Anyone can be placed in a leadership position, but to be good and thrive in that position, solid leadership skills are required. Good leadership skills are at the top of the list of competencies that recruiters must consider when hiring new employees or promoting leaders from within the organisation. The most prestigious corporations look for people with proven leadership abilities to fill their most sought-after executive positions.
After you've checked off all of the items on this list, you'll have enough confidence to finally hand in your resume as well as apply for that job you've been working so hard for, and you'll be a great leader. Here are some core leadership skills you need in every role.
Relationship Building
Some leaders will argue that they do not need to be liked at work in order to succeed. This may be true, but great managers must have the leadership skills to forge strong working relationships with their employees in order to build a cohesive and engaged team.
Leaders who have strong, trusting, and authentic relationships with their teams understand that investing time in developing these bonds makes them a more effective leader and lays the groundwork for success.
Good working relationships boost employee engagement, and according to Gallup's employee engagement meta-analysis, business units with high employee engagement have 41% fewer quality defects and 37% lower absenteeism. Higher employee engagement also resulted in a 21% increase in productivity.
Adaptability and Agility
One of the most important leadership qualities identified in a 2008 study by Development Dimensions International was the ability to facilitate change. In today's time adaptability will be one of the most important leadership skills. Leaders must contend with a hyper-competitive business environment, geopolitics, climate change, the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, and many other factors, all of which necessitate adaptability and agility.
Effective leaders must be able to adapt to internal and external changes, even if it means working outside of their comfort zone. As a leader, you must cultivate a lifelong learning mindset to ensure that you are not left behind by industry shifts and can give your company a competitive advantage. As a leader, you must be agile and adaptable in this situation, which is easier said than done.
Innovation and Creativity
Every business relies heavily on leadership innovation. Ideation - the phase in which outstanding ideas are developed and become the foundation of innovation success is the starting point for successful innovation. Consider some industry leaders: what did it take for Apple to become a technology industry leader? They made product improvements with their customers in mind.
Steve Jobs, and perhaps even more so Tim Cook, led Apple Inc.'s innovation and creativity by staying ahead of the competition, making them some of the most innovative leaders in the tech industry.
Employee Motivation
In tandem with relationship building, the ability to motivate your workforce is critical to maintaining high employee engagement. Knowing how to continuously motivate employees is one of the most effective leadership skills, which requires leaders to be connected to their teams and aware of what is going on around them.
According to a study conducted by the firm Interact on 10,000 employees in the United States, the number one complaint (63%) from employees about their managers is a lack of appreciation, and when managers appreciate their impact, their engagement increases by 60%.
Making Decisions
A leader is constantly tasked with making decisions. To be an effective leader, those decision-making abilities must be exceptional. Critical decisions that have a large impact on your organisation must be sound, rational, and solid.
In reality, your decisions as a leader will determine your - and potentially the success of your organisation. Making decisions, no matter how big or small, is an essential part of leadership. As a leader, you must develop strong decision-making skills and the conviction to stand by your decisions, while also recognising the need to adapt when those decisions do not result in the desired outcome. It is a one-of-a-kind balancing act.
Remember that not all decisions are always favourable. Making an unpopular but necessary decision is one of the most difficult tasks a leader faces, but it is critical that you recognise your responsibilities and make clear decisions for your team or organisation.
Conflict Management
A manager spends at least 24% of their time managing conflict, according to the American Management Association. Any business can experience conflict. A conflict is defined as any disagreement between two or more people that has the potential to disrupt work. Conflict in business can extend beyond the workplace, involving customers, suppliers, and even competitors.
When a conflict arises, an effective leader should be able to intervene and resolve or at least mitigate the conflict before it has a negative impact on the business. When handled properly, a conflict can even be beneficial to your organisation, as it can often lead to stronger bonds or new ideas. To be an effective leader, you must be skilled at identifying conflict and planning how to resolve it. When confronted with a conflict, it is also critical to remain rational. As a leader, you must be able to manage conflict, but developing these skills in your team can help you avoid conflict entirely.
About Shiv Khera’s Leadership Program
Our children require values in addition to valuables. When we do corporate training and college leadership programmes, we tell our clients that what we do here is repair work. If you prepare them, you won't have to repair them. Where did you get it? In schools and colleges. A powerful programme designed to help people learn about leadership and management succeed. This course will prepare you for success in business.
