Chapter 2: Developing Interpersonal Skills for Success Flashcards
Traits
Personal characteristics that are dependable, consistent, representative of default patterns of behaviors and values and difficult to alter or refine without openness to inquiry and self-reflection
Skills
Any set of behaviors that can be learned to perform a specific function
Three types of skills
- Technical
- Conceptual
- Interpersonal
Technical Skills
Encompass those competencies specific to our field or occupational grouping (e.g. medical, accounting, information technology, teaching, business administration)
Conceptual Skills
Encompass making sense of interrelationships, effective judgment, intuition, foresight, reasoning, and analytical ability
Four levels of conceptualization representing four relationship types
- Intraindividual or internal
- One-on-one or dyadic relationships
- A group or team set of interactional dynamics
- Organizational relationship-focused process
Interpersonal Skills
Involve assessing human interactions and motives, comprehension of the emotions and feelings of our self and other, application of empathy and situation social sensitivity, and the ability to persuasively communicate and listen effectively
BIG 5 TRAITS: Openness
- Have overt level of creative energy, curiosity, and insight into new ideas
- Value critical feedback
- Are more prone to explore and act on entrepreneurial opportunities
- Effective leaders tend to be moderate to high on openness traits
- Leaders who have low levels of openness can struggle with change
BIG 5 TRAITS: Conscientiousness
- A high score on this trait implies a high level thoughtfulness, meeting timelines and commitments, high impulse control, and good organization and orientation to detail
- This is the second highest trait (next to extraversion) related to effective leadership
- Leaders with low levels of conscientiousness tend to view timelines and commitments as flexible and more negotiable than is appropriate for the situation
- Low conscientiousness also leads to low trust and perceived procedural injustice by followers
BIG 5 TRAITS: Extraversion
- This trait includes the amount of excitability, sociability, talkativeness and ability to assert one’s self
- Extraversion allows leaders to naturally navigate business and social situations with ease and comfort, especially with new people in new situation
- High scores on extraversion are linked strongly to successful leadership abilities, more so than the other traits listed
BIG 5 TRAITS: Agreeableness
- Kindness, excellent timing when asked to critique ideas and activities
- Good emotional intelligence, a giving nature, and high levels of affection & ability to trust others
- Individuals high on this trait will avoid interrupting or being dismissive and will postpone critical comments until the time is right
- Mildly linked to effective leadership skills
BIG 5 TRAITS: Neuroticism/Emotional
Successful leaders have the ability to keep cool under pressure and not emotionally escalate situations that involve receiving critical feedback and/or unexpected information
People high in neuroticism tend to
- Be unstable emotionally, especially during stressful situations
- View critical/constructive feedback as a personal attack
- Be overly focused on image or impression management
- Report more anxiety than those that score low on this trait
Why is agreeableness only mildly linked to effective leadership skills?
Too much is not good, sometimes leaders need to make difficult decisions that won’t make everyone happy.
Emotional Intelligence
A set of skills and values preparing the individual to engage in communication styles appropriate for the situation. These skills encompass empathy, self-regulation, self-awareness, and comprehending when to prioritize the needs of others
