The top 5 soft skills for every manager to have in their toolkit

We often discuss the technical skills that every B2B leader needs to possess, but what about the softer skills and personality traits? We asked Cara Brennan Allamano, SVP of People, Places, and Learning at Udemy to outline these top essential traits.

Coaching

Employees are looking for mentorship and coaching today more than ever. On a monthly basis, our Udemy Business team analyses and releases the skills that employees are learning across our enterprise customers, and last month we witnessed a 288% increase in consumption of coaching skills. Similarly, career coaching and executive coaching courses were surging over 50% in consumption.

Empathy

Creating a culture of empathy in an organisation is always important. But empathy from managers is needed now more than ever as we emerge from a year when everyone’s lives were turned upside down. Being empathetic to what employees are experiencing lays the groundwork for a more positive and open work environment.

Growth mindset

For a manager overseeing a team during this era known as “the Great Re-Entry,” a growth mindset allows for mistakes to be made, all in the spirit of figuring out how to work in a new and better way. 

Communication

Managers need to communicate clearly and constructively so employees are clear about team and company goals. But stellar communication isn’t only about speaking clearly. It’s about actively listening to your team members.  

Inclusion

Managers should be intentional about creating a culture of allyship that is a physically and psychologically safe place to work. Ideally, their organisation is thinking far beyond filling quotas and genuinely working to create a broad and diverse workplace founded on a culture of belonging.

,