7 Leadership Skills for Career Success
Forget following the leader, these days it’s all about creating your own path for success.
Maybe you’re looking to prove you deserve a promotion during your next performance appraisal, or you’re a manager looking to brush up on your talent management skills.
It takes more than career experience to climb the corporate ladder – now more than ever companies are looking to promote people who have soft skills in addition to the right job qualifications.
Soft skills include things like communication style, problem-solving skills, ability to mediate, etc.
They focus more on your social ability and how you relate and communicate with other people.
What leadership skills do you need to be an effective leader?
1. Good leaders are curious
One of the soft skills quality is curiosity. curious people are more open-minded. They have a strong desire to acquire knowledge and information, and a genuine appetite for learning.
“They tend to embrace change (or are, at least, less resistant to change) and are well-suited to working in dynamic industries and environments. And because curious people are motivated to understand, they’re often creative (out-of-the-box) thinkers.
“All of these things make curiosity a quality which is both valuable and attractive in future leaders.”
2. Good leaders work to serve their employees
The single most important leadership trait when it comes to promoting someone is their ability to serve others. The importance of such a leadership trait can influence the organizational well-being on many levels including the creation of more leaders, a more knowledgeable and able workforce, increased job satisfaction, and much more tangible as well as intangible benefits.
3. Good leaders empower their employees
“A good leader needs to do more than look out for themselves. They must also act as talent developers. It is believe that management is a privilege and one must actively earn that honor by helping employees achieve their best. That comes from focused feedback and consistent coaching.”
4. Good leaders are humble
“Leaders can’t have a big ego. They have to be selfless and not be concerned about how much praise or recognition they receive from the outside world. An effective leader empowers employees, while bad leaders often make employees feel insignificant.
5.Good leaders go above and beyond
“look for people who are leading up. Leading up means advising your boss and guiding them toward the best possible solution to a problem. For example, an individual contributor is going to know more about the day-to-day impact of management’s decisions on employee morale. The individual contributor can lead up by describing to their supervisor what impact new policies or systems will have on the team at the ground level”.
Additionally, see employees willing to take on responsibilities that go beyond their job description. Are they willing to cut across job roles or departments to get things done? No one would ever want to promote a person who utters the phrase that is not my job.”
6.Good leaders face challenges head on
The most important leadership skill to look for is someone who runs towards the company fires, not away from them.
“Every business has its challenges. Many people avoid tackling the difficult issues or stay within the confines of their defined role. But the people who notice the opportunities for growth and then try to do something about them are the ones to look for. They’re the people who will inspire and lead people.”
7. Good leaders are great communicators
Strong communication skills are what we look for when promoting internal talent. Knowing what to do to drive a business forward is one thing, but sharing that vision and getting those plans in motion is another matter entirely.
“Nothing sucks the motivation out of a team quite like a leader that can’t, or won’t, talk to their people. If you can’t stand up and address your staff, or talk to them frankly one on one, then you can’t hope to inspire the kind of confidence necessary to get the job done and blaze a trail to success. It takes a confident communicator to make sure plans and tasks are explained, delegated, and carried out effectively-to get everyone on the same page and working towards the same goal as a unit.”
Be the leader you want to see in the world
The most important piece of leadership advice you can take away is to be yourself. It’s impossible to be every type of leader, so use the tips from this article to find your perfect fit. Leading with authenticity will help take you far in your career.