LEADERS MAKE TIME TO LEARN ABOUT LEADERSHIP THROUGHOUT THEIR CAREERS

Last weekend, I was having an interesting conversation with a young professional, who works for one of the organizations at which I volunteer.

He was complaining to me that his graduate school studies, focused on technical skills but virtually ignored what would be required to succeed in the job after graduate school.

I inquired further, and he explained that so much of his current position involves the refinement of soft skills rather than the hard skills he learned in school.

I smiled ruefully and told him that I felt the same way about law school. During my law school years, I learned how to analyze an appellate case, how to look on both the plaintiff and defense sides of an issue, how to think like a lawyer, and how to be a strong advocate for one side of a case.

In virtually every class, I learned what we called the black letter law. In other words, I learned what the law was in the past, what exists now and what might change in the future. I learned the history of the law in a host of different subject areas.

None of these subjects prepared me for the career path that most law graduates pursue – private practice.

In fact, later in the evening that same day last week, when we were having dinner with friends, my friend, who recently retired as an attorney after decades at the same firm, smiled and laughed when I told him this story: “Law school does not prepare you to practice law,” he said. “You have to learn that on your own when you get your first job.”

I recounted these conversations to our senior rabbi last weekend and he too smiled. He said “Larry, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that same story from people in many different professions: medicine, law, dentistry, education and finance.”

I started thinking: Why don’t professional schools teach their students the soft skills that are necessary to be effective in a given profession?

I realized that I did not have the answer to that question, but I can provide a framework here for young leaders, wishing to learn soft skills and more experienced leaders who want to mentor the next generation.

One key is to of course, identify those soft skills which we want to enhance, especially in the early stages of our careers.

These include:

-Time management
-Prioritization
-Public speaking
-How to plan and run a meeting
-Earning the trust of others
-Collaboration
-Listening skills
-Letting go of our egos
-Sifting through different opinions
-Sharing knowledge with others
-Learning who to trust

These are just some of the soft skills that are necessary for leaders to flourish and grow. The question becomes:Where can leaders earnest for that growth find and develop these skills?

Here are a few suggestions:

-Leadership coaching (you knew I was going to say that!)
-Proven books by leadership authorities
-Professional development conferences, sponsored by industry, associations or other leadership groups
-Leadership book clubs with colleagues
-Websites devoted to leadership issues
-AI resources on leadership
-Leadership newsletters authored by reputable leaders or organizations

Here are some of my favorite leadership books:

-The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
-Everyone Communicates, Few Connect by John C. Maxwell
-The Cycle of Leadership by Noel Tichy
-Resonant Leadership by Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee
-Insight by Tasha Eurich
-Language and the Pursuit of Leadership Excellence by Chalmers Brothers and Vinay Kumar
-The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
-Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
-On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
-What to Ask the Person in the Mirror by Robert Steven Kaplan

Some of my favorite leadership newsletters include:

-Smart Brief on Leadership
Management Tip of the Day by Harvard Business Review
Leadership Freak by Dan Rockwell
-Resilience by Taryn Marie
-Leadership blogs by Irv Nugent, Liz Kislik, Lori Zukin, Lynne Brown

There are myriad resources out there for people who wish to enhance their soft leadership skills. Please do not sit back and wish you’d like to enhance your skills.

Take action and make it happen.

If you believe this content would resonate with a friend or colleague, please feel free to forward it along!

-Larry