Anyone can be a boss or a manager, but very few people have what it takes to be a leader. A leader is someone who possesses the skills to help their team stay on track, meet all of their goals, and accomplish everything they want.
Unfortunately, a staggering 71% of employees don’t trust their leaders’ capability to take their organization to the next level. This means that a lot of people hold leadership positions but aren’t equipped to lead their team in the right way.
If you want to be a better leader for yourself and your team, here is how you can develop your skills.
Take a course
While we would all like to think that we were born with leadership qualities and can easily be the head of a successful team, only 10% of people are natural-born leaders. But that shouldn’t discourage you. Even if you’re not born with some skills, you can still learn them.
This goes for a lot of things in life, including leadership. After all, leadership is often associated with soft skills that can be learned and perfected through taking courses.
If you take a leadership course, you can learn how to unlock your true potential and build your leadership skills from the ground up. You will also have the chance to analyze your own behavior, learn what is required of you, and become more self-aware.
There are a plethora of leadership development courses you can choose from. You should make your choice depending on what particular skills you’re looking to improve.
Discipline, discipline, discipline
Where would you be without discipline? Every good leader needs to practice discipline in both their personal and professional life if they want to be an inspiration to others. After all, you want your team to be disciplined at work, and it’s up to you to be their role model.
Demonstrate to your team members that you have discipline by keeping appointments, meeting all deadlines, and finishing up meetings on time. If you aren’t naturally organized, this might require you to develop some habits you’re not used to, but it will be worth it.
You can build these habits gradually, starting with getting up and going to bed at the same time every day and working your way up.
Another great way to practice discipline, and it’s something both you and your employees could benefit from, is the two-day rule. When you follow this rule, you never take more than a one-day break from a productive routine or a good habit.
Sometimes it’s okay and even good for you to take a break every once in a while, but if you take a break for longer than one day, it’s going to be easy to slip out of that good habit.
Practice effective listening
A good leader is also a great communicator. If you want to be an effective leader, you also need to develop effective listening skills. This is because you can’t be a good communicator without participating in both the giving and receiving sides of the conversation.
If you don’t develop your listening skills, you’ll never be able to hear feedback from your team about what’s going well and what areas of your business should be improved.
Never forget that your employees are the ones who are on the ground floor of the business. They have a great understanding of it, more than some managers give them credit. So when an employee approaches you with an idea, suggestion, or complaint, don’t just brush them off. Hear them out.
Just because you’re holding a leadership role, that doesn’t mean you have to be the one who is always in the spotlight. Let your other team members contribute to the company, listen to their words, and pay attention to their non-verbal cues as well.
Don’t be afraid to delegate responsibilities
One important characteristic that separates regular managers from extraordinary leaders is their ability to delegate responsibilities to other team members.
A good leader would never dream of micromanaging their team members. They delegate work to the employees they believe are capable enough to take on the task at hand. And then they empower them to complete it without hovering over them.
Having empowered employees can benefit your business in many ways. Not having to constantly worry about every single detail will leave you with more time to focus on important tasks. Don’t let your own self-growth be stunted because you’re giving too much to your business unnecessarily.
Of course, make sure to still oversee the projects once in a while to make sure they’re on track. But show the person to whom you’ve delegated the task that you have faith in them.
Final thoughts
If you’re a natural-born leader, consider yourself lucky because you’re one of very few. But if you are someone who is willing to work hard to develop their skills, there is nothing stopping you from becoming the best leader you can be, regardless of the talents you were born with.
