Category Archives: Dealing with Difficult People

Soft Skills are Today’s Essential Skills

brian smith-pld, Dealing with Difficult People, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Uncategorized

Daniel Goleman, in his ground breaking book “Working with Emotional Intelligence” said it best: “We are being judged by a new yardstick: not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also by how well we handle ourselves and each other”. If you can’t communicate and interact effectively with others you stand little chance of being successful managing or leading in today’s workplace. Think of a job that you could do that doesn’t involve working with others. You’d be hard pressed to come up with one.

Results of a study conducted by the HayGroup, a leading authority on EQ (Emotional Intelligence) shows that for most jobs that involve working with others, EQ is twice as important as IQ plus technical skills. Sixty-seven percent of the competencies needed to manage and lead others effectively are emotionally based. You need the ability to make an emotional connection and demonstrate patience, open mindedness and empathy.

The good news, like most skills, EQ is a learned behaviour. You can learn how to communicate more effectively, build collaborative teams, problem solve, resolve conflict and motivate others to perform at their personal best. Some will learn quicker than others, but we all have the capacity to learn new things. It just depends on how willing you are to make the necessary changes. Trust me – your future depends upon it. Soft skills are today’s essential skills.

Copyright (c) 2019. Brian Smith-PLD. To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit https://briansmithpld.com

Let’s Get Focused Online Courses Launched

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Dealing with Difficult People, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher

Great news!!! I’ve just launched my “Let’s Get Focused” professional development online courses. Are you looking for an online course to enhance your ability to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, learn how the brain effects behavior or ways to manage information overload and change in the workplace? Training doesn’t have to end after you have completed the courses. I offer unlimited access, 24/7 follow-up, live question and answer sessions and one-on-one coaching. Visit https://letsgetfocused.teachable.com – Don’t put your career or organization at risk. Learn to manage and lead the 21st. Century way. I will show you how.

International Institute of Municipal Clerks Conference

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Customer Service, Dealing with Difficult People, Enduring Principles, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Personal Values, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training

Great News!!! I will be speaking at this years International Institute of Municipal Clerks Conference in Birmingham Alabama on May 23rd. Are you looking to enhance your ability to communicate and interact more effectively regardless of gender or generation? I will be delivering 3 sessions that day. “Powerful Communication Strategies: Bridging the Gender and Generational Gap” – “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak: The Top Ten Sins Most Managers Make & How to Avoid Them” and “You Don’t Have to Like Them – Just Learn to Work with Them: Collaborative Team Building and Performance Improvement”. If you’re attending the conference please drop in and say hi. If you’re thinking of attending the conference you still have time to register. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization please visit: https://briansmithpld.com

Would You Work For You?

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Dealing with Difficult People, Enduring Principles, Ethics, Leadership Development, Management, Personal Development, Personal Values, Personality Types, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

judge-with-gavel1Would you work for you? Would you work for a Boss who belittles you, and berates you in front of your co-workers, instead of behind closed doors? Would you work for a Boss who always needs to be right – even when they are wrong.? Would you work for a Boss who promises you something one day – and then takes it away from you the next? Does this sound all too familiar? Chances are we’ve all worked for a Boss just like that. I believe great Bosses aren’t born – they’re made. If given the chance, what kind of Boss would you be? Take a moment and think about that. If you had to put a list together of the top ten things a great Boss should be – what would you put on your list?

I think a great Boss should be:

  1. Patient: Able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or impatient.
  2. Open-minded: Be willing to accept new ideas.
  3. Honest: The quality of being honest.
  4. Empathetic: Show an ability to understand and share the feelings of others.
  5. Flexible: Demonstrate a willingness to change or compromise.
  6. Trustworthy: Have the ability to be relied on, to be honest, or truthful.
  7. Fair: Treat others in a way that is right or reasonable and not allowing personal opinions to influence their judgement.
  8. Consistent: Acting or doing things in the same way over time, especially to be fair or accurate.
  9. Loyal: Give firm and constant support or allegiance to a person or organization.
  10. Compassionate: Feeling or showing sympathy and concern for others regardless of their standing or position.

People don’t quit companies – they quit lousy Bosses. Always remember that you get to decide what kind of Boss you want to be. Culture is created from the top down, never the bottom up. Most people, if given a choice, would rather not be the Boss. But everyone gets to decide what kind of Boss they want to follow. Keep that in mind the next time you’re given the opportunity. Be the kind of Boss you’d like to follow. Ask yourself – would you work for you? If the answer is no – then you need to change.

Copyright (c) 2018. Brian Smith-PLD. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you looking for a keynote speaker or someone to conduct an in-house training session on soft-skills training or leadership development? To find out more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization visit https://briansmithpld.com