Leadership Skills
We'll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter and start improving your life in just 5 minutes a day.
Leadership Skills What Sort of Leader are You?
The question of what makes a good leader—in other words, what are leadership skills—is widely debated. It is clear that the ability to lead effectively relies on a number of key skills, but also that different leaders have very different characteristics and styles.
There is, in fact, no one right way to lead in all circumstances, and one of the main characteristics of good leaders is their flexibility and ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Leadership skills are highly sought after by employers as they involve dealing with people in such a way as to motivate, enthuse and build respect.
Here at SkillsYouNeed, you'll find lots of information that can help you to understand and develop your leadership potential.
Whether or not leadership itself can be taught, there is no question that there are a number of core skills that most good leaders have. These skills can be learnt like any others.
Skills Good Leaders Need
There are a number of broad skill areas that are particularly important for leaders.
These include strategic thinking, planning and delivery, people management, change management, communication, and persuasion and influencing.
1. Strategic Thinking Skills
Perhaps the most important skill a leader needs — and what really distinguishes leaders from managers — is to be able to think strategically.
This means, in simple terms, having an idea or vision of where you want to be and working to achieve that.
The best strategic thinkers see the big picture, and are not distracted by side issues or minor details. All their decisions are likely to be broadly based on their answer to the question ‘does this take me closer to where I want to be?’
Of course as well as being able to create a compelling vision, they must also be able to communicate it effectively to their followers, which is partly why communication skills are also vital to leaders.
See our pages on:
Creating a vision is not simply a matter of having an idea. Good strategic thinking must be based on evidence, and that means being able to gather and analyse information from a wide range of sources. This is not purely about numbers, but also about knowing and understanding your market and your customers, and then—and this is crucial—using that information to support your strategic decisions.
See our pages on:
For particular types of analysis that may be helpful in gathering information, see our pages on SWOT Analysis, PESTLE Analysis, Porter's Five Forces, The Boston Matrix and The Ansoff Matrix, The McKinsey 7 S Model of Organisational Alignment, Value Chain Analysis, Scenario Analysis, and Understanding Game Theory.
Some strategic thinking skills are more specific: for example, in marketing, where you may find the 7 Ps and customer segmentation are vital tools.
2. Planning and Delivery Skills
While it is important to be personally organised and motivated as a leader—and see our pages on Time Management and Self-Motivation for more about these areas—it is perhaps even more important to be able to plan and deliver for the organisation.
These areas are key management skills, but the best leaders will also be able to turn their hand to these. The best vision in the world is no good without the plan to turn it into reality.
Alongside strategic thinking, therefore, go organising and action planning, both essential for delivery of your vision and strategy. Project management and project planning are also helpful skills for both managers and leaders. Good risk management is also important to help you avoid things going wrong, and manage when they do.
See our pages:
Good leaders also often have very strong facilitation skills, to manage groups effectively.
Leaders also need to be able to make good decisions in support of their strategy delivery, and solve problems. With a positive attitude, problems can become opportunities and learning experiences, and a leader can gain much information from a problem addressed.
See our pages on:
for more about these essential areas.
3. People Management Skills
Without followers, there are no leaders. Leaders therefore need skills in working with others on a one-to-one and group basis, and a range of tools in their armoury to deal with a wide range of situations. Many of these skills are also vital for managers, and you can find out more about these in our page on Management Skills.
In particular, leaders are expected to motivate and encourage their followers, both directly (see our page on Motivating others) and by Creating a Motivational Environment.
One of the first skills that new leaders need to master is how to delegate. This is a difficult skill for many people but, done well, delegation can give team members responsibility and a taste of leadership themselves, and help them to remain motivated. See our page on Delegation Skills for more.
There are further challenges to delegating work within a team, including balancing workloads, and ensuring that everyone is given opportunities to help them develop. See our page on Overseeing Work for more.
Leaders and managers both need to understand how to build and manage a team. They need to know how to recruit effectively, and bring people ‘on board’ through induction processes. They also need to understand the importance of performance management, both on a regular basis, and to manage poor performance.
See our pages on:
There are a number of issues that new and existing managers commonly struggle with. For more about these, read our page on Avoiding Common Managerial Mistakes and Confidentiality in the Workplace.
4. Change Management and Innovation Skills
Change management may seem like an odd companion to people management and communication, but leadership is often particularly important at times of change.
A leader needs to understand change management in order to lead an organisation through the process. For example, change management requires the creation and communication of a compelling vision. It also requires the change to be driven forward firmly, and leadership to make it ‘stick’ if the organisation is not to revert within a very short period.
