Category Archives: Soft-Skills Training

You Can Learn to Speak With Authority and Influence

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Ken Blanchard, in his book – The One Minute Manager, said that communication is the breakfast of champions. He was right. I can’t think of a more valuable skill for team members, supervisors and managers than the ability to communicate up, down, and across the organization. Communication is everything. If the other person doesn’t receive the message as intended, then whatever you said will mean absolutely nothing. Effective communication takes two – you, the sender and the receiver. We aren’t born knowing how to communicate in a way that everyone will understand. You can learn to speak with authority and influence.

Worth Remembering – One of the indispensable functions of informal organizations is communication. – Chester Barnard.

The Communication Process.

. The sender must be clear on what message they want to send, and how they want to send it.

. The message needs to be sent in a language the receiver will understand.

. The receiver must interpret the message’s meaning and purpose and decide how to respond to the sender’s message.

And if that’s not challenging enough, throw into the mix the five different generations that make up today’s workforce, and how each generation communicates differently, you can begin to understand why communicating effectively can be difficult.

Worth Remembering – I know you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. – Robert J. McCloskey.

Generational Communication Differences.

Baby Boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, prefer to communicate in person. Most aren’t big on writing notes or mailing cards

Generation X, those born between 1965 and 1983, prefer to communicate directly and immediately. They want answers, and they want them right now.

Millennials, those born between 1984 and 1996, prefer to communicate electronically via email, text, or phone.

Generation Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, prefer digital, instant, and visual communication, favouring messaging, social media, and short-form content.

Generation Alpha, those born between 2012 and 2024, are the first generation to grow up entirely in the digital age. They are rooted in technology and, like Generation Z, they prefer instant messaging, social media, and interactive platforms like Zoom.

If you want to be a more effective communicator, learn to communicate in a way that the receiver prefers. If you can, they are more likely to be receptive to what you are saying. You can learn to speak with authority and influence.

Copyright 2026 – Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event, or planning an in-person training session? Brian works with people who want to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best.

Become The Leader Your Team Needs

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Trust me, the workplace has changed, and if you don’t adapt, you’ll be left behind. Today’s managers and leaders must master these four skills. They must be able to connect with others to build collaborative teams, communicate up, down and across the organization in a way that everyone will understand, educate their team on the skills needed to accomplish their work, and delegate often to free up their time to do what only managers and leaders should do.

Worth Remembering – For all the fashionable hype about leadership, it is unfashionable management that is being practiced, and it’s fundamental characteristics have not changed. – Hale.

Today’s managers and leaders must master these four skills.

Connecting. Your success, and your organization’s overall success, will depend on your ability to bring people of diverse backgrounds together. Relationships are important. If you cannot connect emotionally with those you work and interact with, you’ll have difficulty building a cohesive, collaborative team. Teamwork makes the whole thing work.

Communicating. I can’t think of a more valuable skill for managers and leaders than the ability to communicate up, down, and across the organization in a way that everyone understands. The words you choose, and more importantly, how you say it and go about doing it, will be the catalyst for action or inaction. Choose carefully.

Educating. Managers and leaders will not be judged by what they know; they will be judged by their ability to teach others what they need to know. The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, have the capacity to learn new things. Adults can learn new things. Create a positive, nurturing environment that is conducive to learning.

Delegating. Delegation should be a relatively simple process of assigning tasks to others. The ability and willingness to delegate effectively are essential for carrying out your duties and developing the people around you, but few managers and leaders do it well. If you fail to delegate some of your responsibilities to others, you are robbing them of the opportunity to grow, and you won’t have time to do the things you should be doing.

Worth Remembering – You establish some objectives, provide them with some incentives, teach them what they need to know and don’t direct the detailed way they do their work. – Packard.

I recognize that not everyone is born a great manager or leader, nor does everyone have the skills to manage and lead others. But I do believe you can learn how. Your success in managing and leading others will not be based on your technical ability. It will be based on your ability to connect, communicate, educate and delegate. Become the leader your team needs.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event or planning an in-person training session? Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. He works with people who want to learn to communicate and interact more effectively with others, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate people to perform at their best.

