What is Leadership?
As we explore the 7 ways to vastly improve your leadership skills, you may ask yourself where do I start? The first question we should really be asking ourselves is what exactly is leadership? Once we understand this definition and what it entails, it will be easier to focus on where we can improve.
Leadership can be defined as the ability to inspire, influence, and guide a group of individuals towards a common goal or vision. It involves the capacity to motivate and mobilize others, effectively communicate and make decisions, and take responsibility for the overall success or progress of a team, organization, or community.
Leadership encompasses various qualities, skills, and behaviors that enable an individual to guide and inspire others. Each leader has their own style on how they lead their team, you may use all or just one. This will depend upon the individuals you are connecting with and their needs as well. Below are six different types of leaders.
Different Leadership Styles
- Visionary – Leaders who mobilize people toward a vision. They work best when a clear direction or change is needed.
- Coaching – Leaders who develop people for the future. They work best when helping people and building long-term strength.
- Affiliative – Leaders who create emotional bonds and harmony. They work best to heal rifts in teams or motivate people in stressful times.
- Democratic – Leaders who build consensus through participation. They work best to create consensus or get input.
- Pacesetting – Leaders who expect excellence and self-direction. They work best to get quick results from a highly competent team.
- Commanding – Leaders who demand immediate compliance. They work best in crisis or with problematic people.
Why is Leadership Important?
Leadership is important because it provides direction, inspires and motivates, drives innovation, and builds high-performing teams. Leaders also need to make informed decisions, resolve conflicts, cultivate a positive culture, nurture future leaders, build relationships, and drive organizational success. Effective leadership is a key driver of growth, productivity, and long-term sustainability.
To understand in greater detail why leadership is important I encourage you to check out this video on this book Leaders Eat Last. The author Simon Sinek, is helpful at explaining the importance of leadership in great detail and a comprehensive understanding to reach success.
Effective Communication
One of the first areas to focus on in improving your leadership skills is effective communication. Leaders that possess strong communication skills and can convey their ideas, expectations, and vision clearly and effectively are much more successful. They listen actively, provide feedback, and foster open and honest communication within their teams. Some of the areas to focus on regarding effective communication is below.
- Active Listening
- Difficult Conversations
- Emotional Intelligence
- Trust
- Frequent 1 on 1 communication
- Fostering team connection
Effective communication helps you understand and learn your team. An example to understanding your team is to take the time to learn their personality types. Such as, are your team members introverts or extroverts, as this could have an impact on how they receive and provide messages.
Coaching
Another area to focus on is coaching. Leaders have a responsibility to develop and nurture the next generation of leaders. They mentor, coach, and provide opportunities for growth and development. By investing in the development of future leaders, organizations ensure continuity and long-term success. This is also a form of networking.
While trying to foster the next generations of leaders be sure to look for individuals with high performing potential. Coach those individuals that are subject matter experts and have a long term commitment for growth. The main goal of coaching is for that individual to ‘take your job one day’. That is what true leadership is about. Coaching is about leading the individual to the conclusion, not telling them. Here is a great example of a coaching session where the individual came to the realization of next steps.
Decision Making
Leaders are responsible for making important decisions that impact the organization and its stakeholders. They gather and analyze relevant information, consider different perspectives, and make informed choices. Effective leaders weigh the risks and benefits, take into account the long-term implications, and make decisions that align with the organization’s values and goals. Sometimes a difficult decision can just be saying ‘no’ to something for the sake of the organization, stakeholders, or yourself.
Effective leaders are comfortable with ambiguity and can make tough decisions when necessary. Leaders should focus on all areas of their teams to ensure collaboration and growth. For example if a leader feels an employee is excelling, then maybe a promotion is needed for continued growth. Its important to be transparent about your decision making for accountability. Be sure to let them know what problem you are solving for, the timeframe for the final decision, why its important, and how the decision will be made.
Performance Management
Performance Management is important because it aligns goals, improves performance, and supports employee development. Part of managing performance is recognizing and rewarding achievements, promoting communication, and ensuring accountability. The leader is responsible for enabling succession planning and fostering a performance culture, such as employee engagement which contributes to organizational effectiveness. It is a critical process for driving individual and organizational success.
Now, always remember that performance management is a two way street. You as a leader have expectations of your employees, but they have expectations of YOU! So be sure to listen to their feedback as well. Another piece to remember is that performance management is not just once a year. You need to be actively managing each team member on a regular basis.
Leaders and employees both have responsibilities when it comes to this process. Leaders need to communicate clearly, consistently, and provide real time feedback. Employees need to take ownership of their development, timely communication, and follow policies and procedures.
Corrective Action
Conflict and challenges are inevitable in any organization. Leaders play a critical role in managing and resolving these issues. They possess strong interpersonal skills, mediate conflicts, and find constructive solutions. By addressing challenges proactively, leaders ensure a harmonious and productive work environment.
A corrective action is just that, an action that needs correcting. Taking appropriate steps to identify the root cause of a problem, implementing an action to prevent its recurrence, a correction to a failure. Some leaders are uncomfortable with confrontation, but as we noted above if you were following the other areas of leadership, these conversations should be ongoing. This conversation should never be ‘out of the blue’, then that becomes a manager failure for not addressing concerns. Employees can only fix what they know is wrong.
There are two key areas to a corrective action and that is what was discussed above communication. The second is documentation. As you continue to address areas of concern document each conversation, over time our memories fade, so its important to write it down as it occurs. Here is a good example of a corrective action of a top performer.
Change Management
Change management is important in leadership because it ensures successful implementation of change, minimizes resistance, maintains employee morale and engagement, sustains productivity and performance, and builds trust and confidence. Which will also facilitate organizational adaptability, aligns change with strategic objectives, and enhances leadership effectiveness. By prioritizing change management, leaders can effectively navigate transitions and drive organizational success in a rapidly changing world.
So always be the champion of change. Provide transparency and push a growth mindset with your teams. You personally may not like the change that is taking place, but you represent the organization, and need to champion the change for a smoother transition. Lead by example.
Engagement
Employee engagement is also very important in leadership because it leads to increased productivity, higher retention rates, improved employee satisfaction, and enhanced employee well-being. By engaging your team, it can lead to increased innovation and creativity, stronger teamwork and collaboration, and improved customer satisfaction. A stronger organizational inclusive culture can be grown and fostered through engagement. By prioritizing employee engagement, leaders create a positive work environment, foster a motivated and committed workforce, and drive organizational success.
So how can you engage your employees?
- Get to know them as people
- Focus on their strengths, provide the necessary tools to enhance their strenths
- Empower their potential, stop micromanaging, help them to learn from any failures
- Put them in a position of influence, provide a sense of responsibility
- Share your successes
- Communicate how the company is doing overall
- Provide recognition of their success
- Be consistent and have their backs, don’t assume loyalty
- Put your team first
- Provide a work-life balance
In Conclusion
Throughout this article we have discussed the 7 ways to vastly improve your leadership skills. Leadership is a multifaceted concept that is not limited to a specific position or title. It can be displayed at all levels of an organization and in various aspects of life. Effective leadership inspires and empowers others to achieve their full potential and collectively work towards shared objectives.
