Predictive Success Blog

In recent years the way we work has changed and with that comes a change to leadership.

The COVID-19 pandemic made a profound impact on the work environment with an increase in people working from home and virtually, there became the challenge for leaders of how to best manage their team remotely. Leaders had to adapt to the different needs and challenges that they were being faced with.

The combination of increasing workers demands for flexibility, work-life balance and feedback, places leaders in a position of wondering how they can best support their team.

Experts have weighed in on the top 6 essential leadership skills.

1. Emotional Aperture

This term was coined by Jeffrey Sanchez-Burks, a behavioral scientist at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Emotional aperture refers to the ability to understand and tune into the emotional dynamics of your people. The most successful leaders are able to pick up on emotional cues and gain a further understanding of how their team works. This can allow them to know how to approach situations, build stronger relationships and connections within the team. Sanchez-Burks recommends to further develop this skill, utilizing resources that focus on group dynamics such as self-reflection exercises, regular check-ins with the team and having transparency with the team.

2. Adaptive Communication

This skill refers to the ability to know when and how to change your behaviour and leadership style based on the situation. A successful leader knows that depending on the situation they need to be adaptable. Reading the team’s energy allows the leaders to know what type of leadership role they should take on. The right behaviour can further motivate, influence and guide the team. To further develop this skill, Kirstin Lynde, founder of the leadership development firm Catalyze Associates says to utilize the platinum rule: treat people as they want to be treated. This will require leaders to know and understand their team on a higher level. Having leaders take the time to connect one on one with their team members, this could be as simple as a coffee break to ask questions and understand what type of leader they need.

3. Flexible Thinking

A successful leader needs to be able to manage priorities as they arise and not resort to one way of thinking. Leaders needs to be able to utilize the perspectives of their team to help establish thoughtful and stronger decisions. A challenge for leaders is dealing with the unknown, knowing that there will be challenges and hiccups along the way shows that a leader is human and understands that nothing will be perfect all of the time. There can be pressure for leaders from their team members to have all of the answers but having transparency with the team will allow them to see the thought process of their leadership. Leaders should also be adaptable and able to have a back up plan incase an issue arises. To better improve your way of thinking, always be asking questions, this allows leaders to see different perspectives and other ways of thinking.

4. Perspective Seeking, Taking, and Coordinating

A strategy often overlooked by leaders is using the perspectives of those around them. Having different perspectives can be crucial for resolving issues such as negotiating and managing risk. To further strengthen this skill as a leader, it is recommended that you reflect on past situations and understand how different perspectives might have caused a different outcome. Just like with driving, humans also have blind spots, uncovering these can help to generate a new perspective, as a leader, you might not see situations the same way as someone on your team. Using a tool such as The Predictive Index, can help a leader understand how each of their team members thinks and their preferred work style. Using science and analytics, leaders can unlock the potential of their people.

5. Strategic Disruption Skills

This skill challenges not only team members but also leaders. As we have seen in recent years, there has been a change to the workplace, more companies are working remotely or hybrid therefore practices and rules need to also adapt. Having a leader that can identify and changed outdated practices is continuously improving and learning. A great leader can adapt to create a inclusive and welcoming work environment whether that be in-person or virtually. To strengthen this skill, experts recommend asking team members to contribute their own ideas and feedback, a simple way is having a feedback session after the end of a team meeting.

6. Resilient Self-Awareness

While the role of the team leader is to be there for their team and address any issues that arise, leaders are also only human they need to be able to acknowledge their own limitations and manage their own challenges such as stress, work and life. Having a strong support network is an essential to leaders as they need to be surrounded by those that are there for them both in the workplace and outside of it. Many successful leaders take advantage of using mentors, self-help books and other resources to improve their physical and mental well-being.

Utilizing these 6 Essential Leadership Skills can place a leader in a position for success in building a strong work environment and a team that strives for excellence.

The Predictive Index™, a cornerstone of Predictive Success’s offerings, provides an objective, science-backed way to understand what drives your employees and how those drives influence workplace behavior. Leaders can utilize this tool to develop a strong team, understanding which role each team member plays and how best they work towards their goals.

Further Reading

Check out this article from The Harvard Business Review that deep dives into these 6 essential skills – 6 Essential Leadership Skills – and How to Develop Them