5 Leadership Skills To Make You A Great Leader

There is a worldwide call for leadership right now, particularly, amidst the confusion and upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. People are becoming more in-tune with and aware of the efforts being made by their religious leaders, employers, supervisors, politicians and even themselves as leaders of their own lives and their ability to lead their households.

Leadership is about directing, guiding and influencing others to use their maximum effort towards a particular goal. It is ALL about ‘people’ and people are dynamic. This is why leaders often miss their mark when they operate under the fallacy that their past successes in leading people guarantee present and future success. Leadership is about continuous learning and application.

Implicit in my definition of leadership is the expectation that a leader must have clarity and understanding of the global, regional and local implications of the goal, in this instance; the virus, and that the path chosen to achieve the objectives is the best route for themselves and the people that they are leading. There are many skills that good leaders demonstrate such as being creative and innovative, strategic thinking, motivating, delegating, decisive, etc. However, great leaders are positively impactful. They are highly emotionally intelligent are aware of their own capabilities and weaknesses, and are always looking to learn and grow.

Here are my top five (5) leadership skills needed to be considered a great leader:

1.     Self-Awareness

The ability to recognize how their own thoughts, actions and emotions align with their internal standards. This helps leaders to objectively analyse themselves, manage their emotions, align themselves with their values and even understand how others perceive them.

Tip to improve self-awareness: journal your feelings throughout the day. What times of the day or circumstances trigger different emotions, name the emotion. Notice where you feel the emotional vibrations in your body. This awareness will help you articulate much more constructively.

2.     Integrity

Admitting mistakes as a leader is not always easy, but it is necessary. A leader shows integrity by being true to their word, leading by example, following through and being transparent.

Tip to improve Integrity: Do exactly what you say you are going to do regardless of the effort it takes or the cost. If you realize you have made a mistake, admit it. You can start with small things.

3.     Great Communicator

A great leader knows the importance of listening as well as communicating openly, clearly and often.

Tip to improve communication: Determine the facts of what you want to communicate. Decide what will happen if the objectives are not met. Deliver the message clearly, aligning body language and tone, making eye contact throughout. Practicing in front of a mirror is helpful. If you find you are being too wordy, go back to the facts.

4.     Being Empathetic

The ability to forge deep relationships with those you lead is one of the primary results of displaying empathy and you do this by seeking to understand the hopes, dreams, motivations and challenges of the people you lead.

Tip to improve Empathy: Create opportunities to have casual conversations with your team members and really listen to what they say. Make it a point of duty to get information around the FORD principle. (Family Occupation (ask questions around what about the job they like, love or would prefer doing, or what they dreamt of doing when they were younger) Recreation and Dreams 

5.     Humility

Humility is all about seeing yourself as no more important that anybody else. Great leaders are more concerned with the wellbeing of the people they lead than their titles, status or themselves. 

Tip to improve humility: Support your team with resources and manpower and help them by working alongside them when needed. Also, seek feedback.

I love helping leaders guide their teams through this crisis. Email me at nadine@pdconsults.com if you are a leader who is interested in gaining the tools necessary to support yourself and lead your team to success in this challenging time. This work is going to change your life and the lives of those you lead.

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Nadine Burrowes-Seaga is a Life & Leadership Coach, Change Management Specialist and the Founder & Chief Energy Officer (CEO) of People Development Consultants.