5 Leadership Skills You Need To Succeed

By Victor Wachira

Everyone wants the most senior position but being a leader is a process that requires an individual to acquire several soft skills so that he/she can lead the pack from the front.

Below are skills you should work on as you strive to be a leader at your workplace.

1. Take a Leadership Personality Test

To improve your skills, you need a starting point.

First things first, take a minute and spend some time thinking about how you behave under stressful situations.

• What is your preferred leadership style?
• Do you ask others for their opinions?
• Do you tell everyone what to do and how you expect them to do it?
• Do you lead from the front?
• Do you worry about where your team is headed and whether there is a clear vision ahead?

2. Develop situational awareness

A mark of a good leader is someone who can see the bigger picture, and anticipate problems before they occur.

This is a valuable skill to have when handling complex projects with tight deadlines.

The ability to foresee and provide suggestions for avoiding potential problems is invaluable for a leader.

This ability also helps you recognize opportunities that others overlook, which will certainly earn you recognition.

3. Inspire others

Being a leader means you are part of a team, and as a leader you should be able to motivate and inspire those you work with to collaborate as best they can.

When a team member needs encouragement or guidance, offer it. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen and be sympathetic.

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4. Be a Good Listener

Becoming a leader doesn’t mean you always have to be in the spotlight.

An important trait of a good leader is someone who listens to suggestions, ideas and feedback from other people, and builds on them.

Good listeners know that communication is not only about words, but picking up on non-verbal cues, such as eye contact and body language.

Good leadership skills are essential to advancing your career, but as you can see, leadership is much more than simply being in charge.

5. Beef Up Your Communication Skills

Even someone who excels in many aspects of leadership will probably hit a ceiling if he or she is not a good communicator.

Starting now, you should aim to over-communicate with everyone on your team, so nothing gets misunderstood or misinterpreted.

Set up routine meetings with your manager and any colleagues working on ongoing projects with you.

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No matter where you are on the chain, you can work on this.

Do you excel at written reports, but go mute when it’s time to speak during a meeting?

Alternatively, are you a natural when it comes to conversation—but secretly worried that your lack of grammar know-how will hold you back?

Instead of relying on your strong suit, beef up whatever area of your communication skills is lacking. It will make you a more valuable employee now, and a better leader later.

There are continuous debates on whether leaders are born or made.

However, a leader is someone who develops the above skills and therefore,you could work on them as you work on your way up in your career.

What do you think are Leaders born or Made?

Share your opinion in the comment section below.