The Top Ten Leadership Skills

Top Ten Leadership Skills

Here are the top ten leadership skills.

Check yourself against each one and discover where you are strong and where you are weak.

Then work to improve any weak points in your performance.

1. Goal-focused mind.
2. Excellent communication skills.
3. Decisiveness.
4. Good planner.
5. Good conflict resolution skills.
6. Talent spotter.
7. Acute awareness of feedback.
8. Optimistic.
9. Self-reliant.
10. Inspirational Leadership.

Here are a few notes on each.

1. Goal focused.

All leaders have the ability to select a goal and focus on it for extended periods of time. This is the primary difference between a leader and a non-leader. Leaders are "locked on target". They have, to a degree, tunnel vision.

2. Excellent communication skills.

Leaders are good communicators. They have the ability to engage the minds of others and talk them into sharing the same goal. A leader needs to be a good communicator, because a leader needs followers, and in order to gain followers, a leader needs to be able to effectively communicate.

3. Willing to make a decision.

Leaders are decisive. They are not afraid to make a decision and act on it. Leaders make decisions even in the face of incomplete and uncertain knowledge. Many people are afraid to make a decision for fear of making a wrong one, SO they dither and prevaricate. Leaders lead, by making decisions and taking action.

4. Effective planners.

Good leaders are good planners. They plan everything. They want to know that everything is ready for the big event. They don't want to leave anything to chance.

5. Conflict managers.

Good leaders are good at handling conflict within the team. A good leader knows, that a house divided against itself, falls. So good leaders are good at resolving conflicts within the team. They solve problematic conflicts early, before they have a chance to blow up into full scale civil war.

6. Good talent spotter.

Good leaders are good at spotting talent. They are good at selecting the best people to join the team. They are on the look-out for top talent. They want the best people and the best advice. A leader seeks advice from people who know more about it than he/she does.

7. Acute awareness of feedback.

Good leaders have a keen awareness of feedback. Feedback is information that relates the results of your recent actions, to your goal. Feedback comes in two forms: positive and negative. Leaders react quickly to negative feedback. They are very quick to recognise when the feedback indicates that things are going wrong. Those people who are too slow to realise what is happening, do not make good leaders. Good leaders are acutely sensitive to feedback.

8. Optimistic.

Leaders are optimistic. They believe in a better future. Leaders lead people towards visions of a better future. If there is no optimistic vision, then there is no leadership.

9. Self-reliance.

Leaders are self-reliant. They don't depend on anyone else to "give them confidence". They don't rely on anyone to motivate them. They motivate themselves from the inside out. Most people wait for good news to arrive before they feel good. Leaders feel good in advance of the event, and use that good feeling to help drive the event into existence.

10. Inspirational to others.

Good leaders have a positive effect on the minds of others. Other people who lack leadership qualities are inspired by those who do. People are inspired by others who have these leadership qualities:

• goal-focus,
• excellent communication,
• decisiveness,
• good plans,
• good conflict resolution,
• team builder,
• acute awareness,
• optimistic,
• self-reliance and therefore,
• inspirational.

If you want to take your leadership to the next level, check out these three Advanced Leadership Skills you will need to master.

What is the difference between leadership and management?

Definition: leadership skill

In business, a leadership skill is a skill that lets you guide others towards a shared goal. It blends clear talk, firm choices and steady drive, shows up in day-to-day acts and results, and grows stronger with study, feedback and practice.

Article Summary

Great leadership is no accident; it rests on ten skills: clear goals, plain speech, bold choices, sound plans, calm conflict fixing, talent spotting, fast feedback use, steady hope, self drive and the power to lift others. Check each one, build the weak points and your team will grow.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Did You Know: Key Statistics

About the Author: Chris Farmer

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.

Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.

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