From Good to Great: How to Take Your Leadership Skills to the Next Level

Of course, you’ve heard the legendary Vince Lombardi quote, “Leaders aren’t born, they are made.” But maybe you haven’t heard the second half of the quote, “And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”

The truth is that while some of us may have natural leadership skills, all leaders become better with practice, training, and experience. Putting in the hard work—in the right way—is what helps good leaders become great leaders.?

In this article, we look at why leadership matters, the role purpose plays, and how to truly take your—or your team’s—leadership skills to the next level.?

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The business benefits of great leadership

Great leadership gives a business or organization a competitive advantage because it provides vision and direction and strengthens decision-making capabilities. Strong leadership also engages, inspires, and develops employees, fosters accountability and drives performance, builds individual and team resilience, and helps to cultivate positive relationships between colleagues, with customers, and other stakeholders. Ultimately, with a great leader at the helm, a business can better navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and fuel sustainable growth.?

Great leadership also improves the bottom line. According to studies by the Center for Creative Leadership and others, companies that put effective leadership development programs in place see a positive impact on financial performance. This derives from improved profitability, productivity, and customer satisfaction as well as from higher levels of innovation and employee engagement. It’s therefore no surprise that 83% of businesses agree that leadership development is important at every level—but what may be surprising is that only 5% of organizations have actually implemented it at all levels. The gulf between these percentages reveals that while business leaders understand that developing leaders improves company performance, it’s not actually getting done.?

The role of purpose in great leadership

Before going further into how to fill the gap and which skills to focus on, let’s take a moment to examine the role of purpose in great leadership.?

In another recent piece, we shared McKinsey data that reveals the strong connection between purpose and work. In essence, McKinsey found that seven in 10 people define their purpose through their work—the role they play as individuals as well as the connection between their contributions and the company vision and direction. For younger generations in the workforce, like Millennials and Gen Z, the number is likely even higher, given their desires for transparency, ethical leadership, and a diverse and inclusive workplace.??

This is where the connection between purpose and great leadership comes into focus. Great leaders define and lead with purpose because it provides clear direction and motivates others; helps them lead with transparency and integrity; and helps to provide a north star for others to follow, both on their teams and throughout an organization. Purpose also helps leaders guide teams through challenges and setbacks and remain positive when faced with stress and uncertainty.?

Purpose is most powerful when personal purpose merges with company vision, mission, and direction—and it’s a great leader who can ultimately make and sustain this connection.?

The key skills of great leadership

Now that we have established the connection between purpose and great leadership, let’s look at the key skills separating great from merely good leadership. These include:?

• Vision and direction. Great leaders inspire with a clear vision and direction that makes the effort and sacrifice worth it.?
• Communication. Great leaders know how to communicate a compelling purpose to team members and align them toward the goal to create a sense of unity, connection, and shared motivation. They understand their communication style and how to adjust it to situation and need, and when to be transparent and open.?
• Emotional intelligence. Great leaders have developed self-awareness, understanding how they come across and both the positives and negatives. They also cultivate empathy and relationship-building skills to bring people along on achieving their goal.?
• Decision-making. Great leaders develop the ability to make informed and timely decisions, as well as how to explain them if they are controversial or difficult—and always connect them back to the “why” of the organization and the effort.?
• Strategic thinking. Great leaders develop a long-term vision and align it with organizational and team goals. They imagine the future and envision the steps between today and achieving whatever the goal may be.??

Effective leadership development

Building great leaders is a journey—and it starts with assessing current leadership skills and identifying areas for improvement. Becoming a great leader or building great leadership is a journey, one that requires embracing a mindset of continuous improvement.?

Let’s be clear, too: leadership development isn’t just for the C suite. It’s for every level because strong leadership helps today as well as secures your business’s future. Effective leadership development for your organization takes participants through:?

• Evaluation to understand exactly where your organization is and what it needs
• Equipping leaders with tools and training to develop key leadership skills?
• Executing with coaching, programs and more to help your people realize their full potential—and achieve results for your business?

If your organization is one of the 95% that has yet to implement leadership, we can help. Purpose-Fueled Leader helps create thriving cultures by equipping leadership teams with tools and training that increase employee engagement, effective communication and emotional intelligence. Learn more at Purpose-Fueled Leader

https://www.purposefueledleader.com.