“The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves” – Ray Kroc
Many people associate leadership with a top-down hierarchy, but leadership is more than that; it is also the ability to influence and motivate a group of people to achieve organizational goals. Leading will always begin within ourselves because we are the first to recognize what is best and necessary. We can provide the best quality of leadership and effectively fulfill our duties and responsibilities by self-evaluation or self-leadership. Knowing what leadership skills you should have is a perfect way to start; being able to identify your own strengths and weaknesses can be beneficial when leading large teams or organizations as a whole.
Anyone can be a leader, but solid leadership skills are required, especially if you want to achieve both the organization's short- and long-term goals. The question of what makes a good leader is broad, but effective leadership clearly requires a set of skills. However, skills vary from leader to leader, and there is no one way to lead in every situation.
How does one become a leader? Many of us are still unsure whether leadership can be taught or not. You can learn leadership skills whenever and wherever you want, but the question that must be asked is, "Can I put these skills to use?”. Remember that you must not assume that you are performing your responsibilities effectively if you have failed to put these skills into practice.
According to Indeed, the top 6 leadership skills that are necessary to prove valuable to anyone who wants to advance in a career:
Decisiveness - Whether the information available is limited or not, an effective leader can use it to make decisions as quickly as possible. Knowing your industry, having enough experience, and managing your time effectively will help you in making decisions. Even though it necessitates research, brainstorming, and evaluation, decisiveness is a must-have skill that will assist your team in achieving results in an efficient manner.
Integrity - Integrity entails more than just being truthful; it also means having a solid set of values. All businesses or companies aim to have employees who can make ethical choices that can help the company in maintaining its positive image, especially in the long run. As a leader who has a strong sense of integrity, you encourage those people around you to be honest and truthful all the time. You also set a good example for your team.
Relationship building (or Team Building) – This is one of the most important skills a leader should have; he or she must be able to establish and maintain strong bonds with his or her teams through collaboration. Aside from collaboration, a team leader must be able to communicate effectively and understand conflict resolution. You will be able to assess your team and delegate tasks more efficiently if you build relationships.
Problem-solving – When issues arise on the job, leaders must provide a step-by-step solution while staying calm. Leaders are known for being a quick decision maker that is why they need to have problem-solving skills.
Dependability – Once you become a leader, people will trust you and will always rely on you because they see you as a dependable leader that follows through on plans and knows how to keep promises. By being dependable, you are creating a resilient team that can work even at difficult times and situations. It also implies you are good at meeting deadlines, fulfilling duties and obligations, can communicate to your team when something important happens, and can provide alternatives or backup plans when necessary.
Ability to teach and mentor – Your ability to teach and mentor your team or colleagues demonstrates that you are less concerned with yourself and are willing to share your knowledge with them. By mentoring them, you help your team and/or colleagues grow while also helping the organization in reaching its goals.
Knowing what specific skills you must have allows you to set a goal for yourself. In fact, recent research shows that leadership quality is a significant determinant of an organization's success. Organizations with strong and experienced leaders appear to achieve good performance of an organization in terms of customer satisfaction, productivity, financial gains, and product quality. However, a significant gap in leadership or a shortage of skilled leaders is expected in the next five years due to the number of baby boomers reaching retirement age on a daily basis, which also indicates that a large number of leadership roles will be filled by new leaders.
In conclusion, all leaders are unique, as well as their approaches and skills. With these, a leader, rather than being expert at a specific field of work, must also work on the necessary leadership skills to effectively and efficiently manage their teams towards organizational success.
REFERENCE
Leadership Skills: Definitions and Examples. (2021, December 9). Indeed. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/resumes-cover-letters/leadership-skills
Top 5 Leadership Skills for the Workplace of Tomorrow. (2019, September 4). Northeastern University Graduate Programs. https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/essential-leadership-skills-for-tomorrow/