Episode: 220

Episode Title: The Top 5 Soft Skills I Hire: Leadership

File Name: the-top-5-soft-skills-i-hire-leadership

Leadership is the culmination of a person’s soft skills—and a constant willingness to learn and grow is the mark of a true leader. Stay tuned for more, coming up next on The Perna Syndicate.

Ep 220 show:

Hi, I’m Mark Perna and this is the Perna Syndicate! As we talked this week about the most important soft skills for success at work today, I saved the best for last. 

Leadership: it is a universal skill for every industry, every business, everywhere. It’s more than just the ability to take charge of something, though ownership is a big part of it. Leadership is, in many ways, the sum total of a person’s soft skills. It’s how you bring those soft skills to bear on everything else.

That’s why I consider it the “best” soft skill, because you can’t be a great leader without also possessing great communication, engagement, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. Leadership is how all those things come together. 

I consider every person in my company to be a leader in their area of expertise. That’s why I hired them: I can’t be an expert in everything, and so I must rely on others to fill these gaps and bring the talents and perspectives that I lack. 

Leaders are constantly developing their abilities and becoming better versions of themselves. Such individuals can process feedback and use it to fuel their growth—reminding me why I hired them in the first place.

Ironically, it’s those who are most willing to learn who end up leading most effectively. The learners are the leaders.

Thanks for being part of the Syndicate this week! I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick exploration of the top 5 soft skills I look for when I’m hiring. We’ll see you back here next week for more insights into education, careers, and workforce development. Have a great weekend!