Good management consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.

–John D. Rockefeller

Accomplished people skills are required to be a successful leader.

Early in life we were taught to “play nice” and “follow the Golden Rule”. As we grew up and entered the business world, we found out that there are different ways to “play nice”. Others’ behaviors can lead to our frustration and general misunderstandings. This can lead to poor morale, a substantial loss of productivity, and counterproductive employee turnover.

Those who have learned to minimize these problems are referred to as having good “people skills”.  The good news is that managing people, part of emotional intelligence, is a learned skill.

We have discovered there are specific character traits that have predictable, actions and reactions.  In addition, each has a distinct thought process. After you have been trained to recognize these behaviors, you improve your communication with your team and achieve the results you desire.

For example, do you know a person who is very task-oriented, direct and a high achiever? How well do they get along with others who are enthusiastic? How about with someone who is not very forceful, needs consensus, and avoids risks? Contrast that with someone who is detail-oriented and prides himself on his accurate analytical problem solving skills?

Each of these people is a very necessary ingredient to an outstanding team. Getting each of them to recognize everyone’s strengths and accept and appreciate the differences can be a difficult task. This diversity in each of us can be better understood and managed, producing positive outcomes.

CornerStone StrategiesLLC  offers Emotional Intelligence and personality / behavioral assessments to assist your staff to develop more effective interpersonal skills. Understanding the drives, fears and motivators of others, and dealing appropriately with them, distinguishes great leaders from mediocre managers. It can spell the difference between a highly profitable bottom line and an average yield. Sample reports are available for every assessment so you can read the value for yourself.

“DiSC” is a registered trademark of Inscape Publishing, Inc.