Top 10 Leadership Skills: Do you have what it takes?

Stepping into a new level of leadership is a journey filled with both opportunities and challenges.

Wherever you are on your journey, honing your key leadership skills is pretty crucial when it comes to thriving as a successful and confident leader.

In this month’s Newsletter, I’m exploring the top 10 leadership skills that can help you elevate your leadership game.

Specifically, what they look like, why they’re important, the benefits they bring and what you can do right now to develop them.

The question is…how many do you have?

1. Being emotionally intelligent

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as cope with situations where other people emotions might be on the rise!

What it looks like:

????? Being a good listener

????? Being calm under pressure

????? Giving honest and supportive feedback

How to develop it:

●?????? Practice self-awareness by reflecting on your emotional responses and triggers.

●?????? Show empathy by understanding others’ perspectives.

●?????? Engage in mindfulness practices for better physical and mental health and well-being.

Benefits: Emotional Intelligence helps you in building stronger relationships, enhancing team morale and effectively managing stress and conflicts.

2. Being a good communicator

Leaders need to be able to clearly articulate what they need, their vision, goals, and expectations.

What it looks like:

????? Keeping your team informed.

????? Sharing both successes and challenges openly.

????? Encouraging open and honest feedback.

How to develop it:

●?????? Be straightforward in conversations both on and off-line.

●?????? Be an active listener and don’t let your mind wander when others are speaking!

●?????? Practise public speaking to enhance your skills and confidence.

Benefits: Clear communication helps build a motivated and engaged team.

3. Being able to think strategically

Strategic thinking is being able to plan for the longer term for both your projects, and the visions and goals of your organisation.

What it looks like:

????? Setting short- and long-term goals.

????? Using data to be able to make informed decisions.

????? Planning proactively for the future.

How to develop it:

●?????? Understand your industry and its good and bad points!??

●?????? Analyse trends or new developments that might impact your organisation.

●?????? Make time to brainstorm and network with others to identify what might be possible in the future.

Benefits: Strategic thinking can be hard, especially when you move into leadership and management from a purely operational role.

Give yourself time to adjust, in the longer-term it will help you better plan and future proof your projects and goals.

4. Being adaptable

Adaptability as a leader allows you to approach and respond to new challenges and opportunities in a more rounded, positive and innovative way.

What it looks like:

????? Embracing change.

????? Helping your team to navigate challenges smoothly.

????? Being proactive, rather than reactive, in the face of challenges and potential issues.

How to develop it:

●?????? Be open-minded and willing to consider new ideas and perspectives.

●?????? Be flexible and creative when it comes to making changes and adjustments.

●?????? Keep learning and building your knowledge and skill set.

Benefits: Adaptability is about your mindset and being able to thrive when facing changes and challenges.

As a leader and a role model you are in a unique position to demonstrate and encourage creative thinking, flexible problem solving and demonstrate a responsiveness to new opportunities.

5. Being able to resolve conflicts

Conflicts are inevitable in any team yet their impact can be reduced when they’re dealt with quickly, clearly, fairly and constructively.

What it looks like:

????? Being an impartial mediator.

????? Ensuring everyone feels heard and respected.

????? Clearly communicating decisions.?

How to develop it:

●?????? Being open-minded and willing to understand all sides of a conflict before making a decision.

●?????? Focusing on fair and collaborative problem solving.

●?????? Keep learning - find workshops or training days on mediation and negotiation.

Benefits: Ultimately, as a leader, you want to create and maintain a harmonious, positive and productive work atmosphere.

Minimising the impact of conflicts will ultimately reduce stress and anxiety within a team.

6. Delegating

Delegation is one of those skills that is critical when you want to develop the capabilities and experience of your team. Yet, it can be one of the most challenging skills to gain.

Oftentimes, it feels more efficient to complete a task yourself rather than take the time to explain it to someone else.

However, if you want to create space for yourself to develop your leadership expertise, then it’s crucial you master it.

What it looks like:

????? Assigning and matching tasks that utilise and build your team’s strengths.

????? Promoting ownership and accountability.

????? Providing support and the necessary resources and guidance.?

How to develop it:

●?????? Building trust by understanding your team strengths and areas for development.

●?????? Clearly communicating your expectations.

●?????? Keep supporting your team – they might need additional training, administrative support or mentorship from you.

Benefits: Delegation isn’t just a skill, it’s an effective tool that can help you enhance your team’s performance. However, leaders, and female leaders particularly, often feel the pressure to do everything themselves; and to do it perfectly.

Effective delegation can help your team to develop new skills and experience and boost their confidence.?

