How To Improve Your Leadership Skills

Leadership skills play a central role in career development. Technical skills and further education can only take you so far, and many career paths inevitably end up reaching positions with leadership responsibilities.

To become an effective leader and propel your career forward, you’ll need soft skills, such as the ability to communicate and listen effectively, look inward to reflect on your own strengths and weaknesses, and find ways to inspire and empower your team. That’s just the start, though. There are a wide range of leadership skills you can work on improving to establish yourself as a successful, inspiring leader.

Why is leadership important?

Leadership is the ability to inspire and organise people to achieve a shared goal, usually with a deadline. A common misconception, however, is that leadership is innate, and that leaders are born. Just like with any other skill, you can learn how to become a good leader, building the required qualities and abilities along the way.

Good leadership is an integral role in the success of any organisation as it facilitates strong teams, maintained work ethic, and the ability to complete tasks effectively. It also plays a part in keeping motivation and morale high in a business, potentially reducing employee turnover and ensuring the continued success of a team.

Influential leaders can see beyond the immediate term – guiding teams and businesses as a whole towards new challenges and driving projects forward. They will also help their colleagues to grow by providing guidance, training, and advice when needed.

Leadership skills

Passion

Staff want a boss who is passionate about their subject of expertise, and they’re more likely to respond to leaders who are eager to help them learn and grow. 

Self-awareness

Developing leadership skills takes time and effort, beginning with a thorough examination of your strengths and weaknesses. Finely tuned self-awareness and the ability to self-analyse are critical leadership skills. 

Goal setting

It isn’t easy to achieve anything without first establishing a plan of action. Therefore, leaders should be comfortable plotting routes to business objectives that include measurable milestones along the way.

Humility

Even the most impressive leaders make mistakes – it’s how they respond and learn from them that sets them apart. When you make an error, admit it and take the appropriate action to correct it. Be open about your failures and discuss them with your team. Learning from your failures and improving on them will inspire your team to do the same when they encounter challenges at work. 

Inspirational and motivational

An effective leader positively influences people and when employees lose their ambition and drive, they’ll be able to re-energise them. They can do this by identifying the needs and desires of their staff. If an employee is seeking recognition for their efforts, for instance, an attuned leader will respond accordingly, not let their achievement go unnoticed.

Initiative

Avoid complacency by stepping out of your comfort zone and striving to improve. You can do this by offering help in other areas of the business, which will boost your leadership credentials by developing your business knowledge across the board. Your colleagues will also be more likely to accept you as a leader if you have a track record of taking the initiative.

Critical thought

Good leaders foresee problems before they happen, allowing them to implement effective contingency plans. They also create opportunities to propel the business forward through proactivity and lateral thinking, so keep abreast of your current processes and try to spot areas that can be improved.

Listening skills

Although often overlooked, listening is one of the most critical communication skills. Effective listening will ensure you can take feedback on board and learn from your team while absorbing crucial information, which you can then apply to boost teamwork, improve the business, and more. 

Delegation

A successful leader doesn't micromanage; they delegate work to their employees, thus empowering them. Establishing role clarity, responsibilities, and deadlines are crucial steps towards completing a project, while allowing leaders to focus on their immediate goals.

How to develop leadership skills 

There are many different types of leaders, but very few people naturally have all the skills required. Most of us need to learn, develop, and improve our leadership skills by gaining experience, which involves identifying and mastering the essential skills and characteristics that are required to become a successful leader.

What’s more, leadership skillsets aren’t one-size-fits-all, they can vary. For example, you might possess excellent soft skills that are perfect for leadership, such as empathy and patience, whereas a colleague might have other leadership skills like decisiveness and calculated risk-taking.

Whatever your natural strengths, developing leadership skills that align with those aptitudes will help you transform both your professional and personal life. To increase your leadership capacity, start by asking yourself the following three questions:

What is my natural leadership style?

Understanding your current leadership style will help you develop managerial skills that align with your personality. Are you democratic in your approach or more commanding? Perhaps you're a pacesetter or a strategic visionary? By understanding your natural style and inclinations, you can begin to develop your strengths further and improve upon your weaknesses.

What are my weak points?

Take a personal inventory by honestly examining yourself. Are you empathetic to the needs of others? Do you work to bring out the best in them, or dominate them? Addressing your weak points will enable you to develop a holistic skillset. 

Develop your leadership style

After taking inventory, start planning how you will hone your leadership. Essentially, you will be looking to develop your current strengths while improving your weaker ones. For example, if you lack confidence, you can take steps to building self-confidence by enrolling on a leadership or management course. With practice, you will begin to embody the skills you are honing.