Thinking back on your career: what has been the most impactful soft skill you picked up? And where did you learn it from?
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One particularly valuable soft skill is learning how to understand and gauge the power centers and key influencers within an organization, and how to develop relationships with these people in order to better support your team and your individual goals. Politics plays a huge role in all companies, and learning how to navigate the political landscape is critical.
I couldn't have said it any better Malcolm.
Leading with empathy was crucial, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people were facing personal struggles while still striving to be productive at work.
Be nice! I definitely see how in the later cycles of your career you 'reap what you sow' and that colleagues go up/down/alongside you through the journey, and it really does pay to 'be nice' in the sense of basic respect, integrity, understanding - and many of the points like 'active listening' that other peers note in this conversation.
Good one, James! A VP once told me that before hiring someone in leadership he would take them out to discuss the role over lunch at a restaurant. If the person in question couldn't manage to treat the people serving their table with kindness and respect they weren't right for the job.
Perseverance; from many failures and how rewarding it is when something finally works out!
How to listen to people and make them feel like I'm -really- interested in what they're talking about, that I care about it, what they think the issue is, and how they think they can fix it.
I learned it in Advanced Scrum Master training and other leadership classes from HelpingImprove.com.