For more insights, check out my blog: The Power of Delegation – Empowering Your Team For Success”

7. Managing your time

Time management can feel like the holy grail when it comes to leadership and just as hard to grasp.

Done effectively it will help you prioritise and meet your deadlines, achieve your goals and. most importantly. reduce your stress.

What it looks like:

????? Setting yourself clear goals with achievable deadlines? and protecting time to complete them.?

????? Conducting efficient meetings – make sure they’re time bound and results focused.

????? Respecting your limits and learning to say no!

How to develop it:

●?????? Using tools like calendars and to-do task lists.??

●?????? Practising your delegation skills and assigning tasks to your team to balance the workload.

●?????? Prioritising your high-impact and time-bound tasks.

Benefits: When it comes to leadership, being able to effectively and efficiently manage your time is not just a skill but a way of valuing your time.

It’s about being able to make deliberate choices to make it easier to balance your home and work life in a way that is both productive and fulfilling.

Every moment you save can be invested back into what’s truly important to you.

8. Networking

Networking has often been positioned as being of great value when it comes to developing your career. A strong and supportive professional network can provide support, resources and opportunities for collaboration.?

What it looks like:

????? Attending industry conferences and networking events.?

????? Maintaining an active presence on professional networks, like LinkedIn.

????? Seeking and offering mentorship.

How to develop it:

●?????? Offering help and support to your online and offline contacts and connections, both new and old.???

●?????? Engaging in professional associations and groups.

●?????? Sharing your expertise through speaking at conferences and publishing industry-specific articles and posts online.

Benefits: Whatever your networking goals, being proactive and purposeful will increase your visibility and help you improve and build stronger connections; particularly if you’re searching for a mentor or career advancement.

Ultimately, your network can provide you with support and advice, it can open doors to new opportunities and collaboration as well as keep you informed about industry trends and best practices.

You just need to get started!

If you want to find out more, check out my LinkedIn Newsletter “Networking for Career Success”

9. Being resilient

Resilience will enable you as a leader to bounce back from setbacks or failures and maintain a positive attitude. It’s a crucial skill to have to be able to sustain your long-term success and well-being.

What it looks like:

????? Persevering in the face of challenges.?

????? Maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude.

????? Adapting to change and recovering from setbacks or failures.

How to develop it:

●?????? Focusing on solutions rather than problems.

●?????? Managing your stress with exercise, meditation or hobbies.???

●?????? Building a strong support network.

Benefits: Whatever your leadership goals, being resilient and adaptable will ensure your long-term success and well-being.?

Showing up as a strong role model will also inspire your team when it comes to their inspiration and motivation, especially when they have to navigate change and challenges.

10. Mentorship and coaching

Mentorship and coaching skills are pretty vital when it comes to successfully developing talent and fostering growth within your team.

What it looks like:

????? Helping your team to create their personal development plans in line with their core values, strongest skills and key goals.?

????? Regularly checking-in on a one-to-one basis with your team members to provide consistent support.

????? Encouraging and motivating your team to reach their potential.

How to develop it:

●?????? Practising active listening and communications skills.

●?????? Regularly providing constructive and actionable feedback????

●?????? Participating in mentoring and coaching programmes

Benefits: Teams and individuals that work with an experienced leadership coach are able to enhance their skills and performance.

Coaches provide strategic partnership, personalised guidance, and unwavering support to help you overcome challenges, harness your potential, and thrive as a leader.

For an organisation investing in their staff, it will? increase employee satisfaction and retention, as well as supporting the development of future leaders.

To find out more about working with me as your leadership coach, check out my signature coaching programme, “Next Level Leadership Transformation”

Conclusion

Leadership is about making a lasting impact and inspiring others and improving your leadership skills is an ongoing journey that takes consistent commitment and effort.

Each skill you develop and enhance is a step towards the leader you aspire to be.

Great leaders are always learning and evolving, and continuous growth and development are key to staying ahead and achieving the success you want.

In the words of Sheryl Sandberg, “Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.”

And in the words of one of my clients:

“Jackie's coaching provided me with a completely new understanding of my career choices and expectations and I highly recommend her programme to anyone. The coaching was immensely valuable, and I still reflect on many of our discussions.?

Jackie is also a wonderfully warm and open-minded person, and an experienced leader who is highly psychologically astute”.?Claire Weiller, Product & Partnership Lead: Fermata Energy.

As you step into your next level of leadership, reflect on your progress, celebrate your achievements and keep pushing the boundaries of what you can accomplish.

Stay inspired, stay motivated, and lead with purpose and passion.

And in the next Newsletter I'll be diving into “Empowered Leadership: Building Trust in Your Team”.

Stay tuned!

Jackie