Co-Founder & Chief People Officer of Executive Career Upgrades. Transforming careers with purpose and vision. About Kristina Madden.
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In my decade-plus journey of empowering over 8,000 professionals, I've witnessed an incredible transformation in what it takes to become an exceptional executive leader. While technical expertise and analytical skills remain crucial, they are insufficient to ensure you remain a key part of leadership teams. What sets truly elite leaders apart is their mastery of emotional and social competencies—what we refer to as "soft skills."
Soft skills are those intangible qualities that enable individuals to effectively manage themselves, communicate with others and navigate complex workplace dynamics. And when mastered with finesse, these “unseen skills” can make all the difference in your career trajectory.
As an executive mindset coach and catalyst for success, I've worked with many who struggle to identify the soft skills they need to thrive in their roles. They know the industry and can walk the walk in terms of technical knowledge, but when it comes to leading teams and managing relationships, they fall short.
So how can you begin to identify your soft skills competency—and what are the main areas you should consider? Let’s take a closer look at these soft skills and how they contribute to your unique leadership capacities.
The Power Of Emotional Intelligence
Of all the soft skills, emotional intelligence (EQ) is foundational. EQ refers to your ability to recognize, understand and regulate your emotions while empathizing with how others feel. It enables you to build authentic connections, earn trust and credibility and inspire teams toward a shared vision.
Many accomplished professional leaders excel at operations, finance and strategic planning. But here’s the reality: Without finely honed EQ, they struggle to get buy-in for ideas or motivate change. Their blunt, detached style causes friction and makes collaboration feel like pulling teeth.
As an executive coach, I’ve found that these five core EQ competencies help drive growth:
• Self-awareness: Know your emotional triggers, strengths, growth areas, etc. Self-aware leaders exude humility and lead by example.
• Self-regulation: Manage reactions skillfully, even under stress. Regulated leaders stay cool-headed to make sound calls.
• Intrinsic motivation: Have passion, optimism and drive to persist despite hurdles. Purpose-driven leaders energize their teams.
• Empathy: Read people and relate to diverse perspectives. Empathetic leaders forge authentic connections.
• Social skills: Be an expert communicator, collaborator and consensus builder. Socially adept leaders earn allies.
Targeted EQ development brings transformative results. Leaders gain emotional granularity to interact smoothly across the org chart. And that leads teams to feel safe to innovate and drive progress. You become an inspiring force who leads with heart and head.
Cultivating Growth Mindsets
If emotional intelligence builds connections, growth mindsets ensure continuous learning and improvement despite adversity (and adversity is always present).
Many accomplished high-level professionals rise to success through raw intellect and talent. However, when facing unfamiliar problems or new environments, fixed mindsets limit their capacity to evolve. Some even actively avoid situations highlighting skill gaps, stunting their growth.
With growth mindsets, leaders act as agile lifelong learners pursuing mastery. They model vulnerability, curiosity and grit for employees, creating a culture hungry for wisdom. Even amid adversity, the focus stays on progress.
Harnessing Resilience
As leaders progress in their growth, they inevitably face periods of intense stress and burnout. Demanding workloads, high-stakes decisions and office politics strain even the most dedicated individuals over time. Without safeguarding well-being, talent and performance suffer.
Senior-level professionals often push themselves to the brink in the name of excellence. However, chronic stress damages not only your health but your cognition, too. When they run on empty, leaders lose their ability to inspire, innovate and influence.
So while many soft skills are externally focused, knowing how to turn those soft skills on yourself is key:
• Establish healthy work-life boundaries.
• Adopt stress-regulation practices.
• Build support systems.
• Develop self-care routines.
• Reframe mindsets around failure.
With resilience, leaders mitigate the effects of stress to sustain peak performance. They exude calm and stability even during volatility. By modeling self-care, they drive cultural change around mental health and burnout.
Thriving through turbulence requires resilience both individually and organizationally. Are you leaning into healthy stress management or headed for exhaustion?
Unearthing Your Leadership Purpose
The foundation of resilient leadership is a clear sense of personal and professional purpose. When leaders define their core values and vision, work becomes meaningful, even amid adversity.
Many accomplished directors, VPs and executives advance in roles that are misaligned with who they are. Over time, the void of purpose seeds disengagement. Leaders lose their spark, and teams follow suit.
To unearth your leadership purpose, ask yourself:
• What do I care about deeply? When have I felt most fulfilled in my work?
• How do my values and passions align with my current role? Are there any areas of disconnect?
• What impact do I want to make as a leader? How can I use my strengths and skills to achieve this?
• Am I living authentically in my leadership role? Or am I trying to fit into a mold that doesn't align with who I truly am?
By reflecting on these questions, leaders can better understand their purpose and how it aligns with their current role. With purpose, leaders sustain passion and conviction that overflows into their people.
How Are Your Soft Skills?
Mastering soft skills—EQ, growth mindsets, resilience and purpose—unlocks the capacity for leaders to achieve executive excellence and maximize their impact. The question remains: How equipped do you feel to start this journey right now?
The path ahead requires commitment, investment and support. But with the right mindset and strategic action, directors and VPs can accomplish incredible transformations in leadership ability and career trajectory.
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