4 replies on “10 Essential People Skills You Need to Succeed”
Action Step: My team and I developed a charisma quiz based on the charisma research. See where you fall on our charisma spectrum.
Be an Influential Leader
You do not have to be leading a company or be the president of an organization to be considered a leader. Leaders in both work life and social life are able to get buy-in, rally teams and generate camaraderie. I do not believe the opposite of a leader is a follower. In fact, sometimes it’s great to be a follower – when you are learning something new or want to be taken on an adventure. It’s almost impossible to be a leader if you struggle with the 3 A’s.
- Apathy: Do you love your life? Do you wake up to the day excited? Apathy is when we have a lack of enthusiasm or interest in our lives or the things we do. Leaders fight apathy by choosing to be around people or do activities that truly excite them.
- Ambivalence kills relationships. If you are ambivalent about the people in your life or the activities in your life, you will never be able to be a leader. I believe that ambivalence is the root cause of personal loans Arizona frenemies.
- Aimlessness: Leaders have direction. They have goals, plans, and strategic paths. This guides their actions – making them more purposeful, AND it helps others follow.
- Leaders harness and build on excitement. They save their energy for people and tasks that matter to them.
- Leaders know who is on their team and who isn’t. They pick people to have in their lives.
- Leaders make plans. Leaders are driven in their thought and action, and encourage others to follow.
Action Step: Begin to fight the 3 A’s in your life. Start with the one that most resonates with you. Do you need to get rid of some ambivalent relationships? Do you need to set a plan for yourself? Do you need to find activities that truly excite you? This is how you can become a leader.
Bonus: Be Productive
I have one bonus people skill for you. I simply had to include this skill because it has come up for our students over and over again. When our students join People School, we ask them a simple question:
Over and over again, our students give us specific interpersonal skills like the ones above – charisma, communication, confidence. But our third most popular answer? Productivity. Specifically, our students say:
- finding determination
- championing follow-through
- battling distraction
I realize this is a bonus people skill because interpersonal intelligence takes determination, motivation, and follow-through to hone. Developing your PQ, or people skills, is just as important as your IQ. We need a systematic way to practice our people skills to be more successful and achieve our goals.
People School is an intensive 12-step program to advance your people skills. This virtual training is geared towards high-achieving professionals who want to level up their career success.
About Science of People
Our mission is to help you achieve your social and professional goals faster using science-backed, practical advice. Our team curates the best communication, relationship, and social skills research; turning into actionable and relatable life skills. Science of People was founded by Vanessa Van Edwards, bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People. As a recovering awkward person, Vanessa helps millions find their inner charisma.
Hi Vanessa, I really love your work. Very practical, easy to follow and addresses the key areas in helping others connect, communication and accomplish things together. I teach professional skills at a University and reference your work a lot. Thanks for what you have created.