Guests at the Susan Casper Sonoran Living Live “Extraordinary Woman” Black History Month show honoring Dr Joel P. Martin.
The men and women in this photo are people who have excellent “people skills”. They represent diverse organizations and areas of specialization such as operations, arts and culture, religion, event production, education, consulting and technology.
That is what they do…but it is through their “people skills” and how they “be” that they have created the incredibly rich, diverse and strong foundations for their organizations and community.
Here are a few “people skills” that they embody that anyone can use to create their own strong organizational foundation. Add them to your emotional intelligence resources.
The Five “People Skills”
- Be all about business yet have a good sense of humor and know when to use it and when not to. The people who work with you, your direct reports, those you report to will appreciate it. Don’t gossip, whine or be victimy. As corny as it is, ” a smile is (still) a frown turned upside down.” In times of stress, a well placed smile can be the pause that refreshes your team.
- Be an advocate for others, support the causes and people you believe in. Be visible and outspoken in ways that empower people. Show up, manage by walking around, find out what’s going on, ask about the good ideas that are percolating. Send a personal note or some other form of positive reinforcement for performance breakthroughs. Be physically present in the good times and the bad.
- Be an authentic communicator. Make it real and relevant consistently so much so that it becomes part of your personal and organizational brand. We can usually sense when someone is being insincere. Being clear on expectations, doing what you say you will do or letting the other person or company know when you cannot are relationship builders and signals of customer service excellence.
- Celebrate diversity and be inclusive. Welcome all kinds of folks into your network. Notice and comment on what you have in common – family, goals, pets even – are good conversation starters. Build your foundation with including diverse others in mind. In an organizational setting, this makes a stronger business. Be your company’s good will ambassador.
- Invest in what you are passionate about, doing all that you can to make what matters to you better. Your organization is the vehicle. Gil Scott Heron said: “Each one reach one, Each one try to teach one…Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something, everyone must play a part, everyone got to go to work, Work for Peace.” He was passionate about peace, his words and music, his vehicle. The men and women in the photo, and the many others who are leaders in their companies, have their own ways of expressing their passion and they are doing this through their organizations.
