My Success Factor Wednesday Wake-Ups are usually inspired by something I’ve heard about, read or come across through a conversation. This week is no different and came from Marshall Goldsmith talking about the most often work on leadership skills.
This got me thinking about how we could all benefit from improving our leadership skills to help us in all walks of life, whether as a parent, coach, in work, business or with friends and colleagues.
Some of the key elements of leadership are what we do naturally and perhaps even do well, however, we are all a work in progress and can always benefit from some great tips to help us continually improve.
I thought listing some of these might spur you to consider what areas you might want to work on yourself or encourage others to develop. Remember as leaders we can and should develop leaders.
Respect – this of course goes both ways, what we give, we get back, this breeds a positive and healthy culture
Trust – this needs to be built and earned and takes time, but worth it in the end
Listen – not just hear what’s being said, understand the other person’s point of view
Be present – just focus on what that person is saying, be interested, avoid distractions, the listener will feel valued
Address conflict – this is so important as most people avoid this, however, these things don’t go away, if handled correctly these can be constructive and positive with great outcomes
Work collaboratively – being democratic, consultative and involving everyone means everyone feels part of the team and able to have a say
Be true to your values – live to our personal values and our aspiring values, being our true self means giving honesty to others
Hold yourself and others accountable – whilst it’s important to ensure others are accountable, we must start with ourselves and be a great role model
Have confidence – having confidence will seep into and onto others and people will trust and follow
Be assertive – a leader should never be afraid of being assertive and stating how things should be in a respectful way, this can be hard for some, but practice helps
Building relationships – we are always building relationships, however, it’s also about growing, developing and nurturing these so the team works seamlessly together
Take appropriate risks – this can be hard or easy depending on how risk averse you might be, however, taking risks, albeit appropriate ones are par for the course and part of how we grow
Strategic development – whether this is self, individual, our team or our business, we need to have a longer-term focus and direction, be clear where we are going and develop a plan to get there
Develop leadership style – depending on the environment, culture or industry will depend on what leadership style feels right, also we have our own leadership styles, however, this must sit right with the team too
Be decisive – being a leader means decisions need to be made, no matter how hard, so being decisive is what others will expect and again come with practice and can be easier for some than others
Become a better coach and mentor – as leaders we should always be coaching and mentoring others, helping them grow and develop and in turn they will coach and mentor others
Ask about the Success Factor one-hour complimentary consultation today.
Want to improve your communication and reduce or remove conflict?
Why not complete the iMA Questionnaire and see what colour you are? http://successfactor-ima.com/questionnaire.html
To find out more email Debs on: debs@successfactor.co.nz
Subscribe to Success Factor Wednesday Wake-Up: www.successfactor.co.nz
#successfactor