You probably had a tough time proving your worth as a true leader during the last appraisal interview. Or maybe you’re a focused professional who’s willing to brush up on the leadership management skills for a successful career graph ahead.
Irrespective of the reasons you may have, there’s a lot to know about when it comes to adapting to the leadership skills for a better tomorrow. The aspiration is not only to lead but also to fulfill all essential leadership roles with a vision to inspire employees and managers.
Here are the 15 core qualities and skills that will allow you to go far as a leader and become an inspiration to others. So, pull up a chair and read this blog to know what all great leaders have in common. Who knows you could be the next one in the making.
Happy reading!
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Learn how to empower your employees
Good leaders are people with zeal to keep the show going with continuous efforts made in order to empower and encourage their fellow employees to learn, innovate, adapt and conquer. Do you know 43% of employees feel appreciation makes them more confident? Being a leader does not mean you would choose to stay over occupied with work and spend less time in building up your fellow employees.
Empowered employees are more likely to:
- Be more potent and motivated.
- Run the extra mile to achieve new heights.
- Offer better client support and service.
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Curiosity paves the way to success
Remember when it comes to honing the leadership skills for a successful career ahead, you got to be curious about anything and everything under the sun. You should have a genuine appetite for exploring and knowing things that go in and around you.
A curious individual can:
- Have a stronger grip on managerial skills.
- Learn and adapt to new leadership skills faster.
- Offer agility, dynamism and out-of-the-box creativity.
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Good leaders have to be selfless
Leaders can’t make it big with big egos to satisfy. They are expected to be humble, understanding and helpful from every single aspect. If you want to achieve career success and recognition in this particular field, spend time in acknowledging the concerns of your employees and helping them overcome the same with perfection. This, as a result, will help you to ensure bias-free working environment.
Bias-free workplace fosters:
- Enhanced employee engagement
- A fewer rate of absenteeism
- Improved business performance
Also Read: Check your Management Qualities with these Leadership Questions
4.Think critically, execute creatively
The idea is to embrace the practice of critical thinking and look at people and circumstances through several lenses. Once you would spot performance loopholes and shortcomings of any sort, consider examining it from a creative angle.
Creative leaders are known for:
- Conducting interactive brainstorm sessions
- Establishing firmer connections among clients
- Driving in better business opportunities for the organization
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Making quick and confident decisions
There are easy choices to make as a leader, and then there are the tougher ones. Taking the tougher calls, wading through all accumulated data and analysing a tricky situation to come up with a solution are the real deals. That’s what makes a leader confident, focused and rational.
A confident team leader:
- Doesn’t put down other people.
- Owns their mistakes.
- Makes for a good listener, much required for the designation.
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The art of developing more leaders
Honing the skills of a true leader is no rocket science, only if you know about the essential strategies to be implemented. It is imperative for an ideal leader to create more employees like him/her. Involve your fellow team members in stretch assignments; be open to accepting and sending across feedback.
Try out practicing the following exercises:
- Create coaching opportunities for your employees.
- Communicate top-level objectives among your team.
- Allow your employees to take more responsibilities.
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Embrace humour and let go of harsh criticism
Not all days of a leader are the same. There are days of appreciation and harsh criticism as well. The trick is to keep your cool without taking your critics too seriously. You should consider letting things roll off your back by adding a pinch of laughter in it. It’s a job at the end of the day, and bad phases pass eventually.
Humour at the workplace can:
- Improves decision making
- Boosts brain power and productivity
- Fosters good rapport with employees and clients
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Lead your team through change
The founder and CEO of Eagle’s Flight, Phil Geldart shares his best leadership practices with the opinion that … “The most effective programs in helping to develop leaders have a strong people bias. Knowing how to bring out the best in people and focusing on results is critical. For example, knowing how to personally manage through a dynamic and changing environment is important, but leaders need to know how to LEAD people through that change. That means they need to know what their team members might be experiencing and then help them through the change and attain the expected outcome, with focus on communication, execution and engagement.”
This is yet another essential trait that determines the true potential of an ideal leader. Leaders with futuristic thoughts and zeal to taste success in every form must be open to leading his/her team through changes. No progressive business organisation is stagnant; changes occur every now and then. Being a leader you are expected to leverage employee skills and their inclination to embrace all transitions.
