The way we
work has changed, and so has leadership. As a manager, you need to evolve, too.
In today’s VUCA (Volatile. Uncertain. Complex. Ambiguous.)
business climate, developing
these five essential skills will help you lead your team more
effectively. Mastering these skills takes practice and intentional
effort.
1. Social intelligence.
A key component of emotional intelligence is social intelligence.
Social intelligence is the ability to understand and tune into the
emotional temperature of others. It's about
reading the room, gauging the collective mood, and recognizing the
emotional
landscape of your team. Is everyone on the same page, or is there
unspoken
tension? Is there cohesion, or are there gaps in understanding? Are all
voices
being heard, or are some perspectives missing?
This is the
ability to read your team’s emotional tone. Pay attention to unspoken cues—such
as tensions, moods, and dynamics—and use that insight to guide your actions.
How to tune into the
emotional dynamics of your team
Ø Conduct regular temperature checks
with your team. At
your next group meeting, try this exercise: Ask everyone to write down
(anonymously or not) three things they love about their work that motivate
them, and three things that are frustrating. After collecting the responses,
take some time to review and synthesize the feedback. Then, share the common
themes with the group. Talk about the positives and the pain points. Be open
and honest; transparency helps build morale and trust within the team. You
might not be able to solve every problem, but this is a magical way to make
your team feel that their leader cares. People
want to feel heard.
Ø Practice sharpening your emotional radar outside of
work. Try observing conversations in
public spaces like cafés. Pay attention to emotional undertones, reactions, and
how people connect (or don’t). Notice the nuances in their relationships and
look for non-verbal cues like facial expressions, body language, and even
silence. Think of it as people-watching with purpose. Have fun with it.
2. Adaptive communication.
Adjust your
communication style based on the situation and audience. Listen more, speak
less, and build genuine connections by understanding how your employees prefer
to be treated. This skill involves knowing how and when to adjust your behavior
and leadership style to fit the situation. Successful leaders adapt their
approach to meet the moment and boost overall team performance. Leaders need to
know how to move hearts and minds. That means not just understanding how others
feel, but using that knowledge to influence, motivate, and guide.
The golden
rule — treat people as you would like to be treated — is outdated. It’s now the
platinum rule: treat people as they want to be treated.
How to adapt your leadership
style to others
Ø Make a concerted effort at
relationship building.
Whether you’re part of a team or leading one, carve out time for one-on-one
conversations to understand what your colleagues care about, their priorities,
and how they see the world. Empathize. Make a genuine effort to understand your
employees and co-workers perspectives and feelings. Ask more and tell less and really
listen
Ø Use tools like the DISC assessment
and the Predictive Index to gain deeper insights into people’s personalities. These provide a new lens to see
each other. Some people are down-to-business and task-oriented, while others
are more people-oriented.”
Leaders often instinctively try to
change someone’s feelings — by cheering them up or calming them down.
Sometimes, simply acknowledging their emotions is enough. Letting someone know
you understand their feelings without trying to change them helps in building
trust.
Ø Engage in Mindful Reflection. Before a meeting or important
conversation, set clear goals for what you want to achieve and how you want to
be perceived. Afterward, review how well you met those goals and consider any
tweaks for next time. This practice helps develop self-awareness and
adaptability.
3. Flexible thinking.
When things
feel unpredictable and uncertain, there’s a natural tendency to become rigid in
your thinking, which limits your ability to weigh different solutions to
problems. But to be an effective leader in challenging times, you must be able
to juggle competing priorities and hold opposing ideas in your head.
This means
embracing ambiguity seeking out new perspectives, and understanding the larger
context. When leaders signal they’re open to new opinions, research shows that
team members feel safer sharing their ideas, ultimately leading to more
thoughtful decisions and stronger outcomes. Thriving amid uncertainty means
leaning into it, not shying away.
How to boost Your mental agility
Ø Seek out different perspectives. Consider the different viewpoints
on your team. Actively listening to others, especially those with diverse
experiences and perspectives, leads to more creative and thoughtful solutions. Leaders
in the past felt pressure to have all the answers, but the pace of
technological change calls for a different approach. Asking good questions
allows you to move beyond your hardened perspective and embrace very different
possibilities and ways of thinking.