Our pages on Change Management explain more about this, including:
One particular element of change management is innovation. Good leaders know how to innovate, and also how to encourage innovation in others. Our page on Innovation Skills explains more.
5. Communication Skills
While communication skills are important for everyone, leaders and managers perhaps need them even more. These skills are general interpersonal skills, not specific to leadership, but successful leaders tend to show high levels of skill when communicating.
Good leaders tend to be extremely good listeners, able to listen actively and elicit information by good questioning. They are also likely to show high levels of assertiveness, which enables them to make their point without aggression, but firmly. They know how to build rapport quickly and effectively, to develop good, strong relationships with others, whether peers or subordinates. These skills come together to help to build charisma, that quality of ‘brightness’ which makes people want to follow a leader.
Leaders also need to know how to give others their views on personal performance in a way that will be constructive rather than destructive, and also hear others’ opinions of them. See our page on Giving and Receiving Feedback for more.
They are usually very good at effective speaking, equally skilled at getting their point across in a formal presentation or Board meeting, or in an informal meeting or casual corridor conversation. They have also honed their ability to communicate in difficult situations, usually by practice over time.
6. Persuasion and Influencing Skills
Finally, one particular area of communicating that is especially important for leaders is being able to persuade and influence others.
Good leaders use a range of tools for this. For more, see our pages on Persuasion and Influencing, and Developing Persuasion Skills.
Leaders also need tools to help them understand the way that others behave, and create positive interactions. As a first step, it may be helpful to understand more about emotional intelligence—another vital quality for leaders to possess—but there are a number of other tools that may also be useful, including Transactional Analysis, and Myers-Briggs Type Indicators.
Further Reading from Skills You Need The Skills You Need Guide to Leadership eBooks Learn more about the skills you need to be an effective leader. Our eBooks are ideal for new and experienced leaders and are full of easy-to-follow practical information to help you to develop your leadership skills.
Understanding Leadership
Many people consider leadership to be an essentially work-based characteristic. However, leadership roles are all around us and not just in work environments.
Ideally, leaders become leaders because they have credibility, and because people want to follow them. Using this definition, it becomes clear that leadership skills can be applied to any situation where you are required to take the lead, professionally, socially, and at home in family settings. Examples of situations where leadership might be called for, but which you might not immediately associate with that, include:
Planning and organising a big family get-together, for example, to celebrate a wedding anniversary or important birthday;
Responding to an illness or death in the family, and taking steps to organise care or make other arrangements; and
Making decisions about moving house, or children’s schooling.
In other words, leaders are not always appointed, and leadership skills may be needed in many circumstances.
With apologies to Shakespeare, we might say that “some are born leaders, some achieve leadership, and some have leadership thrust upon them”.
But what exactly is a leader?
A leader can be defined fairly simply as ‘a person who leads or commands a group, organisation or country’.
This definition is broad, and could include both formal and informal roles—that is, both appointed leaders and those who emerge spontaneously in response to events.
In recent years, considerable evidence has emerged that the strongest organisations and groups tend to permit and actively encourage each member of the group or organisation to take the lead at the appropriate point. Organisations and families with particularly controlling leaders, by contrast, tend to be fairly dysfunctional.
Leadership, therefore, is in practice fairly fluid: leaders are made by circumstances. The crucial issue is that people are prepared to follow them at the right moment.
There is more about this in our page on What is a Leader?
People also struggle with the concept of how being a leader is different from being a manager. You may have heard the idea that ‘leaders do the right thing, and managers do things right’. This is a fairly delicate distinction, and many leaders are also managers (and vice versa). Perhaps the key difference is that leaders are expected to create and communicate a compelling vision, often associated with change. Managers, on the other hand, are perhaps more often associated with maintaining the status quo.
Our page on ‘Leadership is not Management’ provides more discussion and ideas about this.
Developing Leadership
Many people wonder if leadership can really be taught.
People with vested interests (academics and those offering leadership training or literature of some sort) are convinced that it can. Many successful leaders, however, have never had any formal training. For them leadership is a state of mind, and it is their personalities and traits that make them successful leaders.
There is, clearly, a balance to be struck between these two positions.
There is no question that some people are intrinsically more drawn towards leadership roles than others. However, it would be nonsense to suggest—although this has been mooted in the past—that only people with certain physical or personal traits could lead. For example, it has clearly been proven that being male, or being tall, does not of itself make someone a better leader, although many leaders are both male and tall.
