Soft Skills.pptx

Performance Management Soft Skills  Skills You Need Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's ability to interact effectively with others. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person's kn...

Performance Management Soft Skills  Skills You Need Soft skills are character traits and interpersonal skills that characterize a person's ability to interact effectively with others. In the workplace, soft skills are considered to be a complement to hard skills, which refer to a person's knowledge and occupational skills. A big part of being a successful Tier 3 Leader is leveraging your experience and technical skills to get the job done. But those two factors are really only half of the story. Your success as a Tier 3 Leader will primarily depend on “soft skills” that are easy to take for granted. What are these talents that mean more than experience and technical skills combined? Three words: people management 2 skills. Company Confidential  Skills You Need Soft skills are vital for good management because it helps you work together in cooperation. Soft skills also contribute to effective communication, problem-solving, and decision-making. Moreover, dealing with many people and teams every day is a task that calls for strong soft skills. It helps in navigating complex situations efficiently. Tier 3+ Leaders can use it to rapidly advance their careers by learning how to work with others. Soft skills are essential in the workplace because they allow people to work on their tasks without letting interpersonal issues steal productivity and peace. Thus, solid soft skills are needed at work to build your personal as well as professional journeys. 3 Company Confidential  Effective Communication Good communication skills are essential for effective management. It helps build trust and rapport between team members, which is crucial in any collaborative environment. Effective communication can also take place through written correspondence and emails, ensuring that all the necessary information gets to the right person at the right time. Good communication skills will help you keep track of your interactions, manage difficult situations smartly, and resolve conflicts by fostering excellent relationships. It also helps avoid the risk that miscommunication can create in any team. 4 Company Confidential  Effective Communication Be a Positive Communicator Communicate Positively Set a Positive Tone Make Personal Connections Have Open Communication 5 Company Confidential  Effective Communication How to Communicate Positively 1. Steer clear of negative 6. Be helpful words 7. Set expectations 2. avoid forceful words 8. Keep your body 3. Always offer an language positive alternative 9. Keep stress under 4. Look for the good in the wraps bad 5. Be specific 6 Company Confidential  Non-Verbal Communication 7 Company Confidential How we communicate a message Which is most important? Tone Words Body Language 8 Company Confidential  Non-Verbal Communication What emotion do you think the associate is expressing? Angry, Upset, concerned, frustrated…. How can you tell? Facial Expression Hand Gesture 9 Company Confidential  Non-Verbal Communication 10 Company Confidential  Additional layers in communication Activity: Break group up into table teams Tables select their champion 3 Minutes 11 Company Confidential  HEARING/LISTENING Hearing and Listening are the Hearing is accidental, same involuntary, Effortless Listening is focused, voluntary, Listening is natural and intentional effortless Each listener is unique All listeners hear the same message 12 Company Confidential  Active Listening Active listening is a communication skill that involves going beyond simply hearing the words that another person speaks but also seeking to understand the meaning and intent behind them. It requires being an active participant in the communication process. Active listening techniques include: 1. Being fully present in the conversation 2. Showing interest by practicing good eye contact 3. Noticing (and using) non-verbal cues 4. Asking open-ended questions to encourage further responses 5. Paraphrasing and reflecting back what has been said 6. Listening to understand rather than to respond 7. Withholding judgment and advice 13 Company Confidential  Barriers Benefits of effective listening Builds Trust Decreased Attrition Helps build Increased Creativity relationships Allows for empathy Improved Quality Helps identify Informal Leadership problems Helps solve Better problems Understanding Better Engagement Increased Productivity 14 Company Confidential  Tips for becoming an effective listener Eye Contact Remove preconceptions Concentrate on Person Isolate if needed Paraphrase Ask questions Consider revisiting the Shadow peers topic Respond to what is said Ask for feedback Clarify for understanding Listen for Key themes Control yourself When to stop 15 Company Confidential conversation  Soft Skills for Leaders 16 Company Confidential Soft Skills for Leaders Empathy Honesty Trust Patience Ability to Relate Accountability (Approachable) Flexibility Open Mind 17 Company Confidential  Empathy 18 Company Confidential  Empathy can improve your leadership in a variety of ways? It gives you the ability to know if you are truly reaching the people you’re communicating with Let go of expectation. You’ve done your best to prepare. Now, let go. There’s no one way your life should unfold. Enjoy the journey. It gives you an extra spark of humanity that encourages loyalty and helps you inspire Associates when leaders empathize with their employees, satisfaction and engagement increase significantly. 19 Company Confidential Trust Leads to….. -Better working environment When people do not trust one another, the work atmosphere can become… POISONOUS -Better relationships If people trust you, they are less likely to be…. Offended and more inclined to give you the benefits of the doubt and support you in times of need -Better results When I trust my leader, I feel more…motivated and engaged, therefore producing better work. More likely to enjoy work and less likely to get stressed, move jobs, or take time off. 20 Company Confidential How to Become Approachable Practice active listening Be compassionate and use empathy Make eye contact Be willing to compromise Be non-judgmental. Be willing to listen and with hold advice. Use engaging body language Don't get defensive, keep emotions in check. 21 Company Confidential Characteristics of Open-Minded People Be curious to hear what others Consider what other people think are thinking Let go of expectation. You’ve Be humble about their own done your best to prepare. Now, knowledge and expertise let go. There’s no one way your life should unfold. Enjoy the Want to hear what other journey. people have to say Not feel angry when they are Believe others have a right to wrong share their beliefs and thoughts Have empathy for other people 22 Company Confidential  How to Demonstrate integrity and honesty at work Respect your TEAM Navigate conflict Be prepared for work Report unethical behavior Remain transparent Celebrate accomplishments Encourage collaboration Practice communication skills 23 Company Confidential Patience (Keeping Your Cool) When you feel like others are losing their cool — and you might be right there with them — try the following exercise. Close your eyes. Take deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth Slowly count to 10 in your head (one-Mississippi, two- Mississippi works well here) This simple technique will help you stay patient and calm during the most trying of circumstances. 24 Company Confidential Do You Take Accountability? Accountability means taking responsibility for your work and the work of your Associates. As a manager, you serve as a role model for everyone on your team. If you claim accountability when the job is going well but pass the buck when the job is going badly, your employees will notice. Effective managers take responsibility for failures as well as successes. If the failures begin to outnumber the successes, the manager will take steps to fix the root cause of the problem and inspire their Associates to improve. 25 Company Confidential What is Flexibility? Flexibility (Adaptability) means understanding that there are often multiple ways to complete a task. Just because one team member chooses to tackle a problem differently than you would have doesn’t mean that the approach is wrong. Flexibility also means being able to adjust quickly to changing circumstances. Amazon changes fast make time in your schedule to deal with pop up issues that weren't expected. 26 Company Confidential Summary We as leaders are the example of what good looks like everyday. Our associates look to us to see what the expectation is. Even when in conflict or an escalation we must reach in a calm manner. Every day is DAY 1 at Amazon everyday someone learns something from us with out us realizing it. Remember the shadow you cast and lead by example. “Always be the person you would want to work for.” Liz Brenner 27 Company Confidential  Questions? 28 Company Confidential