It is widely debated what makes a great leader or what leadership skills is. While it is obvious that leadership requires various skills, different styles and characteristics are required for different situations.
There is no “one” right way to lead in every situation. One of the key characteristics of great leaders is their ability to be flexible and adapt to changing situations. Are you able to demonstrate the leadership qualities employers are looking for? All good leaders need to have various soft skills to help them interact positively with their employees and team members, regardless of whether they are project or office managers.
What makes a Leader Effective?
Successful leaders communicate well and motivate their teams; they can also delegate and manage responsibilities and listen to feedback. They have the flexibility to find solutions to problems in a constantly changing workplace. Leadership is more than one skill. It’s a combination of many skills.
Your leadership skills are a valuable asset, no matter if you are starting an entry-level job and want to progress up the career ladder or if you’re looking for a promotion.
Top 10 Leadership Skills
These are the top ten leadership qualities that make you a strong leader at work.
1. Communication
As a leader, you must communicate clearly with your employees, from organizational goals to specific tasks. Leaders need to be able to communicate with all forms of communication; this includes one-on-one, departmental, and full-staff conversations as well as communication via phone, email, and chat.
Leaders need to establish regular communication between themselves, their staff, and team members.
Communication is a large part of listening. Leaders should be available to employees regularly to discuss concerns and issues. Communication skills include:
- Active listening
- Articulating
- Business storytelling
- Clarity
- Concision
- Correspondence
- Editing
- Explain
- Expression
- Facilitating group discussions
- Nonverbal communication
- Presentation
- Public speaking
- Reading body language
- Reduce ambiguity.
- Verbal communication
- Written communication
2. Motivation
You can motivate workers in a variety of ways. Recognition and rewards may help build self-esteem while giving employees new responsibilities will increase their investment in the company.
Leaders should know what motivates their team members or employees to encourage passion and productivity. These skills are essential for effective motivation:
- Employee autonomy (to an extent)
- Assessment of the staff’s interests
- Convincing
- Mentoring
- Employee concerns are welcome
- Persuasive
- Provide challenging and productive work
- Rewarding employees
- Recognizing others
- Effective goals
- Team-building
- Staff should be appreciated
- Understanding the differences between workers
3. Delegating
Leaders who attempt to do too much on their own will have difficulty completing tasks; delegating tasks can signify that a leader is strong.
You need to determine the skills of each employee and then assign tasks to them based on their skill sets. You can concentrate on more important tasks by delegating tasks. You need the following skills to be a great delegator:
- Employee feedback is accepted
- Allot resources to employees
- Assessment of employee strengths and limitations
- Determining your expectations
- Evaluation of employee performance
- Measurable outcomes identified
- Prioritizing tasks
- Set expectations
- Teamwork
- Time management
- Training
- Employees should have faith in you
4. Positivity
A positive attitude is a key ingredient to a productive office environment. It is important to be able to laugh at yourself when things don’t go according to plan, definitely not in a demeaning manner; this helps create a positive work environment that encourages creativity, collaboration, and a good sense of humor, even in stressful times.
Simple actions like asking employees about their vacation plans or weekend will create a positive environment in the office and increase morale.
Employees who feel they are a part of a positive work environment will be more inclined to return to work and be willing to work long hours if necessary. These skills are key to creating a positive workplace environment:
- Caring
- Conflict management
- Develop rapport
- Diplomacy
- Encouragement
- Empathetic
- Friendliness
- Helping others
- Humor
- Interpersonal
- Positive reinforcement
- Respect
- Social
5. Trustworthiness
Employees should feel at ease speaking with their leaders and managers. Your integrity is essential. You can encourage honesty and openness in your staff by being transparent and sincere. These qualities and skills will help you communicate your trustworthiness in leadership.
- Ability to forgive
- Accountability
- Business ethics
- Confidentiality
- Conscientious
- Consistent behavior toward employees
- Credibility
- Emotional intelligence
- Empathy
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Moral compass
- Reliability
- Respectfulness
6. Creativity
Sometimes you are expected to lead various decisions without a clear answer. Therefore, you must be able to think outside the box.
You can solve a problem by learning to use nontraditional approaches or look at it differently.
A leader who isn’t afraid to take risks and does not follow the conventional route will inspire many employees. These skills are related to creativity.
