The Leadership Dozen: The 12 Cs Every Leader Needs

By Dr. Edward Negrete Jr.

What You Need To Know About
“The Leadership Dozen”

The Leadership Dozen are 12 specific skills and qualities that are embedded in a leadership perspective that embraces a people approach through “people skills.” Because of the importance of influence in leadership, connecting with people through relationships (with “strong people skills”) is critical to leadership effectiveness and success.
The Leadership Dozen are the tools that a leader can use to strengthen their ability to influence and build strong “people skills.” More important, the 12 skills and qualities are learnable and can be developed further through continuous practice. All one needs to do is to invest time, energy, and effort to experience amazing results.
The Leadership Dozen is an examination of how great leaders over the course of history have used a dozen or more skills and qualities to successfully lead their organizations or their causes. The book emphasizes one of the most indispensable core values – people skills.
If you want to become a better leader, connect with people more effectively, accomplish more positive results, and feel that you are making a difference in people’s lives, then the Leadership Dozen can help you in meeting your goals and expectations. The Leadership Dozen is a must.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669872801

Book preview

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

1     Caring

2     Compassion

3     Courage

4     Character

5     Credibility

6     Confidence

7     Connectedness

8     Communication

9     Commitment

10   Competence

11   Collaboration

12   Coaching

13   Conclusions

About the Author

Notes

Dedication

T his book is dedicated to my mother, Lucy H. Negrete, who was the foundation for shaping the values and qualities that I have embraced throughout my life. Many of those qualities are also reflected in the Leade rship Dozen (caring, courage, compassion, character, credibility, and confidence) to name a few. In addition, she stressed the importance of such qualities as self-worth, persistence, patience, respect, integrity, honesty, and helping others through kindness, generosity, and humility.

I always remember when I was in the fourth grade of elementary school. She told me that she couldn’t help me anymore with my homework. I asked her why. She said that her knowledge was limited because she only went to the third grade. I had achieved more knowledge and I needed to continue to learn by myself. That was her way of encouraging me not only to learn independently but to have confidence in myself.

Coming from a large family, she always put others first, before herself. She would be the last person to go to bed and the first to get up in the morning. She made sure that we were ready to go to school and encouraged us to do our best in whatever challenges we faced. She always would remind me that hard work pays off. She was right.

But the most important gift she gave to all her children was her unconditional love. She loved all her children. It was her love that gave me the inner strength to develop a mindset of what were the important things in life and to always follow my dreams.

Thanks, Mom. You’re the greatest.

The most basic of all human needs is the need

to understand and be understood.

—Ralph Nichols

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge my friend Veronica Smith who was very supportive and offered valuable feedback in the early stages of the book. She was always available and encouraged me to keep writing.

Through her inspiration, I developed a plan to write every day—even if it was just one sentence. It was that mindset that really helped me to focus on writing and eventually, I was able to finish the book.

I am also grateful to my second mom, Mary H. Miller, for her encouragement and consistent reminders to keep writing. I always heard her voice when I needed to write. She said that she would be proud of me when I finished the book. I know she would be smiling today.

I would like to extend my gratitude to all my fellow trainers, facilitators, and colleagues that I had the good fortune to work with. Without their support and teaching me to be better, I never would have been very successful. They taught me various techniques and learning strategies that enhanced my skill levels, and I incorporated them into all of my courses. More important, what I learned not only enhanced me professionally but also personally. They were great teachers!

Finally, I want to recognize and give my appreciation to Dr. A. Giselle Jones-Jones, CEO of the Write Source TWCS and Publishing, for her guidance in providing valuable know-how in making this book possible. Her insight gave me a better understanding by adding my voice in a different way that not only enhanced the content but also made it more personal as well as more meaningful.

Preface

Leadership is about persuasion, presentation, and people skills.

