How to Improve Your Leadership Skills

Leadership skills can play a large role in a person's career

development. Technical skills and a college degree may only take you so far.
To be an effective leader and help move your career forward, you'll also
need soft skills, such as the ability to be a good listener and communicator.

There are several core leadership skills that are considered important traits to
help you become a more effective leader. Whether it's taking the initiative,
developing critical thinking skills, or learning how to motivate and empower
those around you, you must constantly be challenging yourself to enhance
your leadership capabilities.

By showing that you have what it takes to be a leader, you can fast-track your
career. If you're looking for a new job or promotion, you're more likely to get
where you want to go if you have a steady track record of being successful in
leadership roles in your professional and personal life.

There are many different types of leaders, but very few people are natural,
born leaders. Most of us need to learn, develop, and improve on how to be a
good leader. Leadership development involves identifying and mastering the
key skills and characteristics that are required to become a successful leader.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Leadership skills are considered critical traits necessary to get to the top
of any career field.
 Early on, step out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself to improve,
and remember; the more work you take on, the more you learn.
 Be a critical thinker; good leaders can foresee potential problems before
they happen.
 Learn how to listen and provide feedback since listening effectively to
employees and customers are necessary to be an effective leader.
 Motivate and positively influence others, encourage and empower them,
and be their support system.
Taking Initiative
Most bosses will only assign employees tasks they know they can do. That's
why it's important to volunteer to take on more responsibilities while going
above and beyond at your current position. Focus on learning competencies
that fall outside your primary knowledge area.

Don't be complacent. Step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to
improve. Remember, the more work you do, the more you are learning.
Learning more and taking on more responsibility will eventually help move you
into a leadership role at your workplace. Also, others will more easily accept
you as a leader when that day comes, because you will have established a
track record of taking the initiative, being a student of learning, and using that
newfound knowledge for making improvements.

Critical Thinking
To be hired for a high-profile job, you will need to be a critical thinker. Good
leaders can foresee potential problems before they happen. They can also
develop ways to prevent problems from happening.

Good leaders are also aware of potential opportunities and take advantage of
them to benefit the company and employees. In other words, be proactive.
Don't wait for things to happen; instead, anticipate them, and help the team be
ready in case something goes wrong. If you're a leader and an employee
brings a problem to your attention, help them determine the cause and put
preventive measures in place to ensure it doesn't negatively impact the
employees, the company, and the customers.

How to Improve Your Leadership Skills

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 Taking Initiative

 Critical Thinking

 Listening Effectively

 Motivate Others

 Discipline

 Constant Learning

 Know-How to Delegate

 Handling Conflicts

 Be a Follower

 The Bottom Line

Leadership skills can play a large role in a person's career

development. Technical skills and a college degree may only take you so far.
To be an effective leader and help move your career forward, you'll also
need soft skills, such as the ability to be a good listener and communicator.
There are several core leadership skills that are considered important traits to
help you become a more effective leader. Whether it's taking the initiative,
developing critical thinking skills, or learning how to motivate and empower
those around you, you must constantly be challenging yourself to enhance
your leadership capabilities.

By showing that you have what it takes to be a leader, you can fast-track your
career. If you're looking for a new job or promotion, you're more likely to get
where you want to go if you have a steady track record of being successful in
leadership roles in your professional and personal life.

There are many different types of leaders, but very few people are natural,
born leaders. Most of us need to learn, develop, and improve on how to be a
good leader. Leadership development involves identifying and mastering the
key skills and characteristics that are required to become a successful leader.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

 Leadership skills are considered critical traits necessary to get to the top
of any career field.
 Early on, step out of your comfort zone, challenge yourself to improve,
and remember; the more work you take on, the more you learn.
 Be a critical thinker; good leaders can foresee potential problems before
they happen.
 Learn how to listen and provide feedback since listening effectively to
employees and customers are necessary to be an effective leader.
 Motivate and positively influence others, encourage and empower them,
and be their support system.
Taking Initiative
Most bosses will only assign employees tasks they know they can do. That's
why it's important to volunteer to take on more responsibilities while going
above and beyond at your current position. Focus on learning competencies
that fall outside your primary knowledge area.

Don't be complacent. Step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to
improve. Remember, the more work you do, the more you are learning.
Learning more and taking on more responsibility will eventually help move you
into a leadership role at your workplace. Also, others will more easily accept
you as a leader when that day comes, because you will have established a
track record of taking the initiative, being a student of learning, and using that
newfound knowledge for making improvements.

