The Five Human Skills We Should Strive to Cultivate in Ourselves and Others
In the business world, there can be a tendency to focus on hard skills — such as running formulas in spreadsheets, conducting data analysis, putting together digital ads and so forth.
Hard skills are important, of course. But in our pursuit of acquiring and refining them, we shouldn’t lose sight of soft skills, which I like to call “human skills.” I’ve observed that the line between the personal and professional is thinning, for better or worse. As business leaders, the better we and our team members become at human skills, the better we can all embrace and navigate our imperfections, which are a fact of our business and personal lives. These are the top five human skills I believe we as business leaders should strive to cultivate in ourselves and others.
1. Emotional Intelligence
As noted by Mental Health America, emotional intelligence (EI) “is the ability to manage both your own emotions and understand the emotions of people around you. There are five key elements to EI: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.” I view emotional intelligence as a foundational human skill. If we’re unable to regulate our emotions and understand those of others, we’ll struggle to lead, connect, overcome interpersonal challenges and deal with stress, to name a few consequences. For example, if an executive constantly makes snide remarks, they’ll eventually alienate their employees. In turn, it’ll be harder for that executive to lead, as their employees will be less inclined to listen.
According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, some ways you can build your emotional intelligence and help others with theirs include being “other-centric” and “working on tactics that help you become aware of your emotions in real time.”
2. Communication
Good communication involves listening and knowing what to say — as well as what not to say. Communication can make or break a company. According to a 2023 report by Grammarly and the Harris Poll, “Effective communication drives higher internal and external performance, with increased productivity (72%) and customer satisfaction (63%) topping leaders’ list of outcomes.”
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There are many ways you can strengthen your and your employees’ communication skills, such as by practicing active listening, taking time to think before responding and signing up for communication workshops. One approach I think could be beneficial to prioritize is concentrating on how information is disseminated throughout your company. You could make a habit of reiterating what you say, as people won’t always interpret information the way you intended. You could also create a culture where people feel comfortable asking and stating, “Did you say this? Because this is what I heard.” Such a culture can decrease the chances of miscommunication.
3. Critical Thinking
If people at a company do things unquestioningly without thinking critically, trouble will eventually ensue. Critical thinking keeps us grounded. It helps us not jump to conclusions and instead carefully observe, question and deliberate about what is occurring around us. In turn, we can make better decisions.
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Some ways you can facilitate critical thinking for yourself and your team members include encouraging people to ask questions and deeply studying issues. With time, it’ll become easier for you and your team members to think about how you know what you know and ask why you think the way you think.
4. Collaboration
Collaboration is a key determinant of success in the business world. There’s only so much we can tackle on our own. If we don’t know how to work with other people, we’ll fall into silos and will miss out on great, innovative ideas. There are other consequences as well. A study by Forrester Consulting conducted for Vonage revealed that “when asked how poor internal collaboration experiences impact their business,” 38 percent of respondents said it “actually costs them business,” and 40 percent said it “has reduced employee productivity.”
As explained in a Harvard Business Review article, some ways you can increase collaboration at your company include “informal mentoring” and backing a “strong sense of community.” In my view, I think getting outside perspectives, such as from external corporate coaches, can be a valuable way for a company to become more collaborative. Additionally, I believe that healthy relationships have rules for engagement, and by establishing rules for engagement, such as how to approach constructive criticism, you can boost collaboration on your team.
5. Adaptability
In business and life, things don’t always go as planned. By being adaptable, we can manage the stress of setbacks. We can look at the circumstances in front of us, assess them, suspend our past decisions as needed and pivot. Without adaptability, we can get pulled into the sunk cost fallacy and remain on the wrong path.
According to McKinsey, fostering adaptability “begins with leaders dealing with change gracefully, despite the tendency to default to fear or familiar solutions. Leaders must bolster their own well-being and transform their relationship with change by building adaptability as an evergreen skill.” I believe when leaders demonstrate that they are willing to head in a new direction, their team members will emulate that mindset.
Building Human Skills Is a Process
Ultimately, building human skills is a process, not an overnight task. But it’s a process that’s well worth it for leaders and your team members.