—Shiv Khera

T oday, leaders are facing greater and more complex challenges in leading for the 21 st century. Transformations in school systems and in communities in the United States and around the world have expanded the leadership role of leaders. ¹ Along with the expanding role of leadership, school leaders face additional challenges of stiffer standards of performance, greater accountability efforts, and mounting pressure to produce substantial results.

With uncertainty and ever-changing work environments, leaders need a unique set of tools. More than ever, they need to understand and know how to use them in more effective ways. Also, leaders need to expand and draw upon a varied knowledge base of leadership. One that reflects and serves the needs of their constituents and additional challenges leaders may face.

This leadership knowledge base must be relevant and should include theories, concepts, and practices from various social science fields such as psychology, social psychology, sociology, educational psychology, school counseling, and business management. Recent findings from neuroscience and psychology have important implications for leadership development programs that need more attention.

Leaders need stronger skills and well-developed qualities in leading people, inspiring people on a one-on-one and group basis, and expanding their tools to deal with a wide range of situations.² They also need to understand the value of having a certain specific set of tools (skills and qualities) and how necessary they can be in working with people.

These unique sets of skills and qualities that focus on people are referred to as people skills.

The term people skills has a long historical perspective, and some of its origins come from the Old Testament.³ There are biblical scriptures related to the people skills of caring, humility, empathy, respect, communication, sincerity, and warmth.

In the human relations movement of the 1920s, studies found that organizations were focusing on soft skills and interpersonal skills of employees.⁴ By the 1930s, books by Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People and How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, popularized people skills and generated more interest.

In the 1960s, schools in the United States introduced people skills and began using them as topics and methods to promote better self- esteem, communication, and social interaction. By 1970, it recognized the first documented use of the phrase.

Kristin May, an expert in Human Resources and Leadership, explains in her article Skills-Based Leadership Theory that the skills theory of leadership emerged out of the skills-based theory of leadership, which was a prominent theory in the 1950s. She adds that this theory proposed that suitable leaders have a set of skills and qualities that they developed.⁵

Further, she discusses that the skills-based theory of leadership reflects the work and research of Robert Katz.⁶ Katz studied executives and identified three skill areas that executives used and had in common: (1) technical, (2) human, and (3) conceptual.

He viewed technical skills as knowledge and proficiency related to the field. Human skills were focused on being able to work with people. Conceptual skills were being able to work with broad concepts and ideas. He stated that these three skill areas were a must for leaders to develop.

May concluded that one of the major benefits of the skills-based theory of leadership was that it acknowledged the notion that anyone could become a leader. A person need only work hard to develop certain skills to be an effective leader.

THE LEADERSHIP DOZEN:

THE 12 CS EVERY LEADER NEEDS

To lead others, specific skills and qualities are a must. These skills and qualities in particular focus on dealing with people in such a way that a leader can be more effective to motivate, enthuse, and build respect.

The Leadership Dozen offers twelve skills and/or qualities that may work independently, or when used together, they may complement each other very well. They are: (1) caring, (2) compassion, (3) courage, (4) character, (5) credibility, (6) confidence, (7) connectedness (8) communication, (9) commitment, (10) competence, (11) collaboration, and (12) coaching. These tools resonate with the best applicable concepts and practices within the leadership and social science fields.

By adopting and using The Leadership Dozen, leaders can build strong and healthy professional relationships, establish a caring culture that values people, and expand efforts to increase student learning to name a few. More importantly, these skills and qualities are learnable and can be developed through continuous practice.

Introduction

The Indispensable Core Value: People Skills

T he Leadership Dozen: The 12 Cs Every Leader Needs is an examination of how great leaders over the course of history have used a dozen skills and qualities to successfully lead their organizations or their causes.

At some point, a leader learns that leadership is a developmental process that involves time, energy, and effort. One important aspect of leadership is the understanding that there are distinct ways of leading. The one size (style) fits all concept does not work very well in leadership.

