Category Archives: Soft-Skills Training

Celebrating Emotional Intelligence Month

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

EQ – Emotional Quotient – emotional intelligence or soft skills is the ability to understand, use, and positively manage your emotions to reduce stress, communicate more effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges and defuse conflicts. Daniel Goleman said it best in his groundbreaking book- Working With Emotional Intelligence. ‘A new yardstick is judging us; not just how smart we are, or by our training and expertise, but also how well we handle ourselves and each other.’ Sixty-seven percent of the competencies needed to manage and lead others are emotional-based. If you can’t make an emotional connection and establish a relationship with those on your team, you will be an ineffective manager or leader. To retain and attack talent, you must up your leadership EQ.

One of the most important things about being a good manager or leader is to rule with a heart. You have to know the business, but you also have to know what is at the heart of the business – and that’s people. – Oprah.

We live in a hi-tech world, but your soft skills – empathy, patience, flexibility, open-mindedness, and the ability to communicate and interact with others- will play a more significant role in your success. For the first time in our lives, we have the potential to work with four different generations at the same time. Each generation – Boomers, Gen X, Millennials and the newest generation – Gen Z; communicates, interacts with others, manages and prefers to be managed differently. Each generation has different wants and needs. The successful manager or leader will be the one who can adapt their management or leadership style to build those all-important relationships and work with others the way they like.

Soft skills won’t guarantee a promotion, but not having them puts you at risk of not getting the offer. – Brian Smith.

Research conducted by McClelland, Goleman, Kouzes and others tells a compelling story about the link between an organization’s success and its leaders. Emotional intelligence / soft skills are the magic ingredient that separates the so-so from the exceptional companies. Senior managers and leaders with a high EQ component were 20 percent more profitable and had less staff turnover. People like to work with people who make them feel respected. People want to work with organizations that make them feel accepted and valued as an essential part of the team. How often do you leave your office and have a friendly conversation? How frequently do you sit in the lunch room talking with people and getting to know them better for more than just the work they do. If you want to build a collaborative team and retain and attack talent, up your leadership EQ.

Copyright 2024. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. This article was written by Brian without the assistance of AI and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Are you searching for a training provider or keynote speaker for your next event? To learn more about Brian and what he can do for you and your team, visit his website at https;//briansmithpld.com or email him at brian@briansmithpld.com.

Tips For Managing Your Boss And Living To Tell About It

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

One thing you need to understand is that you are not going to change your boss. They’ve successfully managed and led others a certain way, so they don’t think they need to change. The key to managing your boss is to work with them in a way they like. How do they prefer communicating, interacting with others, receiving information, and managing their direct reports? If you can learn to work with them how they like, you’ll establish a great working relationship and will have discovered how to manage your boss and live to tell about it.

Whatever the circumstances of your life, understanding type can make your perceptions more transparent, your judgment sounder, and your life closer to your heart’s desire. – Isabel Briggs Myers.

When I was general manager of a major retailer, I had my team score a behavioural assessment tool based on Dr. William Marston’s DISC theory. Dr. Marston believed we are one of four types, D, I, S, or C, that greatly influence how we prefer to communicate and interact with others and how we manage and like to be managed. This gave me valuable insights into how to work with someone who preferred a different way of communicating and interacting.

D Type – Dominant. They walk fast, talk fast and make quick decisions. They are not big on detail, so don’t waste their time with pie charts, graphs and volumes of information. Make communication brief and to the point. They are razor-focused on the task and see no need for idle chit-chat. Be prepared for blunt, demanding approaches.

I Type – Interpersonal. Don’t be in a hurry. They prefer a relaxed and social environment. Relationships are essential to them. Let them verbalize their thoughts and feelings. They are great salespersons, so be prepared for someone who will attempt to persuade others. They would rather be liked than respected, so provide them with what they will need to make those tough decisions.

S Type – Steadiness. They have a built-in resistance to change. They don’t like to make waves. Be logical and systematic in your approach. They are great team players and like to maintain the status quo. They don’t like to make mistakes, so provide them with written and verbal instructions on implementing those changes.

C Type – Conscientious. They value high standards and strive for perfection. They are your best planners. Be prepared – make sure you know what you know. They have little patience for vague generalizations. They are all about detail, so they will double-check your work. If you don’t know the answer, don’t make stuff up. Tell them you don’t know, but you will find out and get back to them with the correct answer.

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to understand ourselves better. – Carl Jung.

Remember, you are not going to change your boss. The best you can hope for is to work with them in a way they like. If you can adapt your behaviour to be more in tune with theirs, you’ve discovered how to manage your boss and live to tell about it.

Copyright 2024. This article was written by Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics without AI assistance. It is not to be reproduced without permission. If you want to learn more about DISC and how it will help you to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflict and motivate others to perform at their best, contact Brian directly at brian@briansmithpld.com.

