Caring for People is Not a Soft Skill

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Bob Chapman, the former CEO of Barry-Wehmiller and author of the wonderful book Everybody Matters.

If you’ve never read the book, I highly recommend it.

Bob was a successful CEO, but what made him different was his belief that business and caring for people were not competing priorities. In fact, he believed they were deeply connected.

His philosophy was simple: every person who comes to work deserves to know that they matter.

You see, Bob knew how to run a highly profitable business and he understood that when people feel valued, respected and cared for, they do their best work.

Business Results and Caring for People Aren’t Competing Priorities

Too often, leaders believe they have to choose between driving results and caring about people.

Bob challenged that thinking.

He believed that great leadership sits at the intersection of strong business performance and profound care for people. I wholeheartedly agree!

One of my favourite ideas from Everybody Matters is that leaders are stewards of the lives entrusted to them.

Think about that for a moment.

When people leave work at the end of the day, do they go home feeling better about themselves because of how they were treated at work?

Alternatively, do their leaders ensure they feel worse?

Sadly, I see the latter far too often.

Many leaders just don’t understand the profound impact they have on their team.

As a leader, the way you communicate, provide feedback, recognize contributions and navigate difficult conversations can either build people up or tear them down.

That’s a responsibility worth taking seriously.

Great Leadership Starts With Great Listening

Another concept I love from Bob’s book is that great leadership starts with great listening.

I have worked with many leaders over the years who listen to fix a problem or are simply waiting for their turn to speak.

It is important that we listen so people feel heard and understood.

It’s amazing how often employees tell me, “I just want my manager to listen.”

And yet many leaders have never been taught how to do this effectively.

Human Skills, Not Soft Skills

Which brings me to something Bob often talked about that resonates deeply with me.

He didn’t call these abilities “soft skills”.

He called them Human Skills.

I love that.

I’ve never liked the term “soft skills.”

There’s nothing soft about giving difficult feedback.

There’s nothing soft about navigating conflict.

There’s nothing soft about building trust.

There’s nothing soft about influencing others, holding people accountable, coaching employees, or creating psychological safety.

These are core business skills.

Or as Bob would say, Human Skills.

And they matter now more than ever! Don’t you agree?!

The leaders who create engaged teams, retain top talent and drive strong business results are often the leaders who excel at these human skills.

The good news is that these human skills can be learned.

No one is born knowing how to lead difficult conversations, coach employees effectively, build trust, or communicate in a way that inspires action.

These are skills that can be developed with practice and intention.

Build Your Human Skills in The Lead Your People Program

That’s exactly why I created The Lead Your People Program.

This six-module program is designed to help you build the human skills that drive business success. You’ll learn practical tools and strategies for communication, accountability, coaching, feedback, conflict management and building stronger relationships at work.

It is clear that caring for people isn’t separate from achieving results.

It’s one of the best ways to achieve them.

If you’d like to strengthen your core leadership skills and learn how to lead people in a way that creates both business results and human impact, I’d love to have you join us.

The first module starts September 8th. Spots are limited. Register here.

The impact of this program doesn’t stop with the leader who takes it. It reaches their whole team. Here’s a note from a CMO who’s watched that ripple effect firsthand:

I just finished my skip level meeting with a participant in your Lead Your People Program. She is THRILLED with the program and so appreciates the feedback you gave her. I also caught up with Chris yesterday, who was in the program quite some time ago, and he brought up some learnings he got from you with regard to a current leadership challenge he is working through. He still uses the content from your program years later. So, I wanted to say a quick thank you for the positive impact you’ve had and continue to have on my team and the business.

Danielle Brown, CMO, Points

Thank you for sharing!

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