Many believe that great leaders are born, not made! Those who subscribe to this worldview feel that if one doesn’t exhibit leadership qualities from an early age, there’s little chance that they ever will! However, the truth is just the opposite – Great leaders are MADE.
Effective leaders invest their time & energy either consciously or subconsciously. In addition, they tend to develop social & emotional skills that empower them to mobilize others. Well, that’s good news as it implies that anyone can become a leader as long as they are serious about developing their skills.
So, if you also wish to become an effective leader, hang on as we will discuss the crucial social & emotional skills that every leader should have to reach personal & professional goals.
Okay then, let’s get started!
What Are Leadership Skills?
Leadership skills include the strengths & abilities demonstrated by people in management roles that help in guiding & encouraging the team to achieve common goals. A leader must have numerous skills, like communication, collaboration, time management, emotional intelligence, and much more. After all, that’s what makes a leader!
Every leader is required to acquire specific leadership skills that can help run the organizational processes effortlessly.
Significance Of Social & Emotional Skills In A Leader
Social & emotional skills are vital in a leader as they enable them to interact & form connections with their team members. In addition, these two skills also would allow leaders to develop a pleasant working atmosphere & make wise decisions.
Leaders who possess social & emotional skills easily connect with their team members, thus understanding their requirements & issues to respond to them effectively.
- Emotional as well as social skills enable leaders to understand & respond to the emotions of their team members, thus resulting in building trust & creating a positive working environment.
- It allows the leaders to communicate effectively, offer constructive feedback, empathize with others, etc., to resolve conflicts.
- High emotional & social skills also help leaders to manage stress & maintain an optimistic attitude. Remember – such an attitude is highly contagious and helps create a productive work culture.
- It also enables the leaders to set goals & work towards them, thus inspiring employees to do the same as well.
- Leaders can make effective decisions because of these skills & avoid compulsive reactions.
- Finally, it leads to the growth & success of the leader and the team, which is crucial for the organization’s overall success.
Social & Emotional Skills Every Leader Requires
The appropriate social & emotional skills can help leaders become efficient in the workplace. From picking up on social cues to empathizing with coworkers, leaders must develop such skills to accommodate their team better.
Have a look at the below skills & try to acquire them irrespective of your position because being a leader might be a job role, but inculcating leadership skills is critical!
- Emotional Intelligence
To effectively deal with present complexities on a personal & professional level, every leader needs to exhibit some positive emotional responses. In other words, you have to offer support & a haven for others through extended social & emotional capacity. As a result, this will strengthen your relationship with your teammates, thus creating a thriving culture & organization.
Also Read: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
- Gratitude
It is the easiest of all manners, but often it is forgotten! Every leader needs to behave in a certain way & learn the power of saying ‘Thank You’.
Most leaders simply forget to show gratitude, but it is one of the most important things we can say to people to make them feel appreciated.
Thus, if you wish to become a better leader, learn to say ‘thank you’. Trust us – your employees will be encouraged to put in more effort to fulfill organizational goals!
- Humility
Humility is a social skill that leaders must master. At this point, you may outrank many people as a leader. However, it is vital to remember that you were in their position once and required your leaders to help you grow.
So, focus on sharing what you have learned v/s holding it over everyone’s head! Acting as a part of the team will go further than speaking to everyone as if you know more than them!
- Empathy
It’s time to build your empathy muscles!
Empathetic leaders are approachable. They listen deeply & are able to identify their team’s emotions beyond words. This makes the team feel understood, acknowledged & accepted.
Thus, by putting yourself in other people’s shoes & identifying their feelings, you will be able to connect with them more authentically & appropriately – be it assuaging fears, motivating the team, or rallying a conference audience.
- The Ability To Inspire
Another social skill is the ability to inspire teams & motivate them to work towards a greater cause, thus making an impact.
This is an incredibly crucial trait, as effective leaders tend to inspire their employees to have a sense of purpose & mission in the workplace as well as in life.
Thus, an inspiring leader who keeps their people highly motivated & engaged drives in actions & gets favorable long-term outcomes!
- Social Solving
Social solving is the following critical leadership competency that every leader needs. It is the ability to facilitate cross-functional, team-based problem-solving, decision-making, & innovation.
It is vital to note that the issues created in the digital world are volatile, ambiguous, uncertain, & complex. Therefore, a leader needs to have diverse perspectives connected to resolve problems & move towards a common goal.
- Accountability
Strong & effective leaders approach the company’s issues by asking themselves, ‘What is my impact on this situation?’. In contrast, poor leaders adopt a victim mentality & find faults in their employee’s work.
However, that’s not right! If you also find yourself an ineffective leader, try to become an accountable leader. Let go of your victim statements & replace them with positive/ accountable statements.
This way, employees will also learn from you & try to be accountable in every situation they face!
- Resilience
Resilience is another emotional skill a leader requires.
The most emotionally unaware leaders are those who get stuck on a past plan or a specific way of thinking. They might say, ‘Remember when we said we’d do an ‘X’ project?’ without recognizing that the direction changed.
Commitment & understanding of change shows reliance on others. Further, others follow suit to exemplify high emotional quotient qualities of confidence & adaptability.
Thus, leaders must tune resiliency by constantly asking ‘What If’?
- Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is another emotional skill that typifies strong leaders. Leaders who can be aware of & manage their emotions communicate their messages clearly & give others confidence in their relationship.
Leaders can build self-regulation by being aware of how they use & display emotions. In addition, they can also pay attention to employee reactions & ask questions to ensure that their message is received clearly or not.
- Leading With Mindfulness
Effective leaders encourage employee mindfulness to increase their self-awareness & emotional quotient. This will help them achieve a better understanding of their personal & professional purpose.
In addition, it also drives stronger work performance, relationships, & outputs, thus contributing to a positive workplace culture, a self-motivated team, & satisfied team members.
Final Thoughts
Leaders possessing high social & economic skills are generally better equipped to manage complicated dynamics & adequately interact with a diverse group of people.
This is specifically significant in today’s workplace, where the ability to manage & interact is much more crucial.
Having social & economic skills not only helps the leader but the team as well to fulfill their personal & professional goals.
So, here is it – you have the top skills you need to acquire as a leader. Irrespective of your position in the workplace, these skills will help you inculcate leadership qualities & benefit you in the long run!
And lastly, if you wish to acquire social & emotional skills, don’t forget to check out our website RILCA Academy. Our counselors are there to help you at every step of the way.