Leaders must learn and develop their own leadership approach, one in which they feel comfortable, confident, competent, and committed. One helpful way is to learn and develop unique aspects from original leadership approaches. In doing so, a leader can be more effective and not limited by one approach. Further, using several aspects from original approaches and selecting one that is effective in any situation can be valuable at the moment.

Regarding leadership styles, there is no one leadership approach that is better than others; all have a specific time and situation in which they will be the most effective form of leadership. This preface provides a broad brushstroke of original leadership approaches that lay the groundwork for the new twelve-leveled practical approach proposed in this book.

What Are People Skills?

There are many definitions of people skills from management and leadership literature. According to The Business Dictionary,¹ people skills are a set of skills that enable a person to get along with others, to communicate ideas, to resolve conflicts, and to achieve personal or professional goals.

Jacquelyn N. Smith, author of the Forbes article entitled The 20 People Skills You Need to Succeed at Work, offers this explanation of people skills: People skills are . . . the various attributes and competencies that allow a leader to play well with others. She adds, It’s imperative that people skills are a must for leaders.²

Another definition from The Science of People website describes people skills as tools that one can use to communicate and interact with others.³ People with sound people skills can predict behavior, relate to others, and socialize. This site states further that people skills are also referred to as soft skills, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, social skills, and interpersonal intelligence.

People skills are patterns of behaviors and behavioral interactions. Among people, it is an umbrella term for skills in three related sets of abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction skills, and intercession skills.⁴

The Portland Business Journal describes people skills as multiple abilities: (1) ability to communicate, understand, and empathize; (2) ability to interact with others and develop productive working relationships to minimize conflict and maximize rapport, and (3) ability to build sincerity and trust, moderate behaviors, and enhance agreeableness.⁵

Perspectives on the Importance of People Skills

1. LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS NEED TO TEACH THEM.

According to Leigh Richards, effective leaders get things done through others using sound people skills.⁶ Without sound people skills, a leader will face difficulties in meeting desired outcomes and may cause being ineffective in many other areas. She suggests that leadership programs give people skills very little attention and lesser emphasis than they perhaps should. Leaders often learn them as they go. Her statement resonates and underscores that people skills are important for leadership success and should be made a part of the curriculum of leadership programs.

People skills are an essential part of work, life, and social success. When people have sound people skills, they are better able to present themselves well, overcome social anxiety, communicate their ideas, and have a more positive influence on others.

2. WORK ENVIRONMENTS NEED TO UTILIZE THEM.

Mehta presents a similar perspective which argues that people skills are relevant at work and outside the work environment.⁷ She adds that we need people skills to exist with each other, including how we communicate with each other, build relationships, and accomplish desired goals. Mehta continues to examine how people skills add value to the organization and to its workers. They help to increase employee productivity, motivation, confidence, commitment, loyalty, and morale. As an end result, positive efforts can flourish more within an inclusive work environment.

3. LEADERS NEED TO COMMUNICATE TO EMPLOY THEM.

In an article entitled Why Leaders Need People Skills, Baldoni writes that to lead, a leader must be able to connect and communicate an agenda to others.⁸ Further, he shows that leaders need to return to the most fundamental tenet of leadership: the ability to connect with others, build trust, and lead in times of substantial challenges and change—people skills. He adds that leaders need to have three important skills related to people: (1) assuredness, (2) confidence, and (3) likability.

Assuredness refers to leaders knowing themselves and their abilities. They know what it requires of them and perform according to their duties and responsibilities. They are aware of their multiple roles and their importance.

Confidence is an outgrowth of assuredness. When a leader shows confidence, they project a sense of capableness that makes others comfortable. Confidence emerges from doing a task or job well. It also springs from learning how to correct mistakes besides teaching others to do the same.

Likability refers to liking people who a leader works with. If a leader is likable and pulls workers toward him or her because they know he or she has their best interest at heart, then positive efforts are more likely to occur. Further, likability can resonate with the leader’s personality.

He concludes by emphasizing that these three skills are outward reflections of an excellent leader and that a leader must deliver on what he or she projects.

