- Research finds that for each one-point increase in manager’s ability to build trust (on a five-point scale), sales target achievement increases by 22%
- Leadership skills including trust, empathy, goal setting, delegation and inclusive leadership improve team retention by up to 6% each
- Supports view that trust is the most important mediator of effective business relationships
A study by Mindtools Kineo’s has highlighted the role that manager ‘soft skills’ play in business outcomes, including sales performance and employee retention.
The ‘Building Better Managers’ research was launched in 2023 and continues today. So far, it has studied the skills, behaviours, experiences, and outcomes of 2,200 managers globally.
New analysis of a sample (279 managers) to understand leadership skills and their impacts found that for each one-point increase in a manager’s ability to build trust (on a five point scale), sales target achievement increased by 22%.
This supports the widely recognised notion that trust is the most important mediator of effective business relationships, bridging the gap between managers setting ambitious sales goals, and their teams achieving them.
Alongside trust, other management skills which boosted team sales performance included active listening (+20%), coaching (+16%) and delegation (+14%). While assessed independently for the purpose of this analysis, it is important to note that when combined, these skills are likely to further improve performance
The research also reinforces the importance of other ‘soft skills’ in management, highlighting the connection between their effective use and employee retention. Each improvement in a manager’s skills lifted team retention by:
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+4% for trust
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+4% for empathy
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+5% for goal setting
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+6% for delegation
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+6% for inclusive leadership
Dr Anna Barnett, Head of Research and Insights at Mindtools Kineo, said,
“Often, when organisations assess challenges like retention or sales performance, ‘soft skills’ are overlooked. Our research demonstrates that this is a huge mistake. Skills like trust, empathy and goal setting are integral to management – both for employee performance and retention.
While management capability in these areas may feel disconnected from business outcomes like sales performance, the findings identify the opposite. When managers build trust and communicate effectively, it helps to translate goal setting into engagement that delivers real results.”
The Building Better Managers project led to the development of the Manager Skills Assessment, which helps employers evaluate their leadership skills, providing actionable steps for improvement and other measurable insights.
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*The Building Better Managers research project was launched in 2023 and continues today. So far, it has studied the skills, behaviours, experiences, and outcomes of 2,200 managers globally.
About Mindtools Kineo
Mindtools Kineo’s vision is to be the leading global partner for driving organizational capability that is underpinned by a skilled, high-performing workforce. We do this by combining behavioural science with scalable technology to equip organizations for today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.
Mindtools Kineo was formed following the acquisition by Mindtools, a global management and leadership skills development provider, of Kineo, a global provider of workplace learning solutions, from City & Guilds in May 2025. The combined organization, moving forward under the name Mindtools Kineo, brings together the strengths and reputations of both companies.
