Leadership skills
Whether running your own business or leading teams in an office setting, the best leaders require a strong set of leadership qualities to help positively interact with their employees, team members, and clients. Leadership skills
Behavioral theories suggest that leadership skills aren’t ingrained and can be taught, people can obtain leadership qualities through teaching and learning these skills over time.
Here are the top five leadership skills that make a strong leader in the workplace.
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Communication
As a leader, you need to be able to clearly and succinctly explain to your employees everything from organizational goals to specific tasks. Leaders must master all forms of communication, including one-on-one, departmental, and full-staff conversations, as well as communication via the phone, email, and social media.
A large part of communication involves listening. Therefore, leaders should establish a steady flow of communication between themselves and their staff or team members, either through an open-door policy or regular conversations with workers. Leaders should make themselves regularly available to discuss issues and concerns with employees.
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Confidence
Unfortunately, confidence can be one of those things you either have or don’t have, but I believe that it can be practiced and learned. Confidence has to do with your inner perception of your ability to fulfill a particular role and is built through your experiences and dealings during your life.
To build your confidence you need to be open to new experiences and be willing to fail or you’ll never grow and find the strength needed to push the limits of what you’re capable of.
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Problem solving
The core responsibility of any leader is to resolve all organizational problems at every level. The problem can be internal, i.e., within various departments, employees, teams, etc. It can also be external like that with the clients, market conditions, stiff competition, etc.
The chief task of the leader is to analyze the entire situation logically and with a cool head. The consequence of this would be a fast action-oriented decision that would work in the best interest of the organization and its employees.
It is the problem-solving skill that helps any leader to analyze and anticipate trends. It gives her direction and ideas for strategic planning which lists under important leadership skills as well. Due to the successful turn-around of any problem, the leader can inspire his team, cultivate his image as dependable and earn the respect of all.
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Delegating
When you manage people and projects, you must ensure everything is completed by the deadline. You need to keep your team productive with realistic workloads. Smart delegating isn’t as simple as handing out assignments, it also requires assigning tasks based on each team member’s strengths and weaknesses.
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Giving & receiving feedback
Speaking of strengths and weaknesses, leaders have to provide team members with positive feedback and constructive criticism. Positive feedback helps keep people productive, happy, and loyal. Constructive criticism helps them grow, perform better, and advance in their career.
Similarly, leaders should regularly seek feedback about what they’re doing right and what they could do differently. Asking for feedback shows respect and dedication to the team, but being genuinely receptive and implementing useful suggestions is what matters.
Adopting and nurturing these qualities will not only help you survive as a leader but also thrive with your team and the organisation in-stride!