Ø Experiment with tools like mind mapping. Mind mapping is a technique for diagramming ideas and
organizing information in a structure similar to a flowchart, showing
relationships between them. You can take meeting notes in mind-map form; you
can also experiment with it during group discussions and brainstorming
sessions. It taps into your creative side and it helps you visually explore
ideas and uncover connections that might not be immediately obvious.
4. Strategic disruption.
This is a
skill that involves challenging the status quo. Rather than sticking to
established conventions, leaders must identify and question outdated practices
to explore new ideas that could improve outcomes. It’s not about breaking rules
just for the sake of it, but rather questioning long-standing practices and
pushing for continuous learning and improvement.
How to get more
comfortable challenging the status quo
Ø Tap into the ideas and perspectives
of others to open up new possibilities. Remember: People on the front lines and in different
departments see things that you might overlook. Reserve the last 10 minutes of
weekly meetings to ask everyone: What could we be doing better? This practice
encourages team members to come prepared with suggestions. Even if you’re not
officially running meetings, you can still contribute to a culture of innovation
by offering ideas for improvement.
Ø Expand your network. Both in and outside your company
with people whose worldviews are different from yours. Seek feedback from them
and others who can help you uncover your biases and challenge you.
5. Resilient
self-awareness.
As a leader,
you’re expected to be always on call and constantly available to support your
employees, whether with work issues or their mental health needs You’re
expected to be dissociated from your humanity, but leaders are only human.
Self-awareness
involves recognizing your own limitation and understanding when to seek
support. This important leadership skill is not only about managing your own
stress but also about setting a healthy example for your team. By being aware
of your needs and boundaries, you demonstrate strength and self-care, which
contributes to a positive work environment.
How to foster
emotional strength and mental endurance
Ø Develop a strong support system. Seek resources both inside and
outside of work, such as mentors, counselors, and peer groups. Having people
who can offer constructive advice is invaluable — especially if they can help
with real-time adjustments.
Ø Try this simple yet powerful practice. Regularly ask 4 to 6 people who
know you best at work — your boss, peers, and direct reports — for feedback.
Ask them: What am I doing well? And what I could improve? Give them a week to
reflect, then follow up for their ideas.
Choose a couple of areas
on which to focus, and then follow up with specific questions like: Five months
ago, you told me to work on becoming a better listener. I’ve tried not to
interrupt and to stay off my phone. How am I doing?
Repeat this process two
to three times a year. You might fear that admitting weaknesses will make you
seem less competent. But really, you’re modeling how to receive feedback. It
makes you seem stronger and more human.
Ø Study your favorite athletes. Draw inspiration from how they
manage their physical and mental states to perform at their best. Performing at
peak is not sustainable. You need to know when to taper, how to recover, and
how to build up endurance.
Developing
these five key leadership skills isn’t just about your personal growth, it’s
about shaping the future of work and inspiring those around you. Leaders are
under new pressures to perform at higher levels and adapt quickly to changing
demands. But while leadership today is harder, it is also more exciting. There
is more opportunity to drive real change and to make a lasting positive impact.
To your greater success and well-being,
Peter Mclees, Leadership Coach, Trainer and Performance Consultant
SMART DEVELOPMENT
Take the Next Step...
Interested
in learning how to develop your organization's leadership capability,
culture, and employee engagement? We begin with a collaborative
discovery process identifying your unique needs and business issues. To
request an interview with Peter Mclees please
contact: Email: petercmclees@gmail.com or Mobile: 323-854-1713
Smart
Development has an exceptional track record helping energy and facilities management,
ports, sales teams, restaurants, stores, distribution centers, food
production facilities, wealth management services, real estate services,
nonprofits, government agencies and other businesses create a strong
culture, leadership bench strength, coaching skills and the teamwork
necessary for growth.
Having worked with several companies
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that would help any late stage startup, small or medium sized company
achieve sustained growth and prosperity.