- Analytical
- Cognitive flexibility
- Conceptualization
- Critical thinking
- Curiosity
- Embracing different cultural perspectives
- Foresight
- Identifying patterns
- Imaginative
- Innovative
- Listening to other people’s ideas
- Make abstract connections
- Observation
- Open-mindedness
- Problem Solving
- Sound judgment
- Synthesizing
- Vision
7. Feedback
Leaders must always look for ways to provide useful information to their team members about their performance. There is a fine line between giving advice and providing assistance to employees and micromanaging. You will be more comfortable delegating tasks to employees if you teach them how to improve their work.
Employees will appreciate a leader who gives feedback in an empathetic but clear manner. You can use these skills to give clear feedback:
- Open to feedback
- Employee confidence
- Clarity
- It is important to state your expectations clearly
- Coaching
- Follow up
- Regular feedback
- Listening to employees’ responses
- Mentoring
- Positive reinforcement
- Giving specific advice
- Respectful
8. Responsibilities
Leaders are responsible for the success and failures of their teams. It would be best if you were open to taking responsibility for what goes wrong.
Accept your mistakes and learn from them. Then, find clear ways to improve. These are the qualities and skills that leaders need to communicate their responsibility.
- Recognize your mistakes
- Customer feedback is welcome
- Evaluating best solutions
- Forecasting
- Learn from past mistakes
- Listening to employees’ and managers’ feedback
- Planning a project
- Reflectiveness
- Problem-solving
- Transparency
- Troubleshooting
9. Commitment
Leaders must follow through on what they promise. Employees will follow your lead and be open to working extra hours to complete assignments.
Similar to the previous point, if you promise your employees a reward such as an office party or a gift, you must always keep your word. If employees cannot do the same, a leader can’t expect them to do their job and be committed to their tasks. These skills are important for workplace commitment:
- Feedback
- Engagement in company goals
- The determination
- Embracing professional development
- Follow these steps
- Keeping promises
- Passion
- Perseverance
- Prioritization
- Professionalism
- Player for the team
- Work ethic
10. Flexibility
There are always mishaps and last-minute changes at work. Leaders must be flexible and open to accepting any changes that may come their way. Your employees will appreciate your ability to adapt and solve problems creatively.
Leaders must also be open to feedback and suggestions. Listen to your employees if they are unhappy with a particular aspect of the workplace environment and make changes if necessary. Flexibility skills include:
- Capacity to learn new skills
- Able to quickly respond to new issues or problems
- Adaptability
- Improvising
- Negotiating
- We are open to receiving feedback
- Recognizing the strengths and talents of individuals
- Employees as individuals
Read More: The Importance of Personal Development and Self-Improvement
Read More: Steps on Building a Strong and Positive Work Ethics
Read More: Gratitude Changes You and Your Brain
How to Improve Your Leadership Skills
Good leadership skills can be practiced in any position, at any level. You can demonstrate dependability by showing up to meetings on time and putting in the work according to schedule. Leadership can also include offering support and coaching to less-experienced colleagues. You might be interested in leadership positions to improve your leadership skills.
These are just a few examples of ways that you can improve your leadership skills.
Leadership activities that are not related to work.
You may find leadership opportunities outside your workplace if you are having difficulty finding them on the job. You can take the initiative in organizing work outings or activities with colleagues. You can do various leadership-building activities at work to improve your skills and mentor your team.
Become the leader of an already existing group
You could belong to a book club, church group, sports team, or other hobby or club. Do you consider yourself the leader? Do they need one? Leading is the best way to improve leadership skills.
Create a new team or group
Start your own hobby or sport if you are passionate about it and there isn’t one in your area. You will gain valuable leadership experience by planning, initiating, and managing a group with short- and long-term goals. It will also enrich your life and help you develop a hobby.
Study leadership styles you admire.
Pay attention to the qualities that make leaders great, whether in your workplace or your community. You can focus on improving those qualities and then apply them to your job. You might also find it helpful to have specific goals for each practice.
Read More: 5 Books You Must Read As A Business Leaders
Find a mentor
Learning from those you admire is the best way to learn. Ask a mentor to guide you on a monthly or weekly basis if you are able. You can set goals to become a better leader and use their skills.
