Read on to hear exactly why interpersonal skills are so crucial to successful leadership...
"It's not enough to be a technical expert or a visionary strategist; you also need to invest in your people skills to empower and enable your employees."
This is according to a fantastic new article,
'The Leadership Odyssey' written by Herminia Ibarra, Claudius A. Hildebrand and Sabine Vinck and published by Harvard Business Review.
Based on interviews and analysis of 75 CEO successions, involving 235 candidates, from 2009- 2019, they examined the correlation between CEO skills and firm performance.
Unsurprisingly, people skills stood out as one of the most important features of a successful CEO.
Off the back of this study, Harvard Business Review have compiled a list of the key soft skills your child needs to develop in order to become a successful leader.
These are...1) Ask good questions, listen, empathise and empower 🗣
According to Harvard Business Review, "these skills allow leaders to draw wisdom, insight, and creativity out of their people, solve problems collectively, and foster a sense of psychological safety."
Our Debate Mate clubs are a masterclass in this skillset. Through the use of rebuttal and Points of Information during debates, students are taught empathy, active listening, and constructive disagreement!2) Collaborate and influence 🤝
A leader should be skilled at collaborating with a range of people across different networks. As a part of this, they need to be comfortable with building and maintaining working relationships.
At Debate Mate, students learn in a global classroom, interacting with new mentors and classmates each term and building friendships with brand new students in termly debating competitions.3) Shape culture and align employees 💬
"To enable, motivate and inspire people on a large scale, leaders must be able to communicate a compelling direction or purpose ... and act as role models in the day-to-day."
Teamwork and leadership are two skills that are crucial to debating. In our clubs, students are encouraged to work as a team in prep time to develop a strategy and decide on a team-line.
💬 Is your child equipped with the people skills they need to become a future leader? Sign them up to an upcoming FREE 30-minute taster session by clicking here.
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