Critical Thinking
To be hired for a high-profile job, you will need to be a critical thinker. Good
leaders can foresee potential problems before they happen. They can also
develop ways to prevent problems from happening.
Good leaders are also aware of potential opportunities and take advantage of
them to benefit the company and employees. In other words, be proactive.
Don't wait for things to happen; instead, anticipate them, and help the team be
ready in case something goes wrong. If you're a leader and an employee
brings a problem to your attention, help them determine the cause and put
preventive measures in place to ensure it doesn't negatively impact the
employees, the company, and the customers.

Listening Effectively
Communication skills are critical to being an effective leader, whether it's
presenting in front of the team, creating and writing a business strategy, or
communicating to employees and clients. One of the most important
communication skills for a leader is listening. Without listening skills, you are
not able to get feedback from others and get a sense of what team members
like about the projects they work on.

Oftentimes, managers and leaders must hire people who specialize in certain
tasks or specialties. Listening to your team of experts will help you understand
what can and can't be done. Let them have a private discussion with you one-
on-one if necessary, to voice any concerns so that you can move forward with
everyone on the same page.

Feedback is key. To listen effectively, you need to maintain eye contact, avoid
distractions, and respond appropriately. Keep in mind that communication is
not just about verbal communication. Be aware of body language and
gestures to determine what people are really saying.

Motivate Others
A true leader should positively influence people. When employees or co-
workers lose their ambitions and passions, a true leader can energize and
motivate them. How do leaders motivate people? First, they know what people
need and want. For example, if an employee loses motivation because they
think their hard work is not being recognized, a good leader will talk to that
person and offer the recognition that is deserved.

Sometimes, people lose their motivation because they are facing difficulties,
are tired of doing the same repetitive tasks, or are disappointed they are not
being asked to get involved. A good leader should seek out team members to
see how they're doing, listen attentively, and empower them to be more
involved in the process.

Creating a positive work environment is also a key motivating factor. Establish

positive rewards for hitting benchmarks, such as a weekly new client goal or
an error-free work week for a production area. Reward them with a Friday
lunch or an afternoon of snacks and treats to help people decompress and
know that they're appreciated.
Discipline
Discipline is required in order to execute the goal. Even if you have a vision or
a good idea, it's useless without discipline. If you want to execute effectively,
you need discipline.

For example, say you and your team wanted to create a business plan to attract
investors. You had lots of ideas for the business plan, but there was no
discipline in place to ensure the presentation was rehearsed. When it came
time to present the proposal, you were not able to properly communicate your
objective to the investors. This outcome resulted in the investors declining
your proposal.

To be a good leader, you need to be self-disciplined, and make sure others on

your team are disciplined.

Constant Learning
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other," said John F.
Kennedy. When things are changing rapidly, it is important to constantly learn
and challenge yourself. Study other leaders and their qualities, mannerisms,
and the way they communicate. Although you don't have to copy another
leader, incorporate some of their traits into your style.

Know-How to Delegate
According to Theodore Roosevelt, "The best executive is the one who has
sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint
to keep from meddling with them while they do it."

A successful leader won't micromanage. Delegate work to your employees

and let them feel empowered. If you do this, they will feel more involved and
have more opportunities to develop new skills. Delegating will allow you to
concentrate on the goals you need to achieve yourself. If you are a project
leader, you are still responsible for the work in the end. This is why it is
important to oversee the project when delegating and be sure to assign tasks
to those who have the skills to complete them. Establishing clarity of roles,
responsibilities, and deadlines are critical to delegating and getting a project
completed.

Handling Conflicts
Leaders have to know how to handle difficult people and resolve conflicts. If
an employee doesn't work to the best of their ability and brings a negative
attitude to work, leaders have to step up and talk to that person in private.

Leaders have to be honest and straightforward. This requires a lot of courage.

It is not easy to point out a problem or fire someone, so remember to always
listen to the employee's side of the story before you reach a conclusion and
take action.
Be a Follower
Leaders should learn to recognize the value of team members, learn from
them, and encourage other team members to learn from them. Learn things
that you didn't know from a person who specializes in a particular area. If an
employee has a new idea, encourage it, and see where it goes. Be one of
their biggest fans. Help them to step out of their comfort zone and by believing
in them; you'll instill confidence. Recognize when one of your employees is
taking the type of initiative that you took when you were just starting out,
building your skillset, and honing your leadership skills.

The Bottom Line

Good leadership skills are essential to career development. If you want to
improve your leadership skills, think about what actions you can take to be
more influential. If you are already a leader, think about how you can influence
others.