2016-04-05



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The stories of great leadership skills have passed through the historical scraps, yet their accounts continue to lure the corporate entities. They place an eye on the one who has a majestic appeal of Alexander the great and an amazing statesmanship of Martin Luther King. While the traits of those leaders are rarely found yet among the thousands, a single emerges to serve a paragon of leadership skills. He is a differentiator, motivator, organizational driver, effective builder, pursuer etc. And, you could be the one to set your standard above the rest.

Have a Vision – A trait of a leadership skills

Have a vision in life and to remain focus on the vision is a trait of a leader.  Build in you capacity to project the different trends like demographic, design, economic, psychological etc and combine all with your original thought to start working on the same.  For many of us creating this vision of life might seem as fantasy, stemming from our imagination which has simply no relevance to reality but it is opposite. Having a vision prepares us for achieving a goal in life and fulfilling dreams. It is a guide to take the actions and make right choices for the best life ahead.

Think of life vision like mapping a path for achieving personal and professional dreams. The satisfaction and personal happiness can be within your reach but if you do not craft your own vision, you are giving other people move the course and path of your life.

When you have a clarity mixed with obsessions, you can direct your team with collective imagination, with your commitment and move towards your goal.

Attain Flexibility and Be Ready For Change

Attain flexibility in your approach and accept changes with the changing world.  In the organizations your leadership skills insinuate you to bring changes in the industrial scenes building focus on culture, redesigning of the workplace, gender equality and changes in trend. A good leader should perceive the change through the strategically motivated lens and find out the change management process.  A good leader will analyze the current organizational standing, and to find the way to implement the change. The fruitful assessment of risks is undertaken and factors implied that contributes to success.

He is involved in forming the best human capital management practices for building engagement, an increase in productivity and adopting discretionary process. Most of the organizations face particular barriers that should be dismantled to attain success.

Phillpot shows the overview that leadership skills should perceive in the organizations that  involve:

Numerical flexibility: Making numerical analysis to have the operational time adjust to the change in demand patterns.

Functional flexible: Bringing improvement in the leadership skills and forming of the work practice to enhance the quality of the product.

Occupational flexibility: Give space to the team for creativity and originality.

Wage flexibility: Fixing the pay as per the team or individualistic performance.

Have Problem Solving Capacity:

Imbibe the capacity to think out of the box while pursuing the strategically oriented paths. Thinking new is a bold step but if it is articulated as per the organizational goals, visions and meeting its profitable objectives, it would sure achieve success. You need to perceive different paths and cultivate team’s ability to find the solutions. One of the most proficient Philosopher Karl Popper once said, “All life is problem-solving.”  Best leaders are the ones who have the patience to see the problems from different angles, broaden their observation and perceive through the vision.  They look at each perspective from the different degree of opportunity.

Gary Hamel presents seven tips for being innovative:

Adopt Novelty

Look for the Discontinuities

Find out the under-appreciative trends

Look for the big story

Follow the chain of consequences

Dig Deeper

Know what’s not changing

Edward DeBono states in Six Thinking Hats, “We need creativity because nothing else has worked. We need creativity because we feel that things could be done in a simpler or better way. The urge to do things in a better way should be the background to all our thinking.” He meant problem solving involves using creativity while being focused and place ideas forward that too logically, and with the capability to hand the staff for making adjustments to adopt new procedure.

Make the Presence Felt

Is its composure, skill or command, what is known as EF Hutton effect, whatever you may term, whenever great leaders enter the room, people look at them, when they speak, people would lean forward and open their ears to listen. Whatever they do, think or perform generate a gravitational pull. This is a quality of great leaders which cannot be born automatically but have to be cultivated by hard work, dedication, sincerity, honesty, and humbleness.

They attract the crowd with not the dress they are wearing, or with their modulated voice but what they want to say. Any person aspiring to be a leader should think of how he can cultivate these activities in his daily life or routine.  Many leaders display their attitude, but instead it should be opposite, they ought to be engaging, approachable, show warmness and display genuine interest.

Develop Effective Presentation skills

A leader has to stand in front of the group, peers, customers or employees to deliver the messages and that he need to deliver with confidence.  It is a most important leadership skills necessitated of a corporate entity and a way to leave an impact.  A leader delivers what he wants to say and that too clearly, precisely, authenticated, interestingly for others to listen.  His presentation should be a display of his originality and how his schemes or ideas can be profitable for the company.