Four Leadership Skills That Will Drive Team Performance

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

Whether you are in a management position or want to be promoted into a leadership role in your organization, the challenges remain the same. New leadership skills are required for an ever-changing, multi-generational, diverse workplace. Today’s new crop of potential managers and leaders must have exceptional people skills and master the ability to connect with others to build collaborative teams, communicate in a way that everyone will understand, educate them on what they need to know, and help others grow by delegating often.

Worth Remembering – If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t design tasks that work for them; instead, teach them to long for the immensity of the sea. – Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

Connecting. Exceptional managers and leaders can make an emotional connection. They understand that if you can’t make an emotional connection, you stand little chance of capturing their heads, hearts, and hands. Your success and the success of your organization hinge on your ability to bring people together and build a collaborative team.

Communicating. Exceptional managers and leaders know that communication is everything. They realize that they are not the most important person in the conversation. If you can’t send the message in a way that everyone will understand, then whatever you say will mean absolutely nothing. You need to get everyone on the same page.

Educating. Exceptional managers and leaders can teach others what they need to know to complete the task and reach individual and team goals. They understand that not everyone learns the same way. The key to teaching someone is to find out how they like to learn and teach them in their preferred style.

Delegating. Exceptional managers and leaders understand that they can’t do it alone. They understand that you must give up control to get control. They know that if they don’t delegate some of their responsibility to those around them, they rob them of their opportunity to grow. Successful managers and leaders resist the urge to micromanage.

Worth Remembering – To each, there comes a moment when they are offered a chance that’s fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if, at that moment, finds them prepared or unqualified. – Sir Winston Churchill.

Are you looking to become an exceptional manager or leader? Develop these four skills. Learn to connect with others, communicate in a way your team likes, educate them on what they need to know and grow your people by delegating often.

Copyright 2024. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. This article was written without AI Assistance. Brian specializes in helping others communicate and interact more effectively, resolve conflict, build collaborative teams and motivate others to perform at their best. Brian’s programs can be delivered virtually, online or in person, including one-on-one coaching.

Conflict is Inevitable – How You Resolve It is Optional

brian smith-pld, Coaching, Dealing with Difficult People, Entrepreneurship, Leadership Development, Management, Management Training, Mentorship, Personal Development, Personality Types, Professional development, Reformed Control Freak, Self-Help, small business owner, Soft-Skills Training, Teacher, Uncategorized • Tags: , , , ,

Conflict is inevitable when working with and interacting with others. It can diminish creativity, reduce productivity, impact decision-making and lead to a dysfunctional working environment. Building solid relationships with the people you work with and interact with is essential to resolving conflict and finding creative solutions. You don’t have to socialize with everyone you work with, but you must learn how to get along with them.

Peace is not the absence of conflict but the ability to cope. – Gandhi.

A recent study conducted by the HayGroup, a leading authority on emotional intelligence, concluded that EQ – soft skills – are twice as important as IQ – your technical ability – for most jobs. Soft skills are the new currency in today’s workplace. If you can’t communicate effectively, actively listen to what others say and get along with them, you stand little chance of successfully resolving conflict, finding creative ways to solve problems or negotiating wins.

If we can manage conflict constructively, we harness its energy for creativity and development. – Kaye

Generally speaking, there are three types of conflict; Disagreement, Misunderstanding and Actual Conflict. Here is what you’ll be able to do to resolve them.

Disagreement: When you have different opinions about a subject and neither has the authority to change them, resolve them quickly. When the discussion gets old, respect each other’s views and agree to disagree.

Misunderstanding; When communication breaks down, and only part of the message gets through, resolve it with courtesy, respectful assertiveness and, most importantly, good active listening skills. You may have missed something that the other person said. Have them restate their position, and you restate yours.

Actual Conflict; You may not like them, and they may not like you. Try to separate the person from the problem and focus on their needs. Come up with all the options available to you to resolve the situation. Be sure the solutions are based on objective standards. They can’t be because you said so.

Conflict is good in a negotiation process – it’s a clash of two ideas, which then, all being well, produces a third idea. – Roberts.

When conflict happens, step back momentarily and decide what you are prepared to do to fix it. Communication is the breakfast of champions. If you can learn to communicate your point of view so that the other person will understand and actively listen to what they have to say. In that case, you will be better positioned to resolve the conflict and find a creative solution you can agree on. Conflict is inevitable; how you resolve it is optional.

Copyright 2024 – Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. This post was written by Brian without AI assistance. Are you searching for a training provider for yourself or your management team? Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. He helps others to communicate more effectively, establish rapport and build strong collaborative relationships regardless of gender or generation. To learn more about Brian and what he can do for you and your organization, visit – https;//briansmithpld.com.