Trust is Built on Human Connection

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

Trust doesn’t grow in the shadow of doubt. Trust blooms in the light of consistency. It’s never a given. You must give it to get it. Trust is built on human connection.

Leaders who do not trust their team enough won’t be trusted. – Lao Tzu.

The 3-Rs lead to Trust

1 – Relationships

  • Get to know everyone on your team beyond their work.
  • Make it safe to share bad news when things go wrong, without throwing anyone under the bus.
  • Be visible and accessible. Provide them with the tools they need to succeed.

2 – Respect.

  • Respect is reciprocal – you have to give it to get it. Respect is earned.
  • Acknowledge that everyone on your team has the right to express their opinion, even if you don’t agree with it.. You can agree to disagree.
  • Praise their contributions in public, create teachable moments in private.

3 – Reliability.

  • Whatever you say you are going to do – do it. Your word must be your bond.
  • Be predictable. Be steady under pressure, don’t overreact. Remain calm, reflect and focus on next steps.

When you choose to trust, you plant seeds of connection that grow into unshakable bonds. – Peale

Establishing Trust.

  • Transparency. Share the ‘Why,’ especially when decisions won’t make everyone happy.
  • Fairness. Don’t play favourites. Apply standards consistently across the board. What’s good for someone has to be good for everyone.
  • Competence. Come prepared, be clear, and admit that you don’t know everything – then follow up with the right answer. Don’t make stuff up.
  • Psychological Safety. Mistakes become opportunities for improvement, not fear. Look at mistakes as an opportunity for others to grow.

Sometimes you don’t have all the answers, but if you have established trust with those you work with and interact with. They will take a leap of faith, knowing you have their best interests at heart. Not everyone wants to lead, but everyone gets to decide who they want to follow. Practice the 3-Rs. Remember that trust is built on human connection.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event or planning a training session at your location? Brian works with people who want to learn to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. Contact Brian and discover what he can do for you, your team and your organization.

Stop Managing and Start Leading – A Blueprint for Emerging Leaders

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized

I’ve made my fair share of mistakes at one time or another, managing and leading others in my 40-plus-year career as a general manager for a major retailer, and an award-winning entrepreneur, The good news is you can learn from my mistakes. If I knew then what I know now, I would have managed and led others differently. After reading this article, I hope you will manage and lead others differently as well.

A blueprint for emerging leaders.

  1. Don’t rely on common sense in your training programs. If you haven’t taught someone how to do the task the way you want it done, don’t assume they know how. Common sense is not common practice.
  2. You can’t motivate people to do things that they don’t want to do. But you can create a working environment that motivates them. People do things for their own reasons. Find out what that is and help them get it; chances are, you will get yours.
  3. Just because someone is good at what they do doesn’t mean they will be good at something else. Not everyone is equipped to manage and lead others. Promote someone who enjoys spending time with people and helping them succeed.
  4. Admitting you don’t have all the answers is ok. You’re not supposed to know everything. But you are expected to know where to go to find the answers. Don’t make shit up.
  5. Communication is everything. If you can’t communicate in a way that everyone will understand, then whatever you say will mean nothing. Ask open-ended questions to clarify and ensure the message was received.
  6. We both know there are several ways to accomplish the same thing. It doesn’t have to be just your way. Solicit everyone’s input and build a collaborative team. The more you involve others in the process, the more likely they will want to participate.
  7. Your job as a manager or leader is to teach others what you know. You can’t do that unless you are sharing some of your responsibilities with others on your team. If you don’t delegate, you rob them of their opportunity to grow.
  8. You’ve got to give it to get it. Gaining others’ respect is a 3-step process. First, you must establish rapport, then develop a relationship, which eventually leads to mutual respect. People won’t trust anyone they don’t respect first.
  9. You must lead by example. Whatever you say you are going to do; do it. It’s not what you say that matters most; it’s how you go about doing it. Your word must be your bond.
  10. Your attitude and how you choose to react when things go wrong are 100 percent in your control. Remain calm, reflect, refocus on the task at hand and move forward. People want to follow winners, not whiners.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event, or planning an in-person training session at your location? Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. He works with people who want to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. He will customize a presentation that is right for you, your team and your organization. Contact Brian and discover what he can do for you.