Soft Skills for Emerging Leaders

Successful Meetings, Effective Communication,

and Leveraging Generational Differences

Andrew Clough, April Malvino, Joy Brown

What are Soft Skills?

These skills include the ability to communicate, work with the public or customers, your constituents, and your peers or employees.

• Technical Skills – Knowledge of Your Business

• Leadership Skills – The Ability to Get your Team to Perform Well

• Soft Skills – The Ability to Professionalize your Work and Communicate Your Business Message.

Why are Soft Skills Important?

• Technical Skills will get you the interview, but it’s the soft skills that get you the job

• 80% of achievements in career are determined by soft skills and only 20% by hard skills

• #1 important soft skill - Communication

Meetings, Meetings, Meetings

• Why do we have meetings?

• What was your worst meeting?

• What was the most effective meeting you ever attended?

Time is Money

• Does it have to be a meeting? Email, conference call? Coffee?

• Is there another way to get the result? • Respect your time and their time

• Status updates can be efficiently provided over email

Managing Successful Meetings

• Introductions

• Make your objective clear

• Invite the right attendees, and excuse others after their item has been addressed

• Stick to the agenda

• Don’t get derailed

• Start on time, end on time

• Consider banning technology

• Follow Up

Attending Meetings

• Put down the smart phone

• Be prepared - read the agenda ahead of time, bring necessary info

• If you don’t speak up, you can’t be heard

• Ask questions

• Provide suggestions, solutions

Generational Differences

Who do you identify with?

Generational Differences

TRADITIONALISTS babyboomers GENERATION X MILLENIALS

Communications Face to Face Formal Memo

In Person Formal Memo

Email/Cell Phone Text Messaging

Feedback No News is Good News

Once a year with documentation

Instant, Immediate feedback

Individualized Feedback at the push of a button!

Rewards The satisfaction of a job well done

Money, title, the corner office

Freedom is the ultimate response

Work that has meaning for me!

Balance Support me in shifting the balance

Help me balance everyone else & find meaning myself

Balance now, not at 60

Flexibility so I can balance all my activities

Avoid Stereotyping!

Take into account differences amongst team members may be due to life experiences, age, life events

Not all members of a generation share the same preferences and characteristics.

Generational Differences

“I feel included at work when….”

What generational differences are you seeing?

Communication is Key!!

By 2020, 50% of the workforce will be Millennials.

Communication Challenge

Effective Communication

The successful conveying of ideas and feelings.

Methods of Communication

• Verbal • Meetings • Telephone • Public Speaking

• Non Verbal • Clothing • Gestures • Facial Expressions • Silence • Eye contact • Posture

• Written • Business Letters • Memos • Emails • Test Messages • Council Reports • Blogs • Social Media

Barriers to Effective Communication

Stress and Out of Control Emotions Lack of Focus Generations

Negative Body Language Cultural Differences Health

Political Beliefs Resistance to Change Ethics Assumptions Motives

Perspective Beauty Multi-tasking Language Education

Organizational Structure Defensiveness Cultural Differences

Popularity Lack of Respect Aspirations Eye Rolling Values

Assumptions Standards Position Gender Economic Social Status

Inconsistent Body Language Day Dreaming Temperament Age

Communication Challenge

The Cost of Failing to Communicate

•70% of mistakes in the workplace are the direct result of poor communications.

•80% of the people who fail at work do so because they do not relate well to other people

Communication Challenge

Our biggest communications problem

is we do not listen to understand.

We listen to reply.

It Starts with Respect

Improve Your Communication Skills

• Be an engaged listener

• Pay attention to non-verbal signals

• Keep stress and emotions in check

• Assert yourself

• Be Clear and Concise

• Use the right medium

• Provide feedback

• Know your audience

• Treat People with Respect

You Never Said They Were Big Mountains

Skills You Want

• What training can APWA NorCal provide you, your coworkers, your boss?

Questions? Comments?