9 Undervalued Leadership Skills You'd Be Crazy Not To Build

Read Time: 3 Minutes

Sometimes, the world tells you exactly what's next.

But only if we listen.

Last week, in the Q&A after our free Constructive Conflict workshop, I commented that "raising the energy of every room you walk into" is a career accelerator that's available to anyone but embraced by a few. Shortly after, I got this note:

Coincidently, a post I scheduled on X during that session was on the same topic:

But just in case I needed to be hit over the head with this message, my friend Reno created a post on LinkedIn. And let’s just say a few people liked it…

I think most of these apply to any role in any company for any career.

Why?

Because there’s a high correlation between the values, skills, and abilities of high performers and the values, skills, and abilities of leaders.

Or said differently, leadership is a choice, not a title.

Here are 9 underrated and undervalued leadership skills that anyone can learn.

Master any one of them, and you’ll find success.
Master a few, and success will find you.

1. Raise The Energy Of The Room

We are tribal.
We desire to fit in.
We mimic and mirror others.

We can harness this instinct by being the person who raises the energy of the room. When you rise, people will follow.

And when rooms are more effective because you're in them, you'll be invited into more rooms.

Energy = Access

How?

Bring enthusiasm. Be practically positive. Connect personally. Draw others in. Ensure clarity and buy-in. Leave on a high note.

2. Be Enjoyable To Work With

This isn't complicated:

• Are you generous or greedy?

• Are you pleasant or provoking?

• Are you curious or commanding?

Poll most people, you'll get near universal agreement on which side is more enjoyable to work with, yet so many people get it wrong.

Why? Most people will say, "That's just who I am."
This is nonsense. It admits to having no agency. You're powerless.

Instead, decide what type of person you want to be.
And align your actions accordingly.

This doesn’t mean there won’t ever be conflict.
It just means that you know how to resolve it.

3. Keep Your Commitments

Delayed deadlines. Missed meetings. Forgotten follow-ups.  

Reliability is rare.

And there are three ingredients to ensure it:

• Be organized

• Be realistic

• Be clear

There's a temptation to take on more, to say Yes, to please, all of which come from a place of good intention.

But that intention often comes with the cost of lousy execution.

This leads us to...

4. Have The Courage To Say "No"

Want to be reliable?
Take on half as much and do it twice as well.

Want to be respected?
Show that you know which half to take on by saying "No" more often.

“No” isn't a signal you're incapable.
“No” is a sign you're committed.

5. Be Relentlessly Resourceful

Some companies call it ownership.
Other leaders refer to it as high agency.
Paul Graham named it years ago as "relentlessly resourceful."

In my mind, it's born of a potent blend of two concepts:

• Effort

• Creativity

Some people struggle and point back to their herculean efforts.
But doing the wrong thing harder is the opposite of wise.

Others are clever but passive.
It's the natural talent that eventually gets outhustled.

The power of this skill lies in the combination.

It's not working smarter instead of harder.
It's pushing yourself into the Top 10% on both.

6. Write With Compelling Clarity

Writing is how you clarify your thoughts.
Writing is how you convey your ideas.
Writing is how you convince others.

Anyone can learn to write effectively. It starts with writing.

Choose an audience. Tell them a story. Learn if it moves them as you hope. When it works, repeat it. When it doesn't, find new words.

7. Solve Problems With Selling

Most people will tell you they hate to sell.
Don't be most people.

We are all in sales:

• Sell people on joining your team.

• Sell your boss on your team's contribution.

• Sell customers on your ability to solve their problems.

Selling isn't about tricking someone into making a choice against their own interest. Selling is about matching what you have to offer with someone who'd derive outsized value from it.

When selling solves someone’s pressing problem, we all win.

8. Learn How To Learn

Imagine you have two analysts on your team.

You ask them both to help with "reinforcement learning for a high-priority AI-model development project."

The first one says, "I don't know how to do that."
The second one says, "I don't know how to do that yet."

Be curious. Ask questions. Research thoughtfully. Take action. Make mistakes. Connect the dots.

Over decades, those "yets" become mountains of mastery.  

9. Lead Before The Title, Not Because Of It

If you wait for formal authority to lead, you'll be waiting a long time. Titles are often backward-looking, given to someone already doing the work.

The recipe isn't complicated:

• Set a purpose, a mission, a destination

• Have a working plan to get there

• Convince others to join you

• Make it happen

Start small. Pick a meaningful problem and convince a partner to take it down with you. When people will notice, ask them for the next problem. And ask them to help, too.

What You Missed

Here’s what you missed from me on LinkedIn:

• What’s Going On With Your Employees?

• Amazon’s RIF Disguised As An RTO

• Signs Your Team Is Toxic

Here’s what you missed from me on X/Twitter:

• Why Culture Eats Strategy For Breakfast

• Good Managers React. Great Leaders Prepare.

• Learn These Counterintuitive Lessons To Win In Business

I’d also love to know what playbooks would be most helpful to you. Hit reply and tell me your biggest management challenge.

You’ll always remain anonymous unless you tell me otherwise.

Thank you for reading. Appreciate you!

Dave