Leadership Soft-Skill: Building Relationships
Posted by Orrin Woodward on February 26, 2013
Leadership Soft-Skill: Building Relationships
Dale Carnegie: People Skills
In the continuing series on leadership soft-skills, we have reached the fifth one – building relationships. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, building relationships is important at all levels: “Being able to show compassion, sensitivity, and a sense of humor with others—above and below in organizational structure—and being able to cultivate these relationships toward positive business performance.”
I have said many times that all business is relationships. No matter what field of business a person is in, the business’s rise or fall depends upon the relationships its leaders build with customers, suppliers, and the greater community. Without cultivating relationships, to put is simply, the business will not thrive in the marketplace.
Given this widely accepted truism, does anyone else find it fascinating how little time is invested by people in developing the ability to relate with other people? Dale Carnegie once said that 85% of financial success was due to people skills and only 15% from professional skills. STOP! Read that statement again slowly. (Sorry about the choleric moment, my morning coffee must be kicking in. :)) In any event, go back and read it again so we can ponder why people invest so much time in the 15% activity and so little in the 85% one. Please do not misread me. I am not saying that developing professional skills is a waste of time, for competence is important; however, it’s not sufficient.
LIFE Business Builds People Skills
Strikingly, competent professional skills, combined with clueless people skills is a recipe for disaster. For the person inadvertently closes the doors he wishes to enter to display his professional expertise. Invariably, a person’s people skills are needed before his professional skills since people buy into the person before they buy into his work. This common sense, yet so uncommon, viewpoint will radically change a person’s life and business. Which leads to the reason why the founders of LIFE started the LIFE Business. Knowing the importance of people skills, servant leadership, and trusting relationships for success in any field, LIFE was created to teach solutions for the 85% issues. The community solves the 85% togethers while inspiring each individual to master the 15% technical skills in his given field.
Becoming a customer of LIFE, in other words, is one of the best moves a person can make to enhance his upward mobility in his career. Furthermore, if a person is not satisfied in his career, then he can check out the compensated community aspect of LIFE and build a new career based upon leadership and personal development. Indeed, as one of the founders and Chairman of the Board of LIFE, we are proud to serve our customers and compensated community as they learn to keep the main thing the main thing – excellence in building the skills, trust, and influence with people for the longterm.
LIFE has become a mass movement of people creating a LeaderShift in the world’s culture away from power and control towards influence and freedom. What part will you play in the coming leadershift?
Sincerely,
32 Responses to “Leadership Soft-Skill: Building Relationships”
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Ian Pardingron said
Orrin another step toward growing myself to unconscience competence! Im really blessed to know of another human that has fought the challenges of “good” to become “great” carry on my blessed brother!
Bill schmidt said
Orrin, you are spot on when it comes to building relationships, I did this backwards for 20 plus years when I owned my restaurants, getting some different information in our lives and not having any restaurants anymore, makes me realize what I was doing wrong all those years
Jaimie Badough said
Love the quote from Dale Carnegie- 85% of financial success was due to people skills and only 15% from professional skills- so true!!!!
Maura Galliani said
What part will I play in the coming Leadershift? Why, a “servant leader” part, learned from my community’s leaders and “the Team LIFE system,” which will help move me, my community, and ultimately the world toward influence and freedom, of course! Fired up!!
Joe Marchbanks said
Thanks again, Orrin. I really appreciate how LIFE gives us a chance to offer those who are content in their careers or current business endeavors something of real substance. I always think of Oliver DeMille’s book, Freedom Shift, when talking to people now. He lists the 5 types of leaders as gurus, statesmen, investor, entrepreneur , and the intrepreneur as those needed to help turn the tide. We now have something to offer the intrepreneur that he may never had access to before, a chance to be the very best in their chosen field.
Anna Walsh said
Who knew? Learning a few people skills sure has made a big difference late in my life! I’m not dumb but was certainly clueless about other people for a long time. Now that I understand the value of this information, I’m committed to learning as much as possible. Thanks!
Peggi Kern said
We truly have something to offer EVERYONE!! The people skills I’ve learned through the LIFE materials should be taught in school, but aren’t! This community offers the arena for anyone to learn those people skills through reading, listening and associating. Then, go out into your work or family community and be the difference maker! Thanks for the article, Orrin.
Bob Rasmussen said
Love your perspective on relationships skills. Being an ex-contractor, I have personally experienced some dramatic changes in this area. Learning to lead with influence rather than authority has produced wonderful benefits for my family and the Life biz materials have been the key. I also understand that I will always need to improve this skill and am thankful I have a way to do it with the Life biz education materials. God bless Bob
Dean said
The value of people skills is so great. I think I often take for granted the great information we have learned from the Life subscriptions that almost seems like common sense now. We are very blessed to be exposed to these truths. Thanks Orrin!
