Self-management skills vs. Relationship Skills
What is more critical: Self-Management skills or Relationship skills? Explain.
I beleive they go hand in hand. In building relationships, you must be self aware and manage your emotions accordingly to support the relatiosnhip that is developing. For example, if you are talking with someone and they express an opinion you disagree with, you can not counter them harshly and tell them they are wrong. You need to manage your emotions and ask more questions and get more understanding to find a common ground. Even if there is no common ground, you supported this relationship by managing your emotions and your opnions. To say one is more important than another would not recognize the relationship.
Excellent insight, Christine! Thank you for sharing your perspective!
In my opinion the more critical of the two depends on the circumtances. There are times when self-management skills are a must, for example when tensions are high and the situation is stressful your mood must remain calm and focused thus leading by example. However dealing with groups of people one encounters many different personalities and must therefore be able to read people and treat them accordingly thus creating an atmosphere of understanding and commonality.
Excellent observations, Donald. It seems logical that when a person takes the time to further develop and hone both of these skills, they become mutually beneficial. When you have the ability to read a situation and the personalities involved, your opportunity to manage your own reaction to the situation increases. Thanks for sharing your insight.
Relationship skills are more important that self-management skills because relationship skills help influence an individual's self management. When someone sees another person acting in a specific way, because they may be in a friendly or even more close relationship with the other party, it creates a motivation for the other person to change their own self-management for the better or worse. Relationship skills are extremely important when it comes to being a leader, as a leader is always someone who should be able to relate and annotate the situation that is going on. By being able to see from everyone's situation it leads to many ethical and good decision making.
Virginia, that's an interesting perspective. It sounds like you have experience with fostering relationships and find that having the ability to build rapport with others is extremely important for a leader. I agree. I wonder, where do you think self-management comes into play for that leader?
Dr. Jean Norris
I think that both skills go hand in hand, as one cannot be higher than the other, they are both important in building relationships in the workplace. It allows for relationships to flourish and enhance each individuals value.
Depends on the personality of the person. For me it is self-management skills because i focus on personal accountability with my job performance. When i can see and understands my strengths and weakness, then i can make the right decisions to accomplish my goals.
melinda,
Great self-discovery! Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Jean Norris
I truely think that both skills are equally important depending on the situation.When dealing multiple personalities, your own ability to read into different situations, requires you to be able to manage your own reaction/emotions in order to effectively deal with the situation. This will determine the outcome of your relationship with the individuals involved.
Gregory, that's a great point. It looks like you use different techniques in order to read people or situations. Great work.
Dr. Jean Norris
I feel that relationshhip skills are more important, as a manager you must be able to listen to what each individual is saying.
If an employee or staff member does not feel like you are listening to what they have to say then you will lose their respect.
Rosa, that's an interesting point. In order to be an effective manager, one has to be concerned with the relationship skills of the team members.
Dr. Jean Norris
I believe that both skills are just as equally as important. Depending on the situation at hand will depend on what skills is mostly utilized.
Shantal, that's an interesting point. It sounds like you look at the situation first to decide how to proceed. Great approach.
Dr. Jean Norris
I think both are very important. Without self managment skills it would be hard to build relationships. So I believe you need both to make it work.
Great point, Doris. It makes sense that both work together to make it work. What self-management skills do you think are critical when building relationships?
I think that, like most things, a marriage of the two, self-management and relationship skills are required to thrive in life.
Self-management without the ability to plug it into a larger context can be of limited utility, as can relationship skills with a lack of understanding and control of oneself. Over time we combine the many skills we acquire to create deeper and more well-rounded interactions in business and personal life. Choosing one attribute to focus solely on, or to prioritize, narrows our view of the world and limits our perception of the possibilities laid out before us.
Good point Brian, a balance is quite important. Sometimes we need to work on one area more than another based on our personal situation. In your current role, what do you need to do to find the balance?
