Simple Ways to Achieve Leadership Skills
Often, stepping up to become a manager or indeed, any kind of leader in an organisation, is one of the most challenging steps in a person’s career. Leadership skills are extensive and can never be achieved overnight. They are grown, nurtured and developed - not just in one job, but over the course of a whole career. That said, attaining qualities of a burgeoning leader is simple and in many cases is a case of “doing what you already do”. Just add people!
♦ Know when to say “no”
A large part of becoming a leader is by taking on more management responsibilities. This will likely mean that existing skills need to be squeezed to fit in developmental opportunities. There are various ways this can be overcome, such as delegation of certain duties to colleagues, working on time-management and so on. Also, never be afraid of saying “no”. Being decisive and clear, utilising cut-throat prioritisation and knowing what to do- or alternatively- the best people to do it is vital to great, lasting leadership.
Conversely, know when to say “yes”! Take on projects and tasks which will offer the the opportunity to show off management and leadership skills. Two things to consider here are 1) Managing money and 2) Managing people, or preferably both. Running a department’s budget is high responsibility and high exposure. Chairing disciplinary meetings or even project groups is a great way to hone people management skills. Never wait to be asked; the knack to saying “yes” is in being proactive. Never feel scared of being ‘in over your head’, or of what people will think, or simply failing. In fact, don’t feel scared, full stop. A mistake is only a mistake if it’s made more than once!
♦ Work on your PR
The best leaders have great reputations. The clichéd examples of such figureheads includeRichard Branson, with his part-entrepreneur, part-adventurer persona (and recently, a tendency to shrug off multi-million dollar lightning strike destruction). Steve Jobs, the man who overcome illness and failure to lead one of the biggest companies on earth. Winston Churchill was renowned for his charging speeches and quiet stoicism.
Work on a rep and making it memorable is often overlooked. Ask yourself: what do you do differently? What do you do better? Seek feedback, and cultivate the good points and eradicate the bad ones. Essentially, you want people to know you, saying things like “Oh I know <insert name>, (s)he is the person who <insert memorable action/personality trait/super skills here >. Just remember the difference between being famous and infamous!
♦ Chair a committee
Many companies have various committees and unfortunately a lot of them don’t really do much. Sometimes they focus on health and safety, training, charity, social responsibility. Many such committees simply ‘exist’, however taking on the role of committee leader and taking one to the next level is a great way to lead a team in a relatively low risk but potentially high profile scenario.
In some cases departments force employees to join committees and therefore the members are not always the most, um, ‘motivated’ people. Let your talents, rep and rapport shine through!
♦ Become an expert in your own field
Mastery of your field may not seem the best way to become a de facto leader, but never underestimate its importance. Being an expert in say, payroll means that you are a potential payroll trainer. Great leaders are great trainers, great coaches and serve to inspire, motivate and drive people forward. Sharing knowledge and developing others is a selfless, wonderful quality and will ensure aspiring leaders stand out in the eyes of their managers.
♦ Reliability is the key
An old General Manager of the author was once incensed that a whole room of managers was late for a weekly meeting. This writer was ashamed to say that they were one of them. He calmly stated, “One of these days, you will be holding these meetings, and people will be accountable to you. Never, never, never turn up to meetings late again”. These words have stayed with the author to this day.
A good leader doesn’t always need to come in early and stay late, but has to be accessible and offer an open door. As an expert, always have time for people to ask you questions and seek advice. It is vital that you become someone to be trusted. Similarly, become renowned for being helpful and a problem solver; if someone approaches you with a concern or challenge, fix it and make sure their query is followed up.
♦ Manage by knowledge, lead by example!
A great leader is not only someone who succeeds, but inspires- and this is not going to happen overnight. Mastering your job to the extent that you can take on extra activities to build on leadership skills is only half the battle. Trust, respect and a reputation are the key ingredients that turn an effective manager into a fantastic leader. Go out there, enjoy yourself and don’t be afraid of making the wrong decisions at first!