See our page Leadership Trait Theory for more.
It seems most likely that leadership requires certain skills. Some people will acquire these more easily than others.
You can of course learn about effective leadership skills and practices but being able to implement them yourself may require an altogether different set of skills and attitudes. The question “Can leadership be taught?” has no simple answer and we do not want to argue for one side or the other, but rather keep an open mind on the subject and provide information about the skills good leaders need.
Our page on Top Leadership Skills You Need may provide a useful starting point if you wish to develop your leadership skills.
Leadership Styles
One of the most important aspects of leadership is that not every leader is the same. Of course we have all heard jokes about ‘mushroom’ leadership (keep them in the dark and feed them manure) and ‘seagulls’ (swoop in, squawk, and drop unpleasant things on people) but, joking aside, there are many different styles of leadership.
Different leadership styles are appropriate for different people and different circumstances, and the best leaders learn to use a wide variety of styles.
There are many different models of leadership style, but perhaps one of the best-known is Daniel Goleman’s Six Leadership Styles. This is almost certainly one of the models that is most strongly-rooted in research, which may explain some of its popularity.
Our page on Leadership Styles sets out that Goleman identified six styles, which he labelled:
Coercive, or commanding – ‘do as I say’
– ‘do as I say’ Pace-setting – ‘do as I do, right now’
– ‘do as I do, right now’ Authoritative – ‘come with me’
– ‘come with me’ Affiliative – ‘people come first’
– ‘people come first’ Democratic – ‘what do you think?’
– ‘what do you think?’ Coaching – ‘try it and see’
What Sort of Leader are You? Take our quiz - What Sort of Leader are You? to discover which leadership styles you use and which may need further development.
You may then want to see our page on Developing Your Leadership Style for more about how to improve the styles in which you are weaker.
Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Freelancing
Entrepreneurship is often linked to change management and, likewise, requires leadership skills. The skills required for setting up your own business, however, are not exactly the same as for leading a large organisation.
Freelancing is becoming a very significant part of developed economies. In the UK there are over 2 million freelancers who generate a combined £109 billion a year. (According to The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed).
In the US as many as 55 million people work as freelancers (35% of the working population) contributing $1.4 trillion to the economy. It is predicted that freelancers will soon become the workforce majority.
India, Canada, Australia and New Zealand also have large self-employed and freelance economies.
For more about working for yourself, and how to develop the skills required, see our pages on Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Freelancing.
Further Reading from Skills You Need The Skills You Need Guide to Self-Employment and
Running Your Own Business If you are thinking about running your own business, or already do so, but feel that you need some guidance, then this eBook is for you. It takes you through self-employment in easy steps, helping you to ensure that your business has more chance of success. The Skills You Need Guide to Self-Employment and Running Your Own Business is the guide no new or aspiring entrepreneur can afford to be without! Based on our popular self-employment and entrepreneurship content.
A wide range of skills…
There are, by definition, a huge number of skills that may be useful to leaders.
The skills outlined here are perhaps the most important, but others may also be helpful. The best leaders know that they still have much to learn, and continue to try to develop a wide range of skills all the time. Browse our A-Z list of Leadership Skills for more ideas.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®
Powerful Lessons in Personal Change
Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, continues to be a bestseller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology and focuses on timeless principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity.
One of the most compelling books ever written, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has empowered and inspired readers for over 25 years. It’s also played a part in the transformation of millions of lives across all age groups and professions.
No matter how competent a person is, they will not have sustained and lasting success unless they can effectively lead themselves, influence, engage and collaborate with others and continuously improve and renew their capabilities. These elements are at the heart of personal, team, and organizational effectiveness.
Top 7 skills you need for a Successful Management Career
Table of contents
One of the most important aspects of any organisation is its management. A workplace depends on the strength of those in management positions and the management skills they possess. They must effectively communicate with professionals and ensure that the organisation meets its goals and objectives. Roles and responsibilities to be followed by the management may vary depending on which industry they are working in.
The coordination and the administration of various tasks to achieve an end goal is known as management. All these tasks and activities include setting a business strategy, coordinating efforts to achieve goals with the help of the resources available. To be an effective manager, you must develop a set of skills over time. These management skills include planning, communication, and leadership.
It is the act of creating and maintaining an efficient business environment where the members of the organisation can work together.
Common Skills Required by Managers
A manager is responsible for meeting several tasks. Thus, the manager needs to possess a few management skills. Some of these skills that are common across different industries and roles are as follows.
