What are the top 5 soft skills for an ideal leader?

Soft skills training and behavioural skills training need to be on the cards for everyone, be it a leader or an entry level executive. And although it’s one of those skills that can make or break a person’s career at any level, its frankly the most neglected!

So today I’m going to list down the top 5 soft skills that a leader needs to possess. Here goes…

1. Communication Skills – Now that’s definitely a skill you will find in pretty much every soft skills training, but one that tends to get missed out in soft skills training sessions for leaders! Why? Because we often think that communication skills meant for those at the entry level. And that’s why you’ll always find it at multiple places in the training calendar of very organisation especially for lower level employees! However, its also one of those skills that takes time and continuous efforts to master. Which is why you will find many leaders still lacking in it.

Leaders need to be able to listen to their team members. They need to allow their teams to share their opinions in a safe and non-threatening environment. They also need to master the art of handling conflict and saying what they need to assertively, without aggression.

2. Emotional Intelligence – Yes another extremely important skill or should I say intelligence! Managing their own emotions and learning how to manage those of others is of prime importance for leaders especially in such stressful times. And for that, a leader must have a very high level of awareness. He must be able to manage his own reactions, thoughts and emotions and at the same time be empathetic towards others. And that is another skill that can take years if not lifetimes to develop!

3. Time Management – Leaders are always short on time. And as much as they may think that they don’t need soft skills training on how to manage their and their teams time better, they actually do. After all, there’s always a scope to do more in 24 hours, isn’t there?

4. Decision Making – Decisions don’t leave leaders. They follow them around until they take them!  Therefore, being able to take decisions after considering the larger picture and in the interest of the majority is very important. And that’s why leaders should learn the various decision-making tools. It will not only help them take those tough decisions but will also reduce the time they take to take them.

5. Influencing – Last but not the least, comes the skill to influence others around. And that’s an extremely important skill for a leader. People must look up to him and respect him. And for that, he needs to take actions that will earn him the respect rather than having people give respect out of fear.

So those were my top 5. What do you think? Are there any other important soft skills that leaders need to be have and be trained on?

Well that’s all from me today, but I would love to hear what you have to say. And I now better get down to creating the content for another soft skills training session that I need to deliver by the end of the week.

Wish you adieu and Happy learning!

Growing Seriousness in Soft Skills Training in India

The number of organizations investing in Soft Skills Training in India is growing in leaps and bounds. Previously thought to be a fancy add on, organizations are now realizing that Soft Skills Training goes hand in hand with technical training. An individual may be experienced in hard skills, but if his soft skills are not in place then he will not be able to go very far. In fact it has been found out that those people who have exceptional hard skills but lack soft skills often find it difficult to climb up the corporate ladder. They have their subject matter in place but are at a loss when it comes to dealing with people. Soft Skills teaches individuals how to harmoniously transact with people around them and makes them better team players.

 

Soft Skills Training can be of various types:

1. Self – Most people are not in touch with themselves. They may have many emotions and fears that have built up over the years which have gone unaddressed or they may have chosen to escape from them as facing them may be too painful. Training can help them get in touch with these in a safe environment so that they let go of such unwanted emotions and can improve their self image as well as how they deal with others. This can in turn lead to a more positive attitude and increased level of motivation. Various psychological tools like Neuro Linguistic Programming, Transactional Analysis, Gestalt Therapy and Mindfulness Meditation as well as other Cognitive Behavioural Theories may be used to achieve the same.

2. Skills – A large number of intra and interpersonal skills like Communication Skills, Business Etiquette, Team Building, Goal Setting, Time Management, Stress Management, Decision Making, Problem Solving, Delegation and other Managerial and Leadership Skills can be taught to individuals. These skills when mastered will not only help the person manage himself better, but will also help him handle others better. Not only will he be able to succeed in climbing up the corporate ladder, but will also be able to take his team members higher, contributing to the overall organizational success.

 

Owing to the change that has been observed in people by focusing on their ‘softer’ aspects, Soft Skills Training in India is constantly on the rise not only in the Corporate World but also in Small and Medium Sized Companies which are now becoming more open to investing in such training.

Soft skills Training to Growth and Development of an organization

What are soft skills? They are the skills which an individual possesses in form of his emotional quotient which is his etiquette, behaviour, communication, presentation, leadership etc. They are about his personality, social skills, language skills, habits, friendliness etc.

Soft skills are quite unlike hard skills which are easy measurable.

 

Soft skills play a very important role in the development and growth of a person as well as organization. Hence today’s organizations are getting more and more focused towards enhancing the soft skills of their employees through soft skills training.  They also conduct various assessments before hiring an employee as to where does he stand on various soft skills required for the employee to possess so that they can be utilized for the growth of the organization.

Example of one of the assessments is 16 PF and MBTI.

Similarly when employees get promotions they are assessed more and more on soft and behavioural skills for the future role. Post the assessment they undergo soft skills training to close the gaps identified during the development centre.

Either an internal faculty or an external trainer is hired to conduct programs which enhance the capabilities and close the skills gap.

 

As more and more organizations grow more emphasis is laid on soft skills training in India. The industry is growing by day and night with new players entering from international market as well as domestic companies coming up on a regular basis with new products and services.

In the last ten years behavioural skills training inIndia has grown multi-fold. This has also led rise to many free lance consultants who have past consultancy and training experience to leave their jobs and work as free lance trainers.

 

Soft skills training in India has now forayed into Classroom Led Trainings, E-Learning, One on one Executive Coaching, Life coaching, Web based training, Chat based training, satellite training and programs through learning management systems.