4. LEADERS NEED TO SEEK COMMON GROUND USING THEM.

Lisa McQuerrey defines good people skills as the ability to listen, communicate, and relate to others on a personal or professional level in her article What Are Good People Skills?⁹ It can also include problem-solving abilities, empathy for others, and willingness to work together toward the common good. Having people skills, then, is a must to a leader’s effectiveness and success.

She identifies five essential skills that a leader must possess. They are: (1) ability to communicate, (2) ability to have empathy, (3) ability to resolve conflicts, (4) ability to have patience, and (5) ability to have tolerance and understanding.

The ability to communicate is one important skill of a leader. Communicating with others is one way a leader connects with their followers. It is the way a leader expresses ideas and shares information that keeps followers informed.

More important, a leader must also be a sympathetic listener. This sends a message to followers that they are being heard. Other effective tools of communication can include being open, writing clear memos, responding to concerns, and providing constructive feedback to followers and other stakeholders.

The ability to have empathy is another important skill for a leader because it is a way to connect with followers. Followers can get a sense that their leader cares about their well-being. Empathy is about a visceral understanding of what another person is going through.

Empathy allows a person to put themselves in another person’s place and recognize the thoughts, emotions, and experiences that a person is having. Also, empathy allows a person to give more personal levels of attention and care to provide a sympathetic listening platform.

The ability to have conflict resolution expertise is a valuable tool for a leader to possess because of people. People are always going to either agree or disagree about an issue or perhaps a decision a leader makes. With resolution skills, a leader can mediate disputes and resolve conflicts among people.

A leader can also clarify a specific dispute, listen in a non- judgmental manner to both perspectives, and offer suggestions for reaching a mutual and fair agreement.

The ability to have patience is an exceptional people skill for a leader in any profession. Patience involves being able to maintain an even temper, respectful of divergent perspectives, and explain information as necessary.

In certain situations, a leader’s patience can be scrutinized to control internal feelings in even the most trying situations. Patience, as a skill and as a quality, takes time and effort to develop.

The ability to have tolerance and understanding is a valuable skill for leaders to possess because of the changing nature of work environments. Most workplaces comprise people from all walks of life. Also, workers bring to the workplace their experiences, values, beliefs, traditions, gifts, and talents.

Leaders need to have tolerance and understanding of the differences of their workers, and it is vital to long-term success. Tolerant people can accept differences, even when they do not agree with or condone them.

5. LEADERS NEED TO STUDY THEIR BENEFITS.

Another perspective by Anne Glusker emphasizes the benefits of people skills and how they can help a person be more effective in the workplace. People skills are very much in demand. She discusses this in connection with reports from a study done by ManpowerGroup, survey results of 2,000 U.S. employers found that 61 percent of these companies rated people skills, such as communication, collaboration, and problem-solving, as the most desired skills in prospective hires.¹⁰

Glusker identifies the people skills that are most sought after in many workplaces. They were: (1) self-awareness, (2) ability to listen, (3) empathy, (4) communication (both written and oral), (5) trust, and (6) emotional regulation. She notes that we can use many of these skills with one another, and if used, they can produce amazing results.

She gives some examples such as if one can communicate well, it can lead to building trust, and if one listens to another person, empathy becomes important. An explanation for each skill is in the subsequent paragraphs.

Self-awareness refers to the ability of a person to know them- selves. That includes knowing their strengths, limitations, and self- identified areas of improvement. From continuous self-assessment, they can take the steps toward learning and growing.

The ability to listen is a valuable tool and the cornerstone of communication. Listening skills are the key to connecting with people and working with others. It is a known fact that people want to communicate and feel heard.

Empathy is also another essential skill to help connect with people. When a person feels that another person is feeling their suffering or pain, they can connect, and their rapport can increase. When a person feels comfortable with another person, it is a sign that a relationship may be forming.

Communication is one of the major components of