What are the top leadership skills you need for success in your career?

The world of business is constantly changing. This is especially true today with instant communication and the rise of the gig economy. Companies are more dispersed, with employees working remotely across flatter organizational structures. This, along with the increasingly fast pace of market changes, puts a huge strain on leadership. Businesses and organizations need to have strong leadership more than ever. But, how can you become a great leader?

If you are a natural-born leader, then congratulations. You are one of the chosen few. However, most people have to work hard to build and perfect their leadership skills. Being a leader is more than just managing or supervising people. It takes a lot of different skills. While none of them are particularly unique or special on their own, it does require taking those skills to a much, much higher level. Whether you’re looking for a managerial job, wanting to impress your current CEO, hoping to become the next big thing, or just trying to be a better leader in your current job, there are certain professional skills you need to have and improve.

If you are looking to grab a leadership role, then, you will have to beef up multiple skills at once. That’s what this article is about, and here’s what we’re going to talk about:

• What is a leader, and what are leadership skills?

• Becoming a good leader

• The 13 best leadership skills to improve

• Final thoughts

What is a leader and what are examples of leadership skills?

Leadership isn’t about having people report to you and it’s not a title. It’s about having influence over people and inspiring others to be successful. This covers a lot of ground and is very subjective. Here are a few examples of what leaders are or do:

• A go-to person for subject expertise within an organization

• A creative thinker that freely shares ideas in meetings

• The person that makes everyone feel included and valued on the team

• An active listener and consensus builder

• Someone that can effectively articulate how they think the organization can get ahead

Leadership skills are the abilities you possess that help you to direct processes, guide initiatives, and steer people toward the achievement of defined goals. They are like other skills, but are essential in enabling executives to make informed decisions about their organization's vision, mission, strategies, and goals, and to effectively and efficiently allocate the resources necessary to achieve them.

How do you become an effective leader?

Leadership can be a learned behavior and has many attributes. To become an effective leader, you need to honestly assess who you are as a communicator and collaborator. List out your strengths and weaknesses. Objectively review those and think about whether they are helping or hindering your efforts to become a better leader.

Once you know yourself better, then you can move forward with a plan to improve your leadership. Here are some steps to take that will get you started down the path to being a great leader:

• Get a mentor - Find someone that has been there and can guide you in your journey because this will be invaluable to becoming an effective leader. A mentor will provide you with an objective view and will help you to develop leadership skills. Find an established leader in your respective industry or industries. Having more than one mentor is a great idea. The more knowledge and guidance you can get, the better. It’s also great for networking.

• Be a team player - A leader cannot get anywhere without their team. You’ve got to be able to relate to and work well with your team. One of the best and simplest ways to do this is to listen. Take the time to understand where team members are coming from and what they are interested in. This will help you to better leverage their strengths and abilities. You also need to help them solve their problems. If they are successful, then you will be successful.

• Be passionate - Once you set your sights on being a leader in a specific area, then go after it with all you’ve got. People recognize passion and it can be infectious. This is another trait you will see in all great leaders. They are laser focused and extremely passionate about whatever their cause is.

• Know your limits - Being a leader is tough, and you’ve got to pace yourself. Going too hard, too fast at anything is a recipe for burn out. This includes both your physical and professional limits. Working hard is necessary, but overworking is not. Learn the physical limits of your mind and body, and know when to take a break. Leading by example includes recognizing when to give yourself or others a breather.

• Continually develop yourself - Life is a learning experience, and it never ends. This is especially true for anyone that aspires to be a great leader. People expect leaders to be extremely knowledgeable and wise. That’s a tall order. How do you do that? Read books, attend conferences and seminars, take professional training, and network with other leaders. Developing yourself will boost your self-confidence. It will also rub off on your colleagues and followers, inspiring them to develop themselves.

13 of the top leadership skills to have

Now that we have covered what leadership is, what leaderships skills are, and how to go about developing as a leader, let’s get into some of the core leadership skills that you need to focus on building:

1. Communication - Being able to communicate well is the cornerstone to being effective at just about any job. Without this, you will be unable to get people to do what needs to be done, and you will likely run into all sorts of issues. A leader must excel at communicating. This is what they spend the majority of their time doing.