Embracing change brings forth:
- Personal growth as a visionary
- Improvements in team coordination
- Confidence to accept and overcome new risks
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Embrace versatility across multiple domains
Expertise is not merely a word. It’s a habit that can be developed and improved over time with the right commitment towards achieving your goals as a leader. If a particular project pops up with multiple opportunities and platforms for your team to embrace and explore, go for it.
Being versatile ensures:
- Skill diversity and agility in business operations
- Quicker adaptation to changing business norms
- Better exposure to various job roles and responsibilities
Also Read: How to recognize True Leadership Skills?
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Lead through influence rather than authority
“Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.”
– John C. Maxwell, founder of EQUIP
This is one quote that influences me a lot! A true leader must know how to increase collaborations within the team, drive greater excellence for the company. Furthermore, he/she must give enough reasons for the employees to count on you as a positive influence.
For example, the EY Innovation program aims to involve young employees and potential leaders to work in collaboration with other companies. This is an initiative taken towards helping them develop leadership approach and assisting the companies accordingly.
Now that’s the kind of influence one should have over others with by providing the perfect platform for employees to engage, learn and grow.
Leading through influence fosters:
- Positive impact on employees
- A sense of respect and gratitude among teammates
- Greater engagement among stakeholders and customers
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Develop a sense of trust as a leader
If we are to talk about great leadership skills, always remember “trust” is a major term to count on. A trustworthy leader can get things done seamlessly. If you are a leader of trust and dignity, people who count on you will always wish to see you on your feet during the days of hardship and criticism.
Instilling faith and trust as a leader brings forth:
- Meaningful corporate connections
- Lower stress level, angst, fear and inhibitions among employees
- Enhanced approachability determining peace of mind
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Take initiatives before anyone else does
Always remember, no task is beneath you! Being an executive does not mean you would refuse to clean the desk or fix a minute technical glitch when the IT guy or the floor attendants are not present. It’s your initiative that gets noticed by one and all. And it is something that can help you become a true leader in your domain from every aspect.
Initiative-driven leadership promotes:
- Unity among the teammates
- A sense of togetherness and tolerance
- Paves the way to lead by example
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Adapt to attentive listening
Prof. Andrew Smith, motivational speaker and academic writer associated with a law dissertation writing company says … “Its how you choose to listen to the people you work with. The key to honing great leadership skills is entirely based on the art of listening and taking actionable approaches to resolving the issue.”
This is what it is! You got to learn how to become a proactive listener with the help of inter-departmental surveys, market research and employee evaluation reports. The trick is to utilise each of the mentioned mediums and recognise what others are trying to communicate through the same.
A good listener will be able to:
- Gain more in-depth information.
- Develop an open working environment.
- Understand and solve issues without confusions.
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Raise your EQ (Emotional intelligence Quotient)
Emotional intelligence plays a significant role when it comes to mastering the skills of true leadership. This is one quality that cannot be taught. You have to adapt to it with each passing day. It’s not rocket science though! How about emulating and caring about the people working with you. All it takes is a noble gesture. If your employee is hurt, pass him/her the first aid box, if the person skips lunch due to work pressure, offer him/her snacks or ask if you can help the situation improve.
Building a culture of empathy ensures:
- Physical and emotional well-being
- Expansion of perspectives
- Favourable work culture in terms of emotional synchronisation
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The ability to bounce back and fight
Stay aware of the fact that the concept of blame game doesn’t work for long. You got to accept your own mistake without looking for someone else to pass the blame on. A real leader must be able to take on changes, accept shortcomings and bounce back with the needful solution. The key to confronting leadership challenges is to have the resilience to take risks and turn all limitations into opportunities.
Being resilient at work ensures:
- Firmer decisions to carry on with
- Transparency in the actions you would take
- Progressive work culture comprising the real risk takers
To end with, I would like to mention that success comes to those who invest enough time in sharing leadership values and influence others to foster productivity. Even though you may not have a grip on these skills fortnightly, I believe that the commitment towards embracing excellence will eventually support your growth as a proficient leader.
Good luck!
Author Bio: Selina Johnson is an experienced Web Developer associated with Assignmenthelp.us, dedicated to offering online marketing assignment help on behalf of the brand. During her time of leisure and recreation, you may find Selina spending quality time attending yoga sessions and trying her hands on poetry and short stories.
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