What Skills Do you Need to be a Leader?

What skills do you need to be a leader?

The top ten skills required by leaders, are the ability to:

1. Set a long-range optimistic vision for a better future and to be willing to commit to it for years.
2. Communicate the Vision to others, in such a way that they feel inspired to commit.
3. Build practical plans that show how the Vision may be achieved.
4. Organise resources and people, so that the plans are effectively implemented.
5. Maintain good order within the team, so that the individual members work in a cooperative and supportive manner.
6. Notice immediately which parts of the plan are working, and which parts are not working.
7. Be willing to adapt and change the plan, based upon the recent results.
8. Inspire others to accept change and keep going, despite the inevitable setbacks and difficulties.
9. To always be positive, but never over-confident.
10. To always be happy, but never satisfied.

1. Set a long-range optimistic Vision for a better future and to be willing to commit to it for years.

It takes years to accomplish anything of real value. Average people want instant gratification.

Leaders on the other hand, are long range thinkers. They think in terms of years, not days. Leaders think strategically.

If you want to be a leader, set big goals and be prepared to commit to them for years.

2. Communicate the Vision to others, in such a way that they feel inspired to commit.

Leaders are often great communicators, who inspire others to share the vision.

Leaders need at least one follower, and preferably many more than one. Therefore, a leader must communicate effectively.

If you want to be a leader, improve your personal communication skills.

3. Build practical plans that show how the Vision may be achieved.

Visions of a better future remain ephemeral dreams, unless they are translated into reality by practical plans.

Every vision needs detailed, written practical plans, that describe how the vision is to be translated into reality.

If you want to be a leader, then improve your planning skills.

4. Organise resources and people so that the plans are effectively implemented.

A plan needs to be implemented effectively. Therefore, a leader needs to keep an eye on the implementation of the plan. This introduces the concept of management, into the concept of leadership.

If you want to be a great leader, then improve your management skills.

5. Maintain good order within the team, so that the individual members work in a cooperative and collaborative manner.

Since the team has many different types of people, the chances are there will be the occasional conflict within the team. A leader must maintain good relationships between the various competing forces within the team.

A divided team fails.

If you want to be a good leader, improve your conflict management and negotiation skills.

6. Notice immediately which parts of the plan are working, and which parts are not working.

Success is not usually experienced as a steady stream of victories.

Success is usually the result of overcoming many setbacks and defeats.

It is vital that a leader is constantly aware of the feedback results, their current actions are producing.

Don't evade unpleasant truths.

If you want to be a leader, then you need to be honest about what is not going well.

7. Be willing to adapt and change the plan based upon the recent results.

When things are not going well, it is time to change the plan and adapt to current circumstances. This does NOT mean give up on the goal. It means change the plan.

If you want to be a great leader, stay committed to the goal, but be flexible in your methods.

8. Inspire others to accept change and keep going, despite the inevitable setbacks and difficulties.

Leaders embrace change, but many non-leaders hate change. You will have to use all your leadership skills to help others in your team to accept the necessity for change.

If you want to be a good leader, improve your ability to manage change and teach others to do the same.

9. To always be positive, but never over-confident.

Leaders are always positive because they keep the vision of a better future always in mind, but they are never over-confident, because they know the vision has to be paid for by proper planning, intelligent action, adaptation and change.

If you want to be a leader, develop a positive mental attitude.

10. To always be happy, but never satisfied.

Leaders are always happy because they know they are on their way to better times, but they are never satisfied, as they know that perfection is never quite achieved, and there is always more to do.

If you want to be a leader, discover the art of being happy but never satisfied, since improvement is always possible.

Attend our Two-Day Leadership Course

Our inspirational two-day Leadership Course is based on the above ten points and will enable you to improve your management skills and make you a better leader.

Definition: Leadership

In business, leadership is the process of setting a clear long-term goal, sharing it so others feel driven to join, arranging people and tools to move forward, and reshaping the plan when facts change while keeping a steady, positive mood. If any part is missing, true leadership is absent.

Article Summary

Great leadership rests on ten linked skills: see a better future, share it, map the route, organise people and tools, keep the team united, watch what works, adjust fast, drive change, stay positive not proud, and stay happy yet hungry for growth.

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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