Developing leadership skills

Developing Leadership Skills

More than one book has been written on leadership and what it takes to be a good one. In fact, probably hundreds of them have been written. What are some of the best lessons offered from all that has been shared?

Listening Recently Simon Sinek gave a talk where he spoke about the importance of listening ‌ before speaking. One of the things he talked about was that a good leader allows the people around them to express their thoughts and opinions on a topic before the leader

shares their ideas. They can question what others say to gain more perspective and information. But only if the leader waits can he truly find out what others are thinking. But it is more than that, in hearing what others say first, it means all those people will feel that they have been heard, that their opinion matters, whatever the final decision.

Discovering Others No leader can do everything themselves. If they could, there would be no need to lead, because there would be no need of helpers and followers. One of the best things a leader can do is to discover the strengths … and weaknesses … of their people. Finding out what they want to do most of the time and what things they long to learn about and try. When the leader discovers this information, they can put people into positions where they shine. They can help them find ways to develop the talents they want to, and what they shouldn’t be doing.

The more the workers can do what they love and turn away from what they don’t, the higher quality will be their work and what they do for the organization. They also will be more likely to stay with the company rather than seek new job opportunities. That saves a lot of costs and training time.

Confidence A lot of people believe that a leader needs to be confident in what they do and can do. That helps, but what they need even more is to establish a feeling of confidence in the people who follow them and how they feel about the leader. That takes time to develop. It requires working together and establishing a history where the employees can see you do what you say you will. That you are

always working for the good of the company as well as the people working there. Then confidence grows in their hearts.

Clear Vision In many ways, this is part of building confidence in others. If the leader does not see what needs to be done down the road and in the present, then they cannot lead effectively. Even if the vision is wrong and needs to be changed, if what they see is in focus, the leader can move forward with confidence. Course corrections are often needed, even when the choices are good, so there is no need for a leader to worry about making mistakes, so long as they are ready to shift with the changes and keep focus on what the ultimate destination is for the organization.

What other things do you think a leader should be focusing on?