2. Decision-making - Making decisions quickly and correctly is another core skill that any good leader must have. Quick actions can make the difference between success and failure. Being able to make a fast decision based on incomplete information is the hallmark of a great leader.

3. Confidence - A confident leader is important because people look to that person to know how to behave, particularly when things are not going well. Being calm, collected, and confident in every situation demonstrates to your staff the best way to act and keeps morale up.

4. Trustworthiness - How do you become a trustworthy leader? Acting in an ethical and fair manner is critical. Always be open and honest. Follow through on your commitments and do what you said you would do. Stand up for what you believe in. Leaders that act with integrity will gain the trust and loyalty of their employees and customers. 

5. Motivating others - Being a leader means you accomplish things through the efforts of others. The ability to motivate people to do things is a must for any leader. You have to be able to inspire people and provide them with clear direction on how to accomplish objectives. Be passionate about your goals, show your employees the vision, and give them appropriate appreciation and recognition for their achievements.

6. Positivity - No one likes a negative Nancy. A bad attitude can spread through your staff like wildfire. It’s not always easy to maintain a positive outlook, but it is much more productive. Avoid complaining or getting angry in front of your team. Choose your words carefully to accentuate the positive. Focus on successes (large or small) and celebrate them when they occur. 

7. Empathy - Thinking about and acting to help others is a big factor in leading people. Demonstrate that it’s not all about you. People will respond much better when they feel they are working for someone that cares about them. Get to know your team as individuals and understand their motivations. This will greatly help you guide them and provide what they need to succeed and be happy.

8. Accepting and delegating responsibility - A great leader knows how to take on more responsibilities, but it is just as important for them to know how and when to give up responsibility. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses in your team will allow you to best allocate the work. Good delegation is difficult because you need to give up direct control of tasks to someone else. You must give your staff the autonomy to perform their jobs and to make decisions on their own. Don’t micromanage or look over their shoulders.

9. Strategic thinking - Knowing how to get things done is important, but a leader needs to see the big picture. Taking the long view can help avoid short- and long-term problems. A leader uses critical thinking to gather data and determine the best solutions to pressing strategic challenges. They look far into the future to figure out what the correct path is to get there. You can’t just rely on assumptions or your gut instincts when planning the future of your organization. Thinking across all time frames is a very challenging thing to do, but good leaders can because it ensures their success and the success of their businesses.

10. Team building - Recognizing skills and abilities in others is something that a great leader can do. This is what will enable you to build strong and high-performing teams. The saying goes that a team is only as strong as its weakest link. Leaders know how to assess strengths and weaknesses in their team. Knowing who to hire, promote, delegate to, and fire is an ability a strong leader has.

11. Giving feedback - This ties directly into several of the other skills we talked about like communication, motivation, empathy, and trustworthiness. They all come together in giving helpful and appropriate feedback. In the case of negative feedback, a great leader can do this without belittling or insulting the person. The feedback must be clear and direct, and it must include how to rectify the situation. 

12. Recognition - Many studies have found that people value recognition very highly in their careers. It is crucial to motivate and retain the best employees. Don’t delay giving positive recognition. Annual reviews are great, but if you save all your recognition up for that, then you lose the opportunity to continually praise and reinforce positive behaviors. Taking the initiative to recognize people’s achievements makes all the difference in driving your team’s performance in the right direction.

13. Problem-solving - Running a business is all about solving problems, whether you are solving problems for a customer or addressing challenges within the business itself. A leader has to be very good at recognizing, analyzing, and fixing problems. Not just small day-to-day operational problems, but the big, challenging strategic issues that companies face. This goes back to decision-making and being strategic, as well as acting on incomplete information. A great problem-solver relies on both experience and the ability to analyze a situation. Doing both is difficult, but great leaders master this skill.

Final thoughts on core skills of a leader

Being a great leader isn’t easy. Everyone wants to be one, but few are up to the task. The skills required usually take many years to develop. However, using the above tips and building the key skills needed to be a great leader will put you ahead of the game. Leadership requires a lot of work and dedication, but if you know yourself and have a plan, then you can become the leader that guides your organization to reach new heights.

Key takeaways 

1. Being an exceptional leader isn’t easy

2. Assess where you are in your skill set and what your strengths and weaknesses are

3. Create a plan to build and improve your leadership skills

4. Focus on the skills you need

5. Achieve your goals and be a great leader