Developing Your Leadership Skills Dr. Adrian Cohen
When handed a leadership position, it’s not always easy to jump right into the role and start doing it. You may not know how to approach certain situations such as discipline or helping your team get out of a bind. Wherever you find yourself struggling, it’s always possible to develop your leadership skills. A myriad of methods exist that can help individuals improve their leadership skills, and here are a few of them.
Improve Your Communication Skills Communication is often considered the most important part of being a leader. If one lacks communication skills, they will likely fail in any sort of leadership role. A great way to start improving your own communication skills is to over-communicate with your team. This may sound odd, but by over-communicating, you can make sure nothing gets misunderstood or misinterpreted. A popular method to constantly develop your communication abilities is to have routine meetings with each of your team members or anyone you’re working on a project with. It’s important to constantly strive towards improving one’s communication skills as they are a powerful tool in your arsenal.
Learn How To Build Teams Without a team, a leader has nobody to lead. In order to make sure the team succeeds, leaders need to know how to create successful team dynamics. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important your teams are as balanced as possible. Pay attention to each of your co-worker’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as who works best with who. Having a basic understanding of personality dynamics as well as how different personalities work together will give you the ability to not only be a better leader but a better teammate as well.
Find Ways To Lead Outside Work Leading in a nonwork capacity is another great way to improve your leadership abilities. Many groups exist that are constantly looking for people willing to offer their time and abilities. By joining a group like that, you can learn about leadership in capacities you’re not used to. If you’ve never worked with an operational budget before, you’re more likely to do so by leading in different environments.
Take An Online Leadership Course While this may be the most obvious way to develop your skills, it’s a surefire method. Many online courses exist that can help one improve their professional skills. One popular course is the MOGUL Career Course, which features resources and expert advice that can help one grow into a stronger and more confident leader. Many other courses exist as well, so you have plenty of choices to make sure you make the most of your leadership abilities.
Whether you’re brand new to leadership or you’ve been a leader for years, it’s always possible to improve your leadership abilities. New problems arise every day and sharp, open-minded individuals being put into leadership positions is a key way to solve them. Think about where you’re lacking in the leadership department, and start developing your abilities right away.
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