How many years have you held a leadership position? 10 years? 20 years? Or perhaps your leadership role is new? The number of years isn’t significant, what is significant is how effective your leadership skills are. Maybe you’re in a growth period, or maybe it’s been awhile since you thought about your own professional development. No matter where you fall, let’s talk about enhancing your leadership skills because truly nothing is more important.
#1: Have A Clear Vision
As a leader, you have your own goals and the goals for the organization. Take the time to share your vision and goals with your team. You want your team members to have a clear understanding so that they can pursue the goals that have been defined. Additionally, it’s important that your employees are bought into the company vision, and how that vision is valuable to them. Including your team in strategic planning sessions, or asking for feedback, can help accomplish this.
#2: Know Your Talent And Utilize Your Strengths
We all have gifts and strengths that are unique to us. Realizing your talent, and how your strengths shape you into a leader, can help you accomplish great things. This starts with being truly aware about who you are and your emotional leadership style.
#3: Show Enthusiasm
Being enthusiastic is easily one of the most important leadership skills you can demonstrate. Think about it like this: would you be inclined to follow someone and work hard if they did not truly care about the goals or the team? Of course you wouldn’t! Great leaders aren’t just focused on tasks; they are passionate about the work at hand. Think about how you can show your enthusiasm. Let people know that you care about them and their progress. When a team member achieves a goal, or shares a contribution, make sure to acknowledge that and share your appreciation.
#4: Model The Right Qualities
The best leaders model the qualities they want to see in their employees. So walk the walk and talk the talk. If you’re trying to improve in this area, make sure both your actions and words line up. Don’t say one thing, and then do another.
#5: Sharpen Your Communication Skills
Leaders are motivators, instructors and disciplinarians for their team. If a leader isn’t a very skilled communicator, then it becomes extremely difficult to accomplish any of these things.
Poor communication can also be linked to poor outcomes. People often perceive leaders who are unable to master the art of communication as weak and inefficient. If you’re struggling in this area, work to enhance your communication skills. This includes your ability to listen and decode both verbal and nonverbal communication.
#6: Learn From Your Mistakes
We are all human, and inevitably will make mistakes. A successful leader knows that failing is part of the job. View mistakes as a learning opportunity. Taking it a step further, if appropriate share with your team. Not only does this make you human and approachable, but it also allows you to share a valuable lesson with your team.
In Closing
All of these strategies are not one and done. This means you should continually look to make improvements and sharpen your skills. Never stop learning, always look to lead in a way that aligns with your values, and be a positive and motivating force for others. Great leadership requires a lot of time, investment and resources, but what’s a better investment than you?
If you are looking to elevate your leadership, or have questions, we’d love to help! We work with executive leaders everyday, and equip them with practical solutions and tools to enhance their performance and achieve profitable business growth. What are you waiting for? Contact us today!
