According to a 2018 study conducted by the Pew Research Center, effective leaders all share the same three qualities: honesty, the ability to manage pressure and the capacity to stand up for their personal beliefs.
Everyone has the potential to become a great leader, which is why it is important for people to cultivate their leadership skills. Doing so will help them to advance in their professional careers, accomplish their goals and inspire others. So, how can people develop leadership skills? This article will provide some tools for leaders and to take their skills to the next level.
What Are Some of the Top Leadership Skills?
Every leader should foster their capacity to build relationships because establishing authentic connections allows leaders to work more effectively with followers and inspires them to excel. Leaders should also learn to communicate well, which will enable them to convey their goals and expectations to their team members. Additionally, good critical thinking skills are essential for leaders to analyze and formulate solutions to complex situations.
Benefits of Becoming a Better Leader
Exceptional leaders are always discovering new ways to become better at their jobs. That is because leaders that are committed to improving themselves are more likely to inspire others and build positive working environments.
An example of one such leader is Alex Slater, the Founder and CEO of Clyde Group. After receiving unfavorable feedback from his employees about their satisfaction in the workplace, Slater actively listened to the employees’ concerns. As a result, he took their feedback into consideration and offered them higher salaries and improved retirement and benefits plans.
Challenges of Being a Leader
Leaders serve pivotal roles in managing the direction of their team and often face challenges navigating public criticism, legal challenges and tough economic times. If a leader does not handle these challenges well, they can damage the team and the organization’s success. Handling the problem directly, receiving feedback from team members and searching for ways to solve issues efficiently are techniques leaders can use to resolve external interferences.
Internal challenges, such as disagreements among staff or lack of confidence in leadership, are also common obstacles in organizations. Alleviating internal conflict or strife within an organization requires leaders to keep a keen eye on their surroundings, listen to the concerns of their staff and develop constructive solutions to solve problems in their company.
Lastly, demanding work schedules and stressful decision-making processes are responsibilities that may challenge a leader’s ability to succeed. Utilizing time management skills, focusing on the needs of employees and keeping an eye on the organization’s goals will enable leaders to be more effective.
5 Ways to Improve Your Leadership Skills
Despite seniority level or a track record of success, great leaders are always looking for ways to improve their leadership skills. A leader’s willingness to constantly learn will prepare them to solve new and complex problems that may arise outside of their area of expertise. In addition to building upon their education, individuals can improve their leadership skills by outlining and establishing a clear plan for their professional and personal development.
Creating a cohesive strategy allows leaders to focus on what they want to accomplish and develop solutions to help their peers. As they continue to grow professionally, leaders will continue to add value to their skill sets through self-awareness. Identifying their strengths and weaknesses will fuel opportunities for growth and make leaders more prepared to lead themselves in positions of authority.
Identify Strengths and Weaknesses
Understanding your strengths and weaknesses as a leader will help you recognize the areas in which you can promote your talents, and identify what you need to improve upon. Strengths are specific qualities that a leader possesses that help them lead, manage and influence the people around them. For example, a project manager’s ability to oversee a client project, craft an important business proposal or deliver talking points to a large group of team members are all strengths that allow them to be successful at their jobs. A leader can recognize their strengths by analyzing their communication abilities, evaluating their time management skills or observing their interpersonal techniques with employees.
Weaknesses are traits possessed by leaders that negatively impact the outcome of their work or performance. Leaders can assess their weaknesses by soliciting feedback from their followers, which can help them gauge their influence on employee satisfaction.
Determine Your Goals
A leader can contribute more value to an organization when they have clearly defined goals they can aim to achieve. According to a study by the Dominican University of California, individuals are 42% more likely to achieve their goals if they write them down. When writing goals, leaders should determine “why” they want to achieve these goals and a timeline in which to achieve them. Even after writing, leaders should actively monitor their progress to evaluate how they are moving toward or away from their goals.
Embrace Growth and Development Opportunities
Taking advantage of growth and development opportunities will amplify your skills as a leader and upgrade your ability to lead and manage a group of hardworking individuals. Leaders can refine and improve their professional competencies by attending leadership seminars, obtaining additional degrees or certifications and networking with industry leaders. Developing your leadership talents over a long period of time will enable you to approach problems from a social, financial and cultural perspective. Growing as a leader also allows you to take on new challenges, explore interests and establish credibility in your work performance and leadership style.
Work On Your Soft and Hard Skills
Interpersonal and behavioral traits that help individuals work well with others are soft skills. To build good working relationships with colleagues, leaders must be great communicators, problem solvers and reliable team members. They can enhance their soft skills by networking with colleagues, engaging in thoughtful conversations at work and taking the initiative to work with new members of their team.
Hard skills are also necessary for leaders to perform their everyday tasks. Having strong writing capabilities and being proficient in computer programming and graphic design are some more examples of hard skills. Leaders can improve upon their hard skills by participating in professional development workshops, completing online certification courses or participating in executive mentorship programs.
Be Willing to Learn From Your Mistakes
Research conducted by talent development firm Lee Hecht Harrison found that 72% of business and human resource leaders agreed that accountability is essential for organizational success. Successful leaders understand that their imperfections, mistakes and failures make them who they are as human beings. This commitment to accountability and improvement creates an environment where employees will also feel more inclined to admit their mistakes with their managers or supervisors.
How Robert F. Smith Is Cultivating Leaders For Tomorrow
As the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, Robert F. Smith knows that trust and mobility are essential skills needed to make impactful leaders. As Chairman of Student Freedom Initiative, Smith has worked to cultivate the next generation of leaders by opening pathways for students to achieve professional and personal freedom.
The Initiative is committed to creating alternative student loan repayment plans for students enrolled in Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and offers Black American students a platform to pursue future leadership roles in STEM without facing the burden of college debt. Smith also aligns with Harvard Business School Online’s six traits for aspiring leaders, including emotional intelligence, communication, the ability to bring out the best performance, self-awareness, resilience and financial literacy.
To learn more about Smith’s perspective on successful leadership, follow him on LinkedIn.
