5 Must-Have People Skills to Succeed

Of the skills required to succeed in life and in business, the ability to relate effectively to people is still at the top of the list.

Mastery of knowledge within a field is not complete without mastering the people skills required to work effectively within your organization. Most businesses today require that you collaborate on teams, across departments, or across the globe. Being able to relate to people is as important as the technical skills that you’ve learned and developed.

Influence:
The foundation of our work is in our definition of leadership: A leader is anyone who is willing to influence their world and is willing to be influenced by their world, regardless of their role or title. 

The ability to influence others and be influenced by others is the key to excellent relationships and powerful leadership. You’ll be more successful if you share your perspective with others and then listen deeply to their thoughts, ideas, and wisdom.

This is where great discussions, innovation, and synergy happen.

Communication:
You’re always communicating! Whether it’s with your words, your body language, your clothing, or even the electronics you use, it’s important to remember that everything is a communication and you should choose yours wisely.

Your words and actions should be communicating the same thing. It’s discordant for people to hear one thing but see another in your behaviors. Aligning your words and your behaviors is critical to success.

Dynamic Dialog:
Great conversations can transform your relationships at work, at home, and in your community. Four key components of dynamic dialog are: intentionality, transparency, curiosity, and deep listening.

Dialog is not just taking turns speaking, it’s about listening deeply with the intention of getting beyond the spoken word. It’s about aligning on principles and ideals so that everyone is better for having shared in the discussion.

Openness to Many Truths:
Great leaders understand that there are many truths. Truth, in relationships, is a subjective experience. Respect for different perspectives can create alignment, engagement, and ownership of success.

The easiest way to build empathy is to understand that every one of us has a different truth about the world – a truth that’s based on our upbringing, our family of origin, our traumas and our successes.

Ownership of Mistakes:
Owning up to your part in a mistake is vital to strong relationships. You’ll gain respect and deeper connections if you take responsibility for your mistakes, are transparent about what happened, and stay open to learning from your mistakes.

Mistakes happen. It’s what you do after the mistake that defines you.

We’ve included our 5 Must-Have People Skills infographic that you can print and use to remind you of these essential skills.

Download the 5 Must-Have People Skills pdf here

Take some time this week to think about these 5 Must-Have People Skills. We’d love to know where you shine and where you feel like you have some growing to do.

We’re here for you!