Leadership is a combination of hard and soft skills. Hard skills focus on the specific tasks of leadership, such as finances, strategic planning, project management, and sermon preparation. These technical skills help you fulfill responsibilities that are unique to the role.

But leadership also encompasses soft skills. The soft skills of leadership focus on people, teams, and the qualities that build enduring influence. Soft skills are transferrable from one job to the next and are essential regardless of the context.

This edition of Make it Count (English and Spanish) explores 10 soft skills of leadership and considers ways to master each. Lessons include the following:

1. Emotional Intelligence. The ability to manage your own emotions as well as those of others is essential to leadership. In fact, some experts consider it the most important leadership skill. Emotional intelligence requires self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

2. Empathy. Empathetic people understand and sense what others are feeling. Empathy requires humility, connection, listening, gentleness and kindness.

3. Active Listening. The most effective leaders practice active listening. Active listeners form connections by using their ears, eyes, heart and body language.

The soft skills of leadership focus on people, teams, and the qualities that build enduring influence.

4. Interpersonal Communication. Effective interpersonal communicators pay attention to what’s said, how it’s said, and unspoken cues embedded in the interaction. This requires authenticity, respect and engagement.

5. Adaptability and Flexibility. Rigid ministry leaders often fail to make room for the new work of the Spirit. Leaders must be firm about what matters but flexible in how it’s delivered. This requires continual openness to change and new opportunities.

6. Collaborative Teamwork. Leaders are responsible not only for building teams, but also helping them work collaboratively toward the fulfillment of a vision. Collaborative team members value one another, utilize everyone’s gifts, and contribute to a spirit of unity.

7. Problem Solving. Leaders will always have problems to solve and tensions to resolve. This calls for engaging a problem-solving team, defining the problem, and finding creative solutions.

8. Conflict Resolution. Conflict arises when there’s a gap between expectations and reality. Resolution involves careful timing, positive communication, and a willingness to listen.

9. Continuous Learning. Pastor Gerald Brooks once said, “Every level of growth calls for new levels of change.” Effective leaders have a posture of growth that enables them to adapt to the various seasons of ministry.

10. Resilience. Leadership is hard, which is why resilience is critical. Leaders can bounce back from setbacks when they develop a healthy perspective, growth mindset, and supportive community of friends.

While reading and reflecting on these lessons, take steps to develop soft skills of leadership personally and as a team.

This article appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Influence magazine.