Do you have practical leadership skills?
Most of us feel that we can be more effective leaders of our team and often get lost not knowing what to do. All we need is to know which practical leadership skills we lack and work on strengthening our skillsets.
Targets are not met and goals seem to be out of reach but what is most disheartening is the fact that the harder you try the worse you get.
Why is it that you don't catch up with all the nitty-gritty of having a highly successful and effective team to surround you?
We all have been there when it just feels like we do not have the leadership qualities to be a good leader.
Are you on the wrong job? Maybe, but it is possible to get out of the rut by being determined to succeed.
How to get more efficient as a leader
Leadership skills and leadership style are two main things you will have to develop to become the leader you want to be.
By now you understand the importance of leadership skills and the need for continuous leadership development in business.
It is also important to know that the leadership skills you have will greatly determine the leadership style you will adopt throughout your career.
It is difficult to change your style but is possible to learn how to apply various leadership styles to certain situations as needed.
There are various leadership styles but what works for one person might not be suitable for someone else. Organizations also differ from each other and circumstances might require a different style of leadership.
For example, a leader who runs an efficient team will need to be less autocratic than someone who has a newly established team.
To become more efficient it is important that you immediately start to develop the skills you do not have.
In today's world, it is easy as we have access to the web and an unlimited supply of information and online courses.
There is no excuse for being an ineffective or poor leader.
What are the important skills of a practical leader?
The true leader will have practical leadership skills that can be placed into two categories.
Interpersonal Skills
These are the skills that are applied to build relationships with your team members or can be seen as social skills such as:
Empathy
Although you are a team it is necessary for the leader to treat people as individuals as well. No two persons have the same needs and experiences.
A good leader will know how to allow people room to move in. It is important for the morale and motivation of the team to make errors and allow the growth of individuals.
In other words, a good leader knows his team and their needs.
Trust
Being a leader does not automatically grant you the right to trust although many think so and that puts them into the "Boss" zone.
Individuals in your team must trust that what they hear and see is what they get.
This means that the leader must be honest and consistent in the execution of daily activities and also ensure that promises are delivered.
Respect
The same goes for respect as it does for trust. You cannot demand respect. It will come itself by you being respectful to others and they will return the respect.
Not having the respect of your team will impact negatively team performance.
Generosity
The leader must be willing to reward where it is applicable.
Being generous doesn't need to be of monetary value but a real leader will know the needs of his individual team members and reward them accordingly.
Sharing
As a team, all of you must share the same experiences.
Leaders who spend time with their team will understand the dynamics of their teams better than those who prefer to be separated from all team activities.
Operational Skills
Communication
Probably the biggest management skill a leader can possess is the end purpose of communication.
What is communicated must be useful to the team or it will damage motivation and morale.
Too many leaders jabber away at their employees on negative issues and the real issue gets lost very easily. If you can't say something positive - SHUT UP!!!
By developing your communication skills it is possible to raise negative issues in a positive way and in a way that turning them around will have a positive outcome for the team.
Many online communication courses can help you define positive communication. This can also benefit you in your personal life.
Another important part of communication is the listening part. Good leaders listen more than they talk and my favorite leadership quote is:
"If you don't allow your employees to speak you will soon be surrounded by people who have nothing to say"
Team Building
It is important that as a leader you have the skills to build a team that will support you 100% and a team that can recognize and trust you to lead them well.
As a leader, you must recruit in the right place, select good people who fulfil your requirements, train them, measure them, and motivate them to succeed.
Motivating your team is important as it will encourage innovation and self-development.
Organizational Culture
A leader must have the right skills to develop a positive and lively culture for the organization. Nobody wants to work for a boring deadbeat or a failing entity.
Leaders encourage people to be positive and perform to their best ability and beyond to be part of a recognizable company.
Your skills as a leader must be to encourage, develop, reward, and promote high performance.
Business Skills
Finally, a leader must have the business acumen to determine team performance against goals. If the business does not make a profit the leader and his team have failed.
Performance encourages growth and opportunities for all employees and customers alike.
Decision-making is also another business skill that a leader should have in order to guide people in the right direction to achieve goals.
Having a healthy business and efficient team makes decision-making easier.
Practical leadership skills - Summary
There are hundreds of practical leadership skills you can teach yourself to become a better leader.
Identify your weaknesses and build your skillsets for more effective leadership.
Above are just a few and I suggest you follow one or more of the leadership courses I suggest below. It will give you the edge and encouragement to succeed as a leader.
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