Interpersonal Skills Are Essential to Successful Leadership

Interpersonal skills -- or as we call it here at Success Labs, Interpersonal Savvy -- the way in which we interact with other people in our lives, are essential to successful leadership. Many leadership competencies are closely tied to Interpersonal Savvy.To help you understand the importance of developing great interpersonal skills, I’ve assembled a collection of articles and blog posts with valuable information and advice on how to do so.

• 12 Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders. Inc.: “Nobody's perfect, but there are some flaws that are sudden death to good leadership...Not building people skills. It's great to be smart, but if you can't be honest and open, if you can't control your emotions or connect with others, you leave a trail of doubt and stress behind you.”

• The Top 10 Skills You Need to Be Successful. U.S. News & World Report: “The ability to be a team player is so fundamental to your work that there are few better things to focus on. Interpersonal skills are just a fancy way of saying how you get along, relate and communicate with others. Employers hire people with domain expertise, of course, but mostly they hire people they like and can get along with. Think about how to become more likable. You might try mimicking the body language of the people you're talking with, repeating their ideas and opinions back to them and really listening. But keep in mind that all the tips and tricks in the world won’t help if you don’t have genuine interest in and empathy for your fellow team member.”

• Listening Isn’t Just a Leadership Skill -- It’s a People Skill. BeALeader: “Show respect and give your full attention. Active listening goes beyond just receiving information to appreciating what is being said. Make eye contact, engage in the conversation and ask questions. A simple nod and brief summary of the conversation goes a long way in building a reciprocal relationship of trust.”

• The Truth About Managing People: The Importance of "People Skills". Financial Times Press: “Why are organizations putting a premium on hiring people with good interpersonal skills? The answer lies in the changing way work is done. Today’s employees are increasingly part of a collaborative workplace. Increased collaboration requires increased interaction with others, and successful interaction with others is dependent on interpersonal competence. In addition to interacting with their boss, employees find themselves increasingly as part of a team. And as team members, they have to participate in meetings, communicate clearly, be active listeners, provide feedback, make presentations, negotiate with others, and demonstrate they can be team players.”

• Tips on How to Improve your Interpersonal Skills at Work. WiseStep: “Try and settle disputes: Be it a dispute, a spat or a banter, office environment is used to all these since long back in the past. But, can you be the person your colleagues turn up to in case of a dispute? For sure, this requires a great amount of trust, but having earned it, you will be the person solving problems than creating them.”

Need help developing your leaders’ interpersonal skills? Contact us for assistance with leadership development at your organization.Success Labs is a leadership development and management consulting firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. For more than 25 years, our expert team of consultants has worked with hundreds of companies to explore their business potential and improve their company and cultural performance. Contact us to get proactive about your people strategy.