
hard skills. Examples might include For example, if you are perceived as a
strategic business planning, financial poor listener then you can practice new
analysis, budgeting, or product behaviors to change that perception. You
development. These are all important might set a goal to focus more on
things to know, but an increasing number listening to another person in one-on-one
of companies are also interested in the situations, or to limit your
so-called soft skills. These soft skills contributions in a group discussion so
are best defined as how a manager that others can contribute more. Another
interacts with people. An evaluation of strategy is to enlist the help of a
soft skills might include answer the learning partner. This person observes
following questions: What behaviors does you and provides you with regular
the manager consistently demonstrate? How feedback on whatever behavior you are
is the manager viewed by others at levels trying to improve. He or she is your
at, above, and below his or her cheerleader when you do well and your
organizational level? How does the coach when you can do better. Putting it
manager communicate with others? How does all together The bottom line is that when
the manager handle team-building it comes to being a good manager or
situations? Does the manager get along leader, you must master the hard skills
with other people? Getting personal Many of your specific job as well as the soft
business professionals have difficulty skills of interpersonal relations.
with soft skills because they are so Interpersonal skills must be a focus of
personal in nature, but it is exactly your leadership development. Some people
these soft skills that are keys to are naturally better at personal
success as a manager and leader. Even interactions, but anyone can learn to do
more difficult is accepting the reality better. The key is to recognize the
of poor soft skills and making an effort importance of interpersonal relations,
to improve. It is not enough anymore to honestly evaluate your skill level, and
know how to analyze a profit and loss consciously improve those behaviors that
statement. A good manager or leader will need work. Visit for a wealth of
take that profit and loss statement and leadership development information. Susan
use it to coach employees, facilitate West has held many executive leadership
team productivity, and lead toward positions during her 25 years of business
performance improvement. This cannot be experience. She shares her knowledge and
done simply by reading the numbers and lessons learned through a variety of
telling people that numbers need to programs offered by QuadWest Associates,
change. It is done by interacting with LLC including coaching, leadership
people in a way that encourages them, workshops, tele-seminars and consulting.






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