By Daniel Bobinski
Not long ago my company did some research on the importance of soft skills in middle managers. We surveyed frontline workers, middle managers, and senior managers at several facilities, each with an average of about 300 employees. Surveys included 21 different soft skills, and participants were asked to rank each one as to its impact on helping middle managers be productive and effective.
Space does not allow for a review of all 21 soft skills, so allow me to review and discuss the top seven.
What was most interesting to me was how people working at different levels within the organizations viewed the skills differently. The list below shows the skills ranked one through seven overall but know that different levels in the organization rated each skill differently. Some higher, some lower.
- Able to make difficult decisions
- Good at communicating appreciation of others
- Takes initiative
- Work management (delegation and follow-through)
- Keeps promises
- Problem-solving skills
- Win-win mindset
Interestingly, making difficult decisions ranked highest among frontline workers and senior managers, but middle managers thought that work management and problem-solving skills were more important.
One might think that problem-solving skills and making difficult decisions would be similar, but a difference exists. In simple terms, solving a problem could be as simple as identifying a path past an obstacle. When making difficult decisions, an uncertainty or perplexity exists, often involving a moral conundrum or having a potentially risky outcome.
To succeed in the skill of making difficult decisions, middle managers should clearly understand the values of the company and be capable of evaluating data objectively. Making difficult decisions is a balancing act that is learned over time. One must become adept at weighing options and comparing risks and rewards.
Good at communicating appreciation to others. What’s amazing about this skill is it ranks number two for frontline workers, but it ranks in the bottom third for middle managers and it’s halfway down the list for senior managers.
Most definitely, the fact that frontline workers rate this number two tells us they believe managers are more effective and more productive if they are good at communicating appreciation. This makes sense to hear frontline workers say this, since they would be on the receiving side of those complements.
Further research is needed, but the fact that middle managers place so many other skills ahead of this one indicates they are unaware of the power of emotional intelligence. Research by Daniel Goldman in his book “Emotional Intelligence” tells us that two thirds of the difference between average and top performers in middle management positions his emotional intelligence. Being able to communicate value and worth to individual employees is a key component of EQ.
Takes initiative. This skill ranks fairly high across all three positional categories. Frontline workers rated initiative third, while middle managers rated it forth and senior managers rated it fifth. Essentially, initiative means when one sees something needs to be done, one does not wait to be told. This is a valuable skill for being productive and effective.
Work management (delegation and follow-through). This skill was tied for second place among middle managers (rightfully so, I believe), and it ranks number four among frontline workers.
Delegation is a powerful management skill. A good supervisor can see the bigger picture and break that image into bite-size chunks that can be given to multiple people so that large projects are done in a timely and effective manner. The first step involves dividing a project into pieces that can be assigned to people who have skill sets that match the requirements of the job. Beyond that, delegation involves being able to delegate responsibility, authority and accountability.
Delegating responsibility means giving other people the burden or obligation to complete the work. Giving somebody authority means giving them the power and control to do the work. Lastly, delegating accountability means giving them the obligation to explain and justify the results.
People’s passions are fueled when they can own what they do. If a supervisor fails to transfer any of these three ingredients, personal ownership is minimized.
Follows through with promises. Interestingly, although this was tied for sixth among frontline workers and tied for eighth among middle managers, it was ranked as the second most important skill among senior managers. It would seem that senior managers view this skill as very important.
With that in mind, it would make sense that if a middle manager has his eyes set on becoming part of senior management someday, those making that promotion decision will likely look favorably at how well a middle manager keeps his or her promises.
Problem-solving skills. As previously mentioned, this is tied for second place among middle managers, whereas it’s tied for sixth place among frontline workers as well as those in senior management. The fact that all three levels of the workplace view this skill as important for being productive and effective tells us that middle managers must be able to solve problems.
As indicated earlier, different kinds of problems exist, so it will be impossible to identify a one-size-fits-all problem-solving method. That said, one suggestion I have is for people to not think they must have all the answers. Get input from others! One of the most valuable pieces of advice I ever received was that a leader does not need to know all the answers; a leader must know where to find the answers.
Has a win-win mindset. The last skill among the top third needed for middle managers to be effective and productive is having a teamwork focus. Win-win thinking involves balancing courage (the desire to have your perspective heard) and consideration (the desire to hear somebody else’s perspective). This does not come naturally. People often have too much of one or the other. Too much courage and one becomes aggressive; too much consideration and one becomes passive. The way to achieve a win-win mindset is to balance the two with healthy amounts of each. •
Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach Daniel on his office phone, (208) 375-7606, or through his website, www.MyWorkplaceExcellence.com.
Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. is a best-selling author and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. For more than 30 years he’s been working with teams and individuals (1:1 coaching) to help them achieve excellence. He was also teaching Emotional Intelligence since before it was a thing. Reach him on his office phone at 208-375-7606 or through his website at www.MyWorkplaceExcellence.com.
