How to develop good leadership skills?
Good Leadership skills:
How do you define leadership?
Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential.
- Warren Bennis
If you have good leadership skills, you can make a group of people do a job. It is called leadership and you are the leader. You may use influence or power. If you use influence, it is democratic leadership and if you use power, it is authoritarian leadership.
Democratic leadership
- It is the most effective one in normal situations.
- The leader influences and wins over people by convincing or rewarding or both.
- Decisions are taken collectively with assistance from the leader.
- Group discussions are held with active inputs from the leader.
- Tasks are divided between members collectively with suggestions from the leader.
Authoritarian leadership
- You may use it temporarily in periods of crisis or with a few stubborn and difficult people.
- This type of leader gets things done by using threat of punishment. He fails to win over people.
- The leader takes all the decisions by himself and demands strict compliance to his instructions.
- The leader allots individual tasks and dictates each step to be followed.
We are interested in democratic leadership as it is the most effective leadership.
What are good leadership skills?
- Concern for his people.
- Unambiguous communication
- Commitment
- Persistence
- Responsibility
A good leader brings out these leadership skills in the group and instills energy and enthusiasm in the team.
A good leader is one, who can make others follow him willingly. A leader is mainly concerned with two things- the job and the people.
Effective leader combines the available resources inside and outside to achieve goals.
A person who is authorized to manage, should be competent. If he is incompetent, a leader may emerge from the group to challenge his authority and make him a dummy.
An organization aims at profit. Profit is a byproduct of a good leader's vision different from that of the competition.
Do you think that you have good leadership skills?
Many believe that leadership is a gift one is born with. If you have it, you can lead otherwise, you can't'. But it is not so. Every one has certain leadership qualities. You can improve on what you already have and develop others afresh.
The most dangerous leadership myth is that leaders are born-that there is a genetic factor to leadership. This myth asserts that people simply either have certain charismatic qualities or not. That's nonsense; in fact, the opposite is true. Leaders are made rather than born.
- Warren Bennis
As you keep developing and improving your leadership skills, you will become a better leader than what you are. How fast you acquire or improve these skills depends on your desire and motivation levels as well as your thought and belief pattern.
All about good leadership skills
- Avoid using quick fix, manipulative and deceptive techniques to get people do what you want. If at all these techniques work, it is only temporary. If your basic character is flawed and lacks sincerity, it breeds distrust.
- You may get away with pretension for some time. But people will come to know one day.
- Be trustworthy. People trust you because of what you are, not because of what you say, do or pretend to be. Your true character constantly radiates.
- If others disagree with you, don't think there is something wrong with them.
- People are your most valuable asset. Treat them that way.
- Interact with people. Good interaction involves effective listening. Knowing how to listen is not enough. You should have the desire to listen to make it a habit.
- Share relevant information with people- where the organization is heading, how important is the work they are doing in achieving organizational goals... It makes them take responsibilities more willingly.
- Provide good infrastructure- equipment, furniture, working conditions or what ever is required.
- Facilitate for people to have some fun. Encourage group activities without disturbing work schedules.
- Focus on consensus rather than confrontation. That does not mean there should not be difference of opinion.
- Be a relationship-oriented leader rather than task-oriented.
- Focus on effective relationships- be supportive and concerned.
- Show involvement in the activity of the group. Monitor the environment. Teach them what you know and relevant.
- Give importance to role clarity, set performance standards and make individuals accountable.
- Periodically evaluate performance at individual and group level. Apply corrections and train people, if required.
- Recognize people's efforts, individual or collective, and appreciate. If you feel that some one has done a good job and deserves appreciation, give it immediately.
- Give appreciation in public but any adverse comments should be given in private.
- Motivate your team to be effective and efficient. Use communication effectively.
- Look for fresh ideas. Encourage creativity in the team. Don't obstruct it.
- Be careful about your expressions and moods. It can affect the group at individual and group level. It is called 'mood contagion'. It is one of the mechanisms by which charismatic leaders influence the group.
- The mood and behavior of the leader can influence the group positively or negatively.
- Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage moods and emotions in yourself and in others, contributes to effective leadership
- Find out how the performance of a leader is evaluated and rewarded in terms of career success. Existence of a good process not only boosts your performance, but also helps in emergence of new leaders from the group.
- It does not mean a good leader does not take bad decisions and commit mistakes- he learns from them and corrects immediately.
Practise these good leadership skills for the success of your organization, your team and yourself.
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.
- Warren Bennis
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