The world of business has never been more demanding – or more competitive – than it is today. Whatever business you’re in and where you’re a designer doing pull up banner design or an SEO whizz kid doing super SEO, leaders are expected to have an entire arsenal of skills; from web wizard know-how to figuring out how to use the coffee machine. As the world concentrates on the more technical and buzzword friendly skills required of our business leaders, we take a look at some of the most under-utilised – and most important – ones.
Awareness
Remember when you were a child learning to cross the road and, you were taught to ‘Stop, Look and Listen?’ A great leader possesses the ability to stop and observe in order to move a business forward. This greatly under-rated skill allows a manager or business owner to find out what’s really going on in a company in terms of productivity, employee satisfaction and areas for improvement. The ability to take a step back can be a powerful one in terms of finding the next step for a business.
Honesty
Whether it’s talking to staff about possible downsizing or managing the expectations of a new client, honesty is a vastly under-used skill – which is a shame as it’s one that will be remembered, even during tough times. Although it’s natural to try to sugarcoat bad news or put a positive spin on forecasts, the courageous leader knows that being honest now leads to increased trust in the future.
Innovation
In a lot of companies, big and small, old and new, there’s the temptation to take the party line of ‘But, this is how we’ve always done it!’ Your most skilled – and valuable – employee is the one who goes, ‘But, what if there’s a better way?’ Innovation is sadly underrated – particularly within large corporations with their hierarchies and limited channels of communication. Although structure is, of course, necessary within a business to keep it functioning, innovation is the skill which will take the business into the next decade.
Empathy
In the 1980s, success was all about ruthlessness and taking pride in stepping over others to get ahead. Well, guess what? The 80s are gone, taking with them VHS tapes, manufactured pop and hair scrunchies – as well as archaic forms of management. In 2019, one of the most important skills that a leader can have is empathy – the ability to understand and relate to the issues facing his or her employees. This much under-utilised skill makes employees feel valued and, subsequently, increases productivity.
Emotional Intelligence
In 2018, Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, said that ‘being nice’ is one of the most underrated skills in today’s business world. Although we’re not suggesting that business owners and managers spend their days doing coffee runs and giving out gifts, there is more than a little bit of truth to this. In business, likeability goes a long way when motivating employees or trying to secure new business as, when a person is likeable, others are inspired to please them.
As we race toward 2020, the business world is changing and, business leaders need to invest in these so called ‘soft skills’ to an equal or greater degree as others in order to survive the new decade.
This article has been contributed by ultimatenbanners
