People Leader Skills (Part 2)

Welcome back to the discussion of people leader skills. I really enjoyed your feedback on last month’s blog. Now, I’d like to share some of my favorite resources for developing these skills.

Resources for People Leaders

1. Workplace Communication - This skill is at the top of the list for a reason: So much begins or falls apart because of communication. Make it your mission to read up on this and to get continuous feedback from your team. Use 360-degree feedback tools to learn how and where you can improve. Whether it’s listening, access, frequency, transparency, or some other aspect, this is the most important skill for you to continually hone.
2. Emotional Intelligence - Much of this boils down to self-awareness and understanding that we are unique. Thus, keep learning about yourself by taking different “tests” such as Enneagram, Myers-Briggs, DISC, StrengthsFinder, and others. Some of these tools will resonate with you and your team and can provide you with a common language. By learning more about yourself and others on your team, you will help develop this key skill.
3. Vision - This is something everyone can practice, and Ari Weinzweig, a co-founder of Zingerman’s, has a great visioning blog: Our Beliefs on Visioning - ZingTrain.
4. Inspirational - Once you get your vision down, you need to help your team understand where you are going and the steps you will take to get there. This is where a framework like EOS can help you put together the steps (or rocks, in EOS lingo). Learn more here about the EOS - Entrepreneurial Operating System for Businesses.
5. Decision Making - Making decisions can be difficult, but your team looks to you for guidance. Understanding the range of approaches (from top down to bottom up) is important. Try practicing different styles and ask your team for feedback using 360-degree surveys to understand where you may need more practice.
6. Giving Guidance and Feedback - Your team needs your input to grow. You need to be good at giving “constructive feedback” to minimize mistakes and effectively change behavior when needed. My go-to book on this is Radical Candor by Kim Scott.
7. Conflict Management/Resolution - Conflict will always happen on teams. My go-to book in this realm is Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson. Another excellent feedback tool is Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI).
8. Trust Building - As a leader, you must create an environment with strong psychological safety so that people will give you unfiltered input. If your team is scared to deliver bad news, you will not be able to make the best decisions. Again, 360-degree feedback can help you understand where you are and what you need to do to grow and develop more effective skills in this area.
9. Change Management - There are a variety of models and resources on this topic, with Prosci’s ADKAR framework commonly referenced. If your organization is facing change (and right now, whose isn’t?), practice being intentional and focus on helping people understand why the current state is no longer an option. Explain the future state (where you are going) and how you will lead them there through continuous communication, training, etc. (See Vision and Inspirational above for more tips.)
10. Performance Alignment - Are you setting goals? Holding people accountable? Providing regular feedback as well as immediate corrective feedback? This is another area where 360-degree feedback can help. The EOS toolkit is also very helpful for ensuring you regularly knock this out of the park.
11. Delegating - To share another EOS quip: You need to delegate to elevate. Letting go of certain tasks so that you can focus your energy on your “highest and best” purpose is a key skill you can develop through practice and feedback from your team. Another great tool is to think about what you are good at and what you like to do. Then, delegate everything that doesn’t fit in that box.
12. Appreciation - How often do you reward and recognize your team members? Marcus Buckingham’s First Break All the Rules covers this topic nicely.
13. Teambuilding - While this is one of the toughest skills to develop and master, many of the skills mentioned above support teambuilding. Getting feedback from your team, holding teambuilding activities, creating core values, and developing strong psychological safety are key components in helping teamwork thrive.

As you can see, I’m a strong advocate for paying attention to people leader skills so that your teams can help your company achieve the results you seek.

Do you have other tips to share?

I’m curious to know what has worked and what hasn’t for your organization. If you want to learn more about how we have helped our clients improve their people leadership skills, contact Yeo & Yeo HR Advisory Solutions.