107: Leading Through Connection with Paul Skewes

Soft Skills for Leaders with Lisa Evans

Uncover the essential human skills that drive exceptional leadership and discover the empowering impact of coaching on team development and capability improvement.

My guest is Paul Skewes who is a seasoned leadership development coach, and he partners with mid to senior-level leaders to enhance their leadership capabilities.

He brings a wealth of experience from working across various industries, particularly within the resources sector.

Paul is here to share his insights on the importance of essential leadership skills, the challenges leaders face, and how coaching can empower both leaders and their teams. So, let's dive into this insightful discussion with Paul Skewes.

Timestamps

00:00 Paul's Journey into the realm of leadership and coaching

05:01 Organisations are crazy busy, causing burnout.

08:50 Refocusing team vision to focus on what matters

12:47 Regular discussions and clear development goals.

16:04 Effective leadership needs time, compassion, and empathy.

19:35 Paul shares top three tips

24:43 Leadership challenges, support lacking, conflicting information.

27:18 Work demands cause burnout risk in organisations.

30:40 Attitude, listening, questioning, communicating - key leadership traits.

35:28 Regular meetings maintain mutual understanding and clarity.

39:48 Connection is crucial for teamwork.

41:31 Listen to your team and avoid one-sided meetings.

Why Listen?

Discover the essential human skills and impactful coaching strategies that can transform your leadership approach in this episode with Paul Skewes and Lisa Evans.

Talking Points

- Importance of human connection within team leadership - Need for leaders to schedule regular time with their teams - Collaborative approach to meetings with team members - Emphasis on listening more and talking less during interactions - Challenges of performing tasks leaders don't enjoy - Importance of engaging with and understanding team members on an individual level - The social process of leadership and its impact on team communication and engagement - The value of coaching and its increasing role within companies

The top three takeaways from this episode are:

1. The importance of scheduling regular time with your team for quick check-ins and adopting a collaborative approach to meetings, focusing on listening more and talking less.
2. The value of caring, compassion, and empathy in approaching work and leading a team, and the significant impact it can have on team members.
3. The critical "soft skills" for great leadership, include the genuine desire for leadership, the ability to listen intently, and effective communication.

Connect with Paul Skewes

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulskewes/

Connect with Lisa Evans

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaevansspeaker/

Website https://www.speakingsavvy.com.au

Ready to level up your speaking, presenting and business storytelling? Book a complimentary coaching session with Lisa here.

Your Host Lisa Evans is one of Australia’s leading Executive Public Speaking Coaches and Corporate Storytelling Trainers. If you would like help training your team in soft skills, public speaking and business storytelling, get in touch with Lisa.

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