I’ve done a lot of hiring over the years. I’ve had the opportunity to lead and support a lot of teams. And I’ve coached 100’s of leaders at all different levels of the game, from completely green and scared out of their mind, to 30+ years in the C suite. And amazing soft skills are always what separates the good from the great.
Always.
But they are rare.
Despite all the research on the impact of soft skills AND companies shouting how important culture is to their bottom line, they still aren’t rewarded as valuable assets.
In fact, they often aren’t even recognized as some of the most valuable members of the team. Instead, often times they are mislabeled as too soft, too quiet, or not dedicated enough.
Which is why I call it a game.
Let’s be honest, the work world is often like a game.
And the game is still rigged.
Because even after years of research supporting and employers screaming “CULTURE IS EVERYTHING” at the top of their lungs, the words spoken and research done don’t line up with what’s actually happening in the workplace. Instead, they are often ignored, expected to adapt to the culture that IS rewarded, or eventually leave the company altogether.
We know kindness, empathy, authenticity, emotional intelligence, active listening, self regulation & self care are all signs of amazing employees AND strong leaders.
Let’s stop just researching about it and talking about and actually embrace these amazing individuals in the workplace, as they are.
Let’s stop teaching people to play the game and stop playing it altogether!
Watch people actually want to come to work. Watch people wanting to come work for you. Watch your teams actually begin to trust one another AND the company. Watch the magic happen!
#leadership #leadershipcoaching #authenticity #humandesign #growthmindset #transformationalcoaching #team #culture