No matter what business you are in, or what level of position you hold, leadership is required to take your business and your career forward. There are many ways to develop leadership skills, and usually life experience tends to be the greatest teacher of all.
However, we have all seen examples of people in leadership positions, who don’t make great leaders. Much of the time this is because of a lack of ‘soft’ skills rather than hard.
Here are five ways you can help fast track your leadership skills:
1. Define your purpose. Why are you doing this? What is your ultimate goal? Is it just for money or is there a deeper purpose behind what you are doing and why. Those leaders who have an identified purpose are far more likely to inspire others to follow than those who are motivated just by financial reasons.
2. Take time for self-reflection and solitude. With the pace of life today, it’s almost impossible to take your time before reacting, or think deeply about the decisions you are making. Taking time away or removing yourself from the equation will help you find clarity.
3. Celebrate and recognise the achievements of others. This is vitally important to motivate those around you and help them develop their own leadership skills. The more the team around you thrives the more your business will thrive too.
4. Encourage collaboration and idea sharing – and reward everyone for this. That way you are not developing a culture of competition at all costs for your attention or approval. Rather a culture where people are excited to contribute.
5. Listen. Yes, good old fashion listening. Even when you think you know the answer, take the time to really hear people. A lot of the time you can understand people’s true motivation by just listening to them, rather than trying to solve their problem or react to what they are saying. Good leaders know when to talk and more importantly know when to say nothing.
Leadership has many qualities, but never underestimate the emotional intelligence required to be a truly great leader. So go forth and lead!
What are your tips for leadership success? Join the conversation with me on Twitter @ceovanessa
Vanessa’s mission is to positively impact people by increasing their knowledge base and decision making ability around finance and business principles. She is the co-creator of The Bottom Line and founder of the parent company, evolution media group.
