4 Leadership Skills That Can Always Be Developed Further

A leader is not just a boss who spends their day managing tasks, delegating, and supervising their employees – they are much more than that. John Maxwell has said that “The single biggest way to impact an organization is to focus on leadership development. There is almost no limit to the potential of an organization that recruits good people, raises them up as leaders, and continually develops them.” Strong team leaders are a must for any company, no matter how big or small – but leadership development is also a must. Everyone knows that the best leaders are honest, empathetic, and clear communicators, but it takes much more than these traits to be a truly successful leader. In order to improve your leadership skills to benefit both yourself and your organization, work on cultivating and honing these skills.??

Creativity

Creativity enables you to solve problems in new and innovative ways, advancing your company and coming up with new models for success. Being open to new ideas helps you think outside the box. This will help you see opportunities where others see challenges. As a team leader, you're a problem solver, which requires a bit of creativity.

A strong team leader must:

? ? Think outside the box when solving problems and trying new things.

? ? Be willing to take calculated risks.

? ? See different perspectives from other people.

It's also important to be open-minded. As a leader, you must keep your mind open and receptive to new ideas or suggestions from your employees. One of the most underrated communication skills is listening and actually hearing what your team is saying. If a team member brings up an unconventional or crazy idea, give it thought before passing on it. By having a creative approach to problem-solving and listening to your team, you open yourself up to new ideas and higher levels of success.?

Humility

A strong team leader is humble. Being humble doesn't mean being weak or subservient; it means being willing to admit that your ideas aren't always the best and that someone else may see something you missed. Being humble and listening to input from your team makes other team members feel valued and more engaged with their work. Be a leader who values everyone's input regardless of title or tenure in their role (or company). By being humble, you will gain respect from those around you--and earn loyalty from everyone on your team.

Passion

Passion is the fuel that drives your team forward, and it's contagious. When you're passionate about your mission, everyone around you can feel it. They want to follow you and help you achieve the goal because they believe in what you're doing, too.

This is especially true if there are times when things get tough or the project hits a setback. Passion is what keeps people going through moments where they might otherwise give up or doubt themselves. It's the job of a leader to instill passion and keep the team focused on the bigger goal.

Decisiveness

Great team leaders are decisive. They make decisions quickly, thoughtfully, and stick to them. They don't look for consensus or advice from others before making a call, but they ensure everyone is on board before moving forward. As a strong leader, you need to make tough calls even under stressful circumstances.

Lead Yourself

Leadership development is not easy. It requires discipline and time. But by cultivating these qualities in yourself, you can become a better leader and bring your team to new heights. As Maxwell says, there is no limit to the success that you and your company can find when you focus on becoming the best leader and propelling your employees to the top.

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Tom Popomaronis is Executive Vice President of Innovation at Massive Alliance, a global executive branding agency. Tom co-founded Massive's Executive Leadership Branding program – which transforms world-class executives into contributing authors at leading publications.

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