Effective presentation leaves an incredible impact and leaves no chance of miscommunication which is the biggest cause of stress.   By becoming the best presenter, a leader can become a best communicator too that can be persuading and equally logical.

A leader also has an ability to stand and deliver a most effective and inspiring message, and most important of all the words that he use should be authentic and relevant as it helps to get attention and respect.

Show Courage

Be courageous to stand what you want to say, be truthful to yourself and others. This is difficult in today’s world but it is magic that would stand in favor of you and show you a leader in true spirit. History is replete with cases of leader who has change the course of history through their courage, determination and command.  Showing courage in the time of trouble, economic and political downturn, can take the company out of crises.  It is showing an ability to take the risk, enthusing team with the spirit to move forward during emergencies and setting the example for others to follow.

A leader can show courage in following ways:

Confronting reality: Throw the colored glasses of your face the realistic picture of the organization, find out the state of your business  and just by knowing and understanding the current situation  it would be possible for you to lead your team.

Request for feedback and learn to listen:  We all have our own ways to interact with the other people. Many people cannot bear to listen to the negative comments, but these negatives should be looked at the positive perspective. A leader an get a new lease of life into their relationships and style if you act and listen.

Encourage healthy debates: Leaders feel pressurized to get all the answers but he can motivate the team to involve in the debate. By having people get into the conversation, he can increase and built the strength of the team and show that in the tensions what a team is getting is a better answer.

Hold Yourself and other people accountable: Motivate the team to give better performance and delivery on time. A team has to be committed for delivery and show courage to call if they do not follow. And if everything is not working as expected hold yourself responsible and try to rectify the mistakes and find the solutions.

Show Support and Guide to the Employees

A good leader is not a one who discard the member who is showing less caliber but he would motivate him by providing him adequate training. Showing him his value and what he is worth of if it can develop in him the leadership skills.  He would analyze his activities and provide critical feedback on what are things that are going wrong or where are the things that are going right.  Sit with your employee and work with him to rectify the error and motivate him to perform well.  Show an attitude for the others to emulate. A good and qualifying leader would adopt a mentoring program and generate an environment whereby current and future leaders can attain valuable experience in their careers. This builds the value of the leaders as they are able to then perceive how the achievers react and respond to the different cases and situations.

Generate a positive Energy

Where ever a good leader stands, we can feel a positive energy is generated around him. He is positive, optimistic and displays a right kind of approach. He has the fire in his nature with a faith in doing and is passionate about it.  He too has to face many complications and frustrations in life, but he knows different ways to overcome the same and develop a positive energy. And where does that energy comes in him, it stems in a belief that what he is doing and is passionate about doing, he can do it. He will not face frustration and complications but he can cultivate an energetic atmosphere and know that it begins with them every day.

A successful leader believes in himself

Over the top, a successful leader has faith in his thoughts, his ideas and he knows what he is doing is right and his approach can take a team to successful venture.  This is a most pertinent quality that what makes a person a true leader.  Their decisions come what they feel and intuitive about and these would often come out to be correct and fruitful. As they have done the same thing repeatedly, they have been accustomed to the pressures and problems associated with the work and their decision. This is a reason why many leaders would tell you that their decisions solely depend on their instinct while making a difficult decision. It is his experience that manifests itself in his capability to analyze the current situation and make a decision.

He is improving and Learning

The performers of today know that leadership skills are not inherent in their nature but have to be adopted. They are always learning and honing their leadership skills by pursuing the leadership development courses and seeking out opportunities which can give them the chance to build their skills. Many learn and adopt the leadership skills by reading the books, attending seminars and meeting other leaders whom they respect and admire.  It is best to refine the methods by which you learn and adopt an apt procedure to remain engaged and ongoing.  He is also never hesitant to look forward to the opportunities for development. Though other industries face same challenges but you can, at least, learn lessons by forging the networking with the other leaders in specific areas.

Let us not go on in the history but look at the world today, which is full of common man like you and me but who have acclaimed their name in the world with their unexceptional leadership skills.  Business leaders and entrepreneurs have to take a balanced approach between the business and family. As there are so many things in life that demand attention, it is very easy to get overwhelmed.  But experience can help you overcome these feelings and make you a wise and better man that the world acknowledges. Though it is also difficult to adopt all these leadership skills as mentioned above, but experience, learning, the positive attitude can help you gain the maximum of these traits in your character to make you a suitable leader, the world wants.

The post 10 Leadership Skills for Success appeared first on eduCBA.

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