Soft Skills Rule of 7: No 4. Leadership
When we think of strong Leadership, the word “soft” is usually far from our minds, but a forceful dictatorship breeds unhappy people. While an indecisive and uninformed leader can breed chaos, and an aggressive, egotistical one produces automatons and rebellions, a problem-solving and empathetic leader will accrue devotion and respect by practicing what they preach.
Obviously, we are not talking here about a “weak leader.” Soft skills are not a sign of weakness, but a strength of the psychological and emotional side of leading. A Soft Skills Leader is the sergeant on the field with the troops, not safely encamped in his bunker. Leaders thrive in the land of communication, teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, empowerment, and empathy. Drawing the team together tighter, with more efficiency, with clarity of intent, with authority in times of anxiety, and with a sense of empowerment while entrusting vital components to their team…
Shakespeare wrote commentary on a litany of leaders from all sides...from the victorious to the doomed and disastrous, but one of his most affecting was a Soldier King of a losing army, bleeding, covered in mud and blood of the last day’s battle, addressing his wounded and wasting men on the eve of what would inevitably become their final fight:
”We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.”
A small disheveled English army won the mighty French that day, and Henry V kept his crown...but these accomplishments would not be made without the powerful spirited belief and words of a Leader accustomed to the ways and views and values of his men, the cost of the battle in blood, sweat and tears, and the inspiration of what would be passed on in memory for years and years.
We see this rallying cry pulling out of last drops of effort in all our favorite stories in history. Inspiration can build a devotion like nothing else.
Think about your favorite sports team in the last second of play when they are one goal out from winning. You root for that team, you are proud to be a part of that team, you devote hours to watch them, you talk about them, you buy tickets to their game, you wear their colors with pride, you invest wholeheartedly.
This is what Leadership soft skill can provide to a team. Not empty showmanship of a figurehead behind the desk with a brass plate, but a devoted member of the team on the battlefield with the troops. On the playing field. When her team member take a hit, the leader takes a hit, but she’s also there with support and perspective and the intent to get the team as a whole all the way through the winning play.
How do you inspire this kind of devotion in your team? Practice clear communication. Demonstrate your dedication to teamwork. Continually self-educate in trouble-shooting and problem-solving options in your field. Admit when you make mistakes or you don’t know the answers. Empower your employees to undertake tasks which challenge and grow their skill sets. And lead with empathy for every team member... especially in these specifically trying times we are living in.
Yes, it is easier to lead from afar - less messy, less emotional, less consequential. But more Dictatorships are lost to a small band of brothers than are ever won by the cold calculations of a solitary figure at the top. It’s the History that keeps repeating again and again. Save the time, and stick to the winning side.