5 Executive Skills People Underrate

There are executives who are so good to work with and for, and all of them have somewhat similar skills. Here are 5 underrated executive skills:

Knowing how to zoom in and out

One minute they are talking about the vision, where the company needs to be in three years and how to get there. The next, they are sharing some painful customer insight or a bug they discovered on the weekend. Good leaders notice when their teams are overextended.

Clear writing

Clear writing is the kind that makes people go, "Ah, okay, I know what we are doing now." Most confusion at work does not come from people being stupid. Most workplace confusion stems from vague thinking and poor writing.

Noticing when people are stretched

A lot of teams say they are fine right up until they are not. The signs are usually small but people go quiet and everything takes a bit longer, and as a result, work starts coming back half-finished. Skilled leaders notice when their teams are stretched.

Running useful meetings

Most meetings fail because nobody knows what the meeting is actually for. Is this a decision, do you need input from the team, or is it just a status update? Good leaders spot when their teams are overextended.

Consistency

This sounds boring, which is probably why it is underrated. Teams watch what leaders repeat, reward, ignore, and let slide. Consistency frees team members from guessing which version of the leader is present.