According to the Center for Creative Leadership, "the most common reason for career derailment is an inability to relate to people in meaningful ways. Executives who are unable to establish strong interpersonal relationships are described by their bosses, peers, and direct reports as:
� Insensitive.
� Competitive with others.
� Self-isolating.
� Dictatorial.
� Overly critical.
� Overdemanding.
� Easily angered.
� Arrogant.
� Emotionally explosive.
� Manipulative.
� Aloof.
And executives who are perceived as adept at building and managing effective interpersonal relationships are described by their bosses, peers, and direct reports as:
� Good listeners.
� Available to others.
� Collaborative.
� Sharing responsibility.
� Nonauthoritarian.
� Teamwork oriented.
� Supportive of others� ideas.
� Honest.
� Trustworthy.
� Straightforward.
� Ethical."
Can I measure insensitivity or honesty or any of these? Perhaps I can't scientifically, but isn't all of this intuitive? Do you really need an assessment to meassure this stuff? Doesn't it really only require us to look at our relationships and results for the answer? That should give you enough data. And here's another difficult question: how do you teach/train/coach someone to be less arrogant?
Click to read the study.
Also, check this two-page article from CCL entitled "Creative Leadership, Tough Times: Soft Skills Make the Difference."
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