Interpersonal Skills: Your Leadership Brand

Profile Picture of Post's Author Mark Uhlenberg | Posted February 24, 2021

Your interpersonal (relational) skills influence how people experience you as a leader. The reality is that others’ perception of you is your leadership brand. I like the concept of “brand” with leaders because it is a universal concept. We all know brands we like and dislike. The brands we like give us positive feelings and experiences. The brands we dislike have poor experiences associated with them.

In the world of online reviews, how many 5-star reviews would you get? Or would you cringe at the comments section? Can you consciously influence other’s perceptions or experience of you? Of course, your leadership brand is enhanced by how you consistently AND skillfully relate to others! If I asked your people to use words to describe you; would they use words like great listener, organized, consistent and dependable? 5 stars!

Interpersonal skills are “people” skills. They involve your ability to communicate and build relationships. If yours are sharp, you have an invaluable asset. If they’re not, your brand as a leader will suffer and you won’t influence others in the ways you want. There are several areas to develop, but here are my top three — get good at these and your brand will shine.

Active Listening

Stephen Covey hit the nail on the head when he said that “most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” You can’t benefit from someone else’s knowledge, experience or perspective if you don’t listen to what they say and how they say it. Listening with intention is a skill many leaders don’t have. If you can master it,  your brand of leadership will stand head and shoulders above others. Listening is leading.

Follow this simple process to improve your active listening exponentially.

  • Be in the moment with whomever is speaking.
    • Set down your phone and look at them. Let them know they are getting your attention.
    • Eliminate distractions by removing yourself from a busy environment if you need to.
    • ALWAYS make your people the main attraction when they communicate with you.
  • Be willing to go “off course” from what you anticipated.
    • Show you’re listening with your body language, nod or acknowledge ideas.
    • Don’t interrupt.
    • Take notes if the conversation warrants it so you can come back to key points.
  • Acknowledge their point of view/thoughts.
    • Don’t shoot the messenger when they tell you something, otherwise they will stop bringing anything to you.
    • Summarize and check for your understanding. Simple and powerful practice.

Organization

Next is organization. These skills are about structure and efficiency and are so fundamental that we often don’t give them the time and attention they deserve. Start with your desk or workspace (which could be your vehicle). Keep it clear and orderly. Know where stuff is and have a system for it. Our work environment in a sense organizes us – it can “coach” us to be organized or disorganized.

The next skill is even simpler. KEEP A CALENDAR. And keep it updated. Use whatever tool works for you.

And finally (hopefully you learned this one early on) – show up on time. Be predictably prompt. Start and end meetings on time. Manage time the way you manage money (or better) – it’s even more valuable.

Keep Your Commitments

The word “C-O-M-M-I-T-M-E-N-T” scares many people for various reasons. For your brand as a leader, ground zero is the ability to make and keep commitments repeatedly over time. Leaders make decisions, decisions require commitment and a leader’s commitments are gold. I define commitment as a way of being intellectually and emotionally bound to a purposeful action. Once you say you are committed, that means you will do whatever it takes to deliver. Aristotle really hit the nail on the head when he said — “we are what we repeatedly do — excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

Make a habit of keeping your commitments – those large and small. Do it repeatedly and see how much power and capacity you begin to create for yourself and those depending on your leadership. And watch your leadership brand grow stronger.

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