Understanding the Four Skills and Why They Are Critical to Manager Success

Estimated reading time: 2 mins

Empathy. In a benchmark coaching scenario, as few as 43% of managers successfully demonstrated empathy. The number is as low as 30% in a simulated customer conversation. And yet, research suggests that empathy is the most important skill for managers to develop in 2023. It is a powerful tool for understanding and responding to the needs of both customers and staff.

Empathy helps managers build trust, form meaningful connections, and create an environment of psychological safety for staff. It equips managers to better handle difficult customers and to foster understanding and collaboration among their teams. Empathy is essential for helping to build a successful team that is resilient and who can effectively navigate challenges in the ever-changing environment.

Managers can use empathy in three ways.

First, they can consider someone else’s thoughts through cognitive empathy: If I were in his/her position, what would I be thinking right now?

Second, Leaders can also focus on a person’s feelings using emotional empathy: being in his/her position would make me feel ___.

Third, leaders can ask themselves about the other person’s needs: Knowing this person, what do they need from me now, and how can I most effectively deliver the message?

Curiosity. Only 44% of managers successfully demonstrated curiosity in a simulated coaching scenario. The number was 41% in a customer conversation. Yet, curiosity is the catalyst for finding out more about the other person’s situation honestly and naturally. When a questioner is curious, it allows improvisation so that the conversation unfolds naturally and comfortably.

Curiosity is the cornerstone that allows any questioning model to flow and avoid getting stuck in one track where the conversation could end. Answering questions and talking about ourselves triggers the pleasure centers in the brain.

Attention is about listening, focusing, and mindfulness. Focused attention is perceived as positive. It says, “You are important.” Attention is a key component in successful communication. It is essential to help managers form meaningful connections with their customers and staff and to foster understanding and collaboration.

Attention is also necessary for managers to be able to listen, focus, and practice mindfulness to understand the needs and concerns of their team and customers. By listening and paying attention, managers can better understand the situation and provide appropriate solutions.

Furthermore, focused attention is perceived as positive and conveys to the other person that they are important. In our data, just 33% of managers successfully demonstrated curiosity in a simulated coaching scenario; 30% in a simulated customer conversation.

Clarity is about being simple, direct, and concise – which can be challenging when engaged in a complex situation or process. Avoid jargon or overly complex explanations, check for understanding, and take the time to explain processes in terms of their value when providing feedback or coaching to employees or when problem-solving with a difficult customer.

Our data shows that about half of managers could successfully demonstrate clarity in simulated coaching and customer conversation scenarios.

Check out Part Two in our series: Seven Compelling Reasons to Incorporate Deliberate Practice into Manager Skill Development Programs

Skills Managers Need to Thrive in 2024: Part Two