David Usher said
From my Christian faith comes the reality that it’s not what you know that’s of primary importance(the 15%), but WHO YOU KNOW(the 85%, but in this example it’s actually 100%, because He died on the cross,not us) and knows you, that makes the difference, in turning a knowledge of who God is, to an “intimate RELATIONSHIP” with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the only begotten of The Father(father son relationship). He in turn, through the drawing of The Holy Spirit(He is always available with unconditional love and salvation for “whosoever will”),reconciles us to The Father(daughter,son,with Father relationship)
So, the relationship is what makes the difference in having peace,joy and love with God. Develop or initiate a relationship with God TODAY!!
Adam M Rossman said
Great stuff. Thanks for sharing!!!
That book is one that has made a huge difference for me personally!! I am so grateful to have had a great friend recommend it to me!
David Bjork said
Great article Orrin! There is magic in the top 5 books and LIFE subscriptions in developing relationship skills. I love to see the transition happen in members and customers when great LIFE information is introduced to their lives. We are making a difference! Keep up the good work!
Rob Robson said
Learning these “soft skills” has created so much value in my life. The Life education system has totally changed my life. Big thanks to Orrin Woodward, Chis Brady, and the rest of the Policy Council for creating such an amazing educational system!
Lisa Elliott said
Great post.
Alison Ruhlman said
AWESOME!!! I love that great people skills is taught in the LIFE business!!
Wendi Witkowski said
Great Series Orrin!
Christine Fleury said
So brilliant and so freeing to be part of an organization that thiks this way! Any job I’ve ever had, it’s been totally the oposite.. I’ve been told to “tell people like it is” and “cover your butt” and even to blatantly lie to a customer coworker. Bosses were aloof and only seemed to see the one negative amidst a hundred positives. Team/life is not only a brilliantly refreshing and thriving business, but a great example of how EVERY organization should be run.
Chrissy
Kristen Seidl said
Wow Orrin, will have to pass this article along to my brother. We just had a conversation about this! He has burned a lot of bridges with people in his business ventures and wants to understand how to build and keep trusting relatuonships with people long term. It has definitely helped me too, thanks!
Terry said
Thanks Orrin,
Knowing where you came from and the vast amount of time that you had to put in just to start to have some people skills gives this message that much more credibility and importance.
T
Rickey Alterman said
Thank you Orrin for showing us that with the I looking in we can all change and have better relationships.
Scott Staley said
We’re not meant to be solitary entities – we are made for community. Who couldn’t benefit from bett people skills? Great article.
Randy Robson said
Important stuff! Orrin Woodward, Chris Brady, George Guzzardo, Claude Hamilton, Bill Lewis, Dan Hawkins, Wayne MacNamara, and Tim Marks have such great blogs! I love the information being taught in the LIFE business. Thank you!
Eric Rosenow said
Orrin, Thanks for the reminder as one searches for their purpose it is sometimes forgotten how important these skills are. I think of the application of these skills from a movie I watched last weekend for a PowerPlayer Party it was “Linclon”. These skills were very important to the law makers as they moved forward on one of the most divisive issues of the past century. How could the freeing of slaves come about without them?
Thanks again,
Eric Rosenow
Elizabeth Sieracki said
I found this blog so empowering. The one thing I do have control over is ME and I have the ability to improve my relational skills through LIFE and therefore reach more people in the 85%.
I am thankful for the guidance of amazing mentors that focus on people skills, trust and servanthood- empowering others to build this same foundation.
J.J. said
Awesome
Alaysha said
I love what we do. It really is amazing! Another great blog Orrin! you rule
Don Schultz - Team VIP, Phalanx said
Orrin, thanks for the Post.
Like you have said in the past, “more animals in the barn, more doo-doo to deal with.” I greatly appreciate your leadership with LIFE and your emphasis on principles that matter long-term through helping us to think about things properly. Like Marshall Goldsmith says in “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There”, one has to continue to grow in people skills or our capacity to perform and produce is limited.
The book “Crucial Conversations” that came through the leadership subscription a couple of months ago is top notch and critical to developing harmony on a team, whether it is in the family, church, business or work environments. Thank you for sorting through the “fog” of information to promote/recommend high value material to read and listen to. There isn’t time to waste on the junk information out there.
Anthony Nieto said
I think it so amazing that we’ve became so distant from other people these days that we have to learn how to love people. It sounds like common sense so much after learning it and applying it. We should be able to love people no matter where we are or who we come in contact with. I love the fact that LIFE is all about people and growing.
Wes smith said
Amazing post! We appreciate you for the time you pour into LIFE. We have the dream business!
Easton Kelsey said
What a difference it would make in our society if we all mastered the 85%!!!
Alberto said
Wouahh!!! ORRIN i think that one is one of your best shot.
Thank you for leading the way.
Trevor Folgering said
So very true! This is why I do not work for a corporation, because very little emphasis is placed upon building solid relationships. I love the life leadership business because it has taught me more about building high quality relationships, then any formal education or job has done in the past. Great post! I’ll bee sharing this 🙂
Trevor Folgering