1. Communication skills
Communication involves observations, speaking, and empathising too. A manager needs to have a positive relationship with the team. They should be able to communicate expectations and provide feedback. An effective manager must be able to communicate effectively in all forms of communication, including verbal, written and listening skills as well. To build a successful career in management, you should be able to communicate between the frontline and senior management. A manager should be able to communicate with a wide range of people right from the entry-level employees to the senior managers and CEOs.
To build a relationship of trust between you and your team, you must be able to communicate effectively. Your team should be able to communicate with you comfortably and create a healthy work environment. Small acts of encouragement, such as recognising your team’s efforts, can create a positive workplace environment. Being in the managerial position calls for conveying information between teams effectively and promptly, good communication skills can play an effective role in this situation. Multitasking is a part of being a manager. Being able to manage all the tasks and ensuring that they are met within the time frame is important. A few examples of communication skills are:
Active listening
Interpersonal communication
Negotiation
Persuasion
Verbal communication
Interviewing
Persuasion
Public speaking
Written communication
2. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
The ability of an individual to use knowledge, facts, data to come up with solutions is crucial. A manager should be able to work well under pressure and come up with quick solutions. No matter how big or small the problem is, being able to respond with resilience, and agility is considered to be one among the crucial management skills. You will deal with problems daily, staying calm in this situation and paying attention to detail while thinking creatively will help you in minimising impact and establishing a successful career. Being able to quickly weigh the pros and cons of a situation and implement innovative solutions will help you meet business goals.
Also Read: Digital Marketing Career Path and Salary Trends 2020
3. Leadership skills
They must be able to motivate, encourage, and direct various teams to complete their job effectively and act as a role model. A good manager leads the team. He does not boss them around. A manager should be passionate about their work and define their goals clearly. They should work towards ensuring high motivation in their teams. A few examples of leadership skills are:
Decisiveness
Conflict-resolution
Delegating tasks
Empathy
Dependability
Constructive criticism
Mentoring
Task delegation
Motivating
Empowerment
Integrity
Patience
Relationship management
Team building
4. Interpersonal skills
It is a known fact that if you can establish trust and a positive professional relationship with your team, you are going to be a successful manager. Being able to earn the respect of your colleagues while still empathising, listening and understanding them is key. Understanding your team on a personal and professional level while maintaining a professional boundary, through team-building activities will help you become successful as a manager. Emotional intelligence is important as it will help you understand others behaviours, and feelings. Thus, helping you choose the right method to deal with the situation at hand.
5. Forward planning
A manager should be able to plan ahead. Apart from working on the current tasks at hand, it is also important to think of the bigger picture. They must be able to set priorities and work towards reaching the organisational goals. This will, in turn, help you encourage innovation and lead your team to a more productive and profitable future. Keep in mind that a manager should set realistic goals, as they must be able to deliver as promised. Some examples of planning skills are as follows:
Adaptability
Brainstorming
Conflict resolution
Decision-making
Flexibility
Logical thinking
6. Commercial Awareness
Commercial Awareness is a crucial skill that several individuals might be lacking. If you aspire to move forward in your career and advance to managerial positions, it is important to understand the market and how it operates. Learn about the sector that your organisation falls in, identify competitors, learn about any economic issues that may affect your organisation and be aware of the organisation’s aims and objectives. Whether the entertainment industry or finance, a certain amount of knowledge regarding market awareness is essential.
7. Organisation and Delegation
A manager deals with several responsibilities. Thus, having great organisational skills is essential. Overseeing the workload of your team, managing your work, carrying out reviews and appraisals, attending meetings, conducting training sessions are some of the various responsibilities that a manager will deal with. Effectively managing these responsibilities and delegating tasks accordingly, will save time and reduce stress. It also ensures that all deadlines are met. A manager should be able to identify their team’s skills and delegate them accordingly. A few examples of organisational skills are:
Deadline management
Time management
Event coordination
Goal setting
Project management
Office management
Scheduling
How to Develop Management Skills?
1. Ask for feedback
2. Internships and volunteer opportunities
3. Join student groups
4. Seek opportunities to lead
5. Find a role model
Conclusion
For many individuals in the professional field, reaching a managerial level is a turning point in their career. One of the best ways to ensure your success is to gain the right management skills. Additionally, leadership experience can help you reach your goals. Acquire the skills required and overcome any obstacles, thus, ensuring that you are better equipped to handle a managerial position. You can also upskill with Great Learning’s Management Program and unlock your full potential.