Work-life takes up most of our time. It is a cliché to say that everyone therefore wants to have a conducive work environment that accommodates all people and where one can rise up the ranks. So, are you looking to get that promotion, be the team leader or be the best boss to your colleagues?

1. TYPES OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
NEEDED TO SUCCEED IN THE WORKPLACE

2. Work-life takes up most of our time. It is a cliché to say that everyone therefore wants to have a conducive
work environment that accommodates all people and where one can rise up the ranks. So, are you
looking to get that promotion, be the team leader or be the best boss to your colleagues? The answer to
this question is often followed by a quick self-evaluation on the technical skills that are required to be in
that desired position.
However, the truth is that technical skills are just half the package, you need to have great soft skills to be
successful in the workplace. Soft skills are also known as people skills or interpersonal skills and are a
variety of competencies and attributes which allow one to interact well with others. They may sometimes
be summarised as likability or having a good personality.
If you are looking to have that the type of persona that will attract success in your job, look no further. The
following skills are guaranteed to make you the most likeable person in the office and consequently a
successful one.

3. STRONG COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
This is at the core of a good personality. It revolves around
the ability to persuade others, listen to other people and to
respond appropriately. It is very important to be articulate
when talking to colleagues. This can be achieved by not
assuming that colleges have the same mindset as ours and
avoiding the generalisation of issues and perception which
are the most common causes of communication breakdown.

4. EMPATHY
Empathy refers to the ability to place yourself in the shoes of
others and to view things from their perspective. It is the
building block of genuine relationships, trust, and coherent
communication. It is important to remember that every person
has a story to tell and each one of us is facing difficulties on
their own. Therefore, the least we can do is to be
compassionate to others in the workplace.

6. ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS
Do you wonder why we have two ears and one mouth? The reason is
that we are supposed to listen twice the much we talk. Does that make
sense? Well, the premise of this argument is that there is a big difference
between hearing and listening. It is common for a person to make up a
response as a person speaks.
However, communication coaches around the globe emphasise that an
active listener takes the time to listen, synthesise the information and
form a response before they can open their mouth to reply. This does
not, however, mean that you take forever to reply, no. With practice, the
skill will flow naturally, and the reaction from colleagues will be positive.

7. PATIENCE WITH OTHERS
Patience is the quality of being cool and level-headed even
when things are not going so well. This skill is reflected in how
you interact with colleagues in the case that they do something
wrong. The ability to stay calm even when situations are tough
shows that you can be depended upon to provide guidance and
support to others in tough times and that is a great asset to any
company.

8. FLEXIBILITY
Remember that uncle in Thanksgiving that always rubs off
everyone the wrong way? Well, avoid being that uncle in the
workplace. A work environment is composed of people from all
kinds of backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures.
The unifying factor is the goals and objectives of the departments,
teams and the organisation as a whole. Therefore the ability to set
aside personal like, dislikes and preferences so as to
accommodate others for the overall success of the team is
invaluably important. This skill goes back to the ability to
coordinate well with others.

9. Although this list is not
exhaustive, the skills listed are
definite to make you stand out in
the workplace and take you to
the desired level.