“Words shrink things that seem timeless in your head to no more than living size when they are brought out.” Stephen King, Author.

When a horse is feeling that something isn’t quite right, you’ll know it. They’ll swish their tails, turn their heads or stomp their feet. This comes back to their wild instincts and particularly survival of their herd – there’s no purpose in hiding anything from other horses.

🤐 Humans, by contrast, have complicated social contracts which mean we tend to push down our true feelings rather than communicating them, particularly in workplace settings. This is for a variety of reasons including being concerned about damaging our relationship with others or fear of looking stupid. However, it can have deep consequences for team wellbeing and harmony.

That’s why developing interpersonal skills is a critical step to improving your leadership.

Having the confidence to read situations, understand the feelings and motivations of others as well as the bravery to communicate honestly will reap benefits and also inspire a team.

How good is your interpersonal savvy? Can you think of where you could improve?