While technical skills are certainly important for your small business team to have, interpersonal skills should not be overlooked, as they are just as important—but in different ways. Skills like communication, collaboration, adaptability, and others can help your team work well with each other and with customers. Here are six important skills for your team to have.
Communication
Communication skills are important for the sharing of ideas, feedback, progress reporting, and customer service. Teams that communicate well with one another are bound to have more success, as they can work together to solve problems and spark innovation. Those who communicate poorly are more likely to have misunderstandings, which can lead to problems—including ones that impact the business negatively. This can result in delayed projects and deadlines, and potentially missed opportunities and lost revenue. It can also impact morale.
Good communication includes strong verbal and written skills that help team members stay on the same page. Active listening is also key, as it can build trust and help everyone feel that they are being heard and that their opinions are respected. Body language and tone of voice should also be considered, both when speaking and when listening.
Collaboration
Communication is one thing, but collaboration is another that builds directly from it. Teams who communicate well can collaborate more effectively. This means ideas can be worked on together and improved upon. Projects can be completed more efficiently, and goals can be reached more quickly. When collaboration skills are strong, each person contributes and develops trust and respect with one another. People can openly share ideas and provide constructive feedback that helps everyone involved. Solid collaboration is great for morale and overall team building.
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is another important skill. Even when communication and collaboration skills are high, conflicts can arise, and it's important to resolve them in a helpful fashion.
"Conflict resolution often feels like a challenging skill to develop, and many people avoid conflict because it makes them uncomfortable, or they anticipate the conversation will have a negative outcome," says Ariana McDonnell at Washington State University.* "However, conflict is a good thing. Resolving conflict leads to growth and change, improves problem-solving skills, and preserves and improves relationships."
Adaptability
Adaptability means being able to adjust in the face of change. This could be during a market shift, a change in technology, or anything else that breaks the routine.
"Adaptability is about approaching setbacks with curiosity instead of dread," says Jennifer Soper at Small Biz Ahead.** "When someone on your team demonstrates adaptability, it inspires everyone else. Suddenly, you have a team that collaborates better because everyone’s willing to consider different perspectives."
Empathy
Empathy is important for leaders and also for the rest of the team. It lets people stand in others' shoes so they can better understand one another. This supports a healthy and productive working environment and helps to build trust and morale. Empathetic team members can recognize when a coworker is feeling overwhelmed or frustrated. When empathy is involved, problems can be solved without creating unnecessary tensions at work, which can lead to a number of issues. Empathy is key to conflict resolution.
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is like self-empathy. It's the ability to understand your own emotions and manage them well. It also extends to being able to appropriately respond to other people's emotions. Emotional intelligence can help your team stay composed under pressure, better communicate with each other, and more effectively resolve conflicts. It involves both self-awareness and social sensitivity. This is key in collaborative settings and for building stronger work relationships.
Interpersonal skills like communication, collaboration, conflict resolution, adaptability, empathy, and emotional intelligence will enhance your team's ability to work together to create better outcomes in just about every facet of work. While technical know-how is important in certain roles, these skills can be universally useful throughout your workforce. Look for them when hiring and strive to build them among your current team.
** https://sba.thehartford.com/managing-employees/why-soft-skills-matter/
