What It Takes to Be a Great Leader Might Not Be What You Think
Have you ever heard the expression, “promoted to his/her own level of incompetence?”
It’s a harsh phrase, but there is some truth behind it.
When people say that, they refer to a manager or corporate executive who has risen through the ranks due to his or her smarts, experience, and competency. But once they reach a certain level of leadership, their day-to-day job is more about managing than the skills that got them there.
They may or may not be prepared for the work of leadership. On the job, technical proficiency does not often translate to managerial know-how. You may know this from experience if you’ve ever had a terrible boss who was sharp as a tack.
This same phenomenon can absolutely occur with business owners and entrepreneurs who are under-prepared for the daily tasks of leading a team. Starting a business usually fulfills a dream, but the day in-day out can be more of a nightmare without leadership expertise.
However, all hope is not lost if you are lacking in leadership skills and training. While some people are born with innate leadership qualities, that’s not necessary (or even sufficient). Being a great leader means mastering a series of skills that can be learned and improved over time.
Unlike a degree in engineering, marketing, or even business, being a leader means upleveling your soft skills, which enables you to effectively and harmoniously interact with others.
In the Business of People
If you’re spending much of your day managing people, you’re no longer in the business you entered. You’re now in the business of people.
It’s a huge shift in skills, tasks, and mindset. By embracing that shift and acknowledging that you’re no longer a worker bee simply doing your job, you take the first step toward leadership greatness.
John D. Rockefeller said, “Good leadership consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
Here are 5 soft skills to work on in order to be the best leader you can be:
Active Listening – The best leaders spend much of their day in listening mode. Rather than talking and directing, by listening to what your team members are telling you about the work they’re doing, you’re not only helping them process and reflect, you’re also learning valuable information about how to proceed.
Positive Attitude – Leadership is about how you make your employees feel because your attitude affects their performance. Motivating, empowering, and inspiring your team, especially when the chips are down, is one of the most important tasks a leader does.
Greater Awareness – The ability to anticipate problems before they arise, the needs of others, and next steps to accomplish your goals are three hallmarks of a good leader. Each require active consideration that can be challenging when the pace of work is busy.
Conflict Resolution – In management, personality conflicts are inevitable. Addressing them proactively, and encouraging team members to do the same, is the best course of action.
Agile Delegation – Successful delegation requires trust in team members to do the job well, ability to plan so that the team has adequate time to complete projects, and consistent feedback so the team can improve over time. Remember, feedback is part of the training process.
Mastering Leadership Skills
By strengthening these soft skills of leadership, you will not only make you and your team more successful, you’ll also improve quality of life at work across the board. Stress will decrease, motivation will increase, and over time, you will build an all-star team anyone would be thrilled to join.
But mastering these skills is not always easy. Many of my Celeste Giordano Coaching clients focus on one or more of these soft skills as part of our work together and see phenomenal results.
If you want to reap the benefits of honing your leaderships skills, contact me today.
Blueprint Magazine – Volume 4
“Celebrating Generations”
In this latest issue of The Blueprint, several articles focus on what to do as spring draws to a close and summer begins so that you can smartly meet your professional and personal goals. Articles are written by authors spanning all generations, filled with knowledge to inspire and motivate you.
Here is a sampling of what you will discover in this edition…
- The Best Gift Of All by Pauline Duncan-Thrasher
- Are We There Yet? by Joan Williams
- The Women of Global Change Youth Initiative by Cheyenne Hunt
- The Rise Of The New Economy by Cynthia Mabry
- In Life and In Work, Be Anything But Common by Celeste Giordano
- The Importance Of Reviewing Quarterly by Brigitta Hoeferle
- The Technology Buying Cycle: How Often Should Your Business Update Its Technology? by Jason Rush
- When It’s A Mistake To Hire A Writer & When It’s The Right Move by Katherine Copeland
- Ultimate Mission Impact: There Is Only One Solution by Sheree Allison
- and much more!
My hope is that The Blueprint inspires you in all aspects of your life – to grow your business, to prosper in your personal life and to serve the community and world around you.
Click here to subscribe for your free copy.
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlusTM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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