3 Aspects of Developing Leadership Skills
Everyone knows that great leaders are made, not born. However good that statement sounds, we still want to know how we "make" or turn people effective leaders. And other questions need to be answered about the process of leadership development. So how DO you boost your leadership skills? If you want to
improve your ability to lead, where should you focus your
attention? Why are certain leadership talents more
important than others? To Boost or not to - that's a good question Would you want to be a leader with more skills? Yes,
especially when you consider the opportunities "more" skills offer you. You would want to effectively plan a strategy or generate purposeful agenda to meet the challenges of your daily situations. You could employ different skills to encourage your team to perform beyond their ordinary level, bridge the gaps causing low morale in your followers or coach and counsel people who face difficult circumstances. With more skills, you would be better prepared to take action with greater confidence, and you would act more decisively. Having more skills means you have: => More options, styles and capabilities to choose from, => More approaches to evaluating or solving your "problems", => More opportunities to innovate. In the world of leaders, you must agree that "more is definitely better!" Quo Vadis? Whither doth thou goest? Where should you focus
your attention? Taking a journey involves having an intent and a destination in your mind. Your leadership training, development and educational efforts demand the same kind of purposeful mind-set. Your reasons for improving your leadership abilities will depend upon your working conditions, operating environment and other organizational factors. For instance, what types of situations do you face, how will your
leadership skills be applied? - Will you lead a special or critical one-time project? - Will you lead others who directly report to you or are
under your direct influence? - Will you lead people who are outside your sphere of
control [such as, your clients, partners from other
companies, or members of your community]? You must focus your attention on providing service through
your leadership. To look at leadership in this light, you
will need to know what types of leadership service are
required: => Should your style be dictating or nurturing; => Should more of your time be spent listening and observing; => Should your behavior be motivating or modeling; => Should your role be instructing or supervising and so on. Leadership is not a "wondering-about" activity - when leaders are aimless. their followers are clueless, and everyone's efforts are worthless. Show and Tell or tell and show - it depends on your talents Because you do have strengths and weaknesses, you owe it to
yourself to investigate your talents honestly and deeply.
Are you a strong communicator, do you usually think about
or see things in a positive light, can you easily adapt
yourself to deal with changes, are you flexible? Your strengths will empower your effectiveness and your
weaknesses will betray you and disgust, disappoint or
discourage others. The trick you need to turn is found in
using your strengths to analyze and overcome your weaknesses. Let me explain myself - I have a fairly strong ability to react to and
perceive the subtleties of my surroundings - but there are
times when I realize that my understanding of someone's behavior is wrong. When I'm incorrect in my assessment, it would be wise for me to acknowledge my error and apologize for being insensitive to that person's plight or burden. Another way to overcome your weakness is to delegate your
authority to and share your power with someone who has a
greater strength, more time or a stronger relationship than
your do. But you should always be aware of your skills,
knowledge and connections to others. In a word, you want to maintain a constant inventory of your attributes, tendencies and shortfalls. Your portfolio of strengths will affect your decisions to embark
on prudent courses of action, with knowledge of your
weaknesses you can defend the threats to your mission by
developing alternative plans or assign tasks to other people. Once you have determined the state of your strengths, you
can use your skills-inventory => To act in innovative or more creative ways; => To establish appropriate and effective patterns, structures or solutions; => To support and propel the momentum of your leadership power. So then the questions remain: will you step-up to the challenge, are you willing to awaken the great leader that slumbers inside you? If so, you can be "made" into a leader of great promise. There are leadership training courses, workshops and programs available to all sizes of budget and ambition. I believe you were born to bless the world with your God-given greatness. Please don't deny us the energy of your unique, meaningful and worthy contributions. Copyright © 2003-2005, Mustard Seed Investments, Inc.,
All rights reserved. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bill Thomas is publisher of leadership skills training
materials. courses & programs. "Your Leadership-UltraNet!"
is the Web's only ULTRA-Performance Empowerment System That
Shows You How-To Think-like, Act-like, Behave-like,
Believe-like and then Manage-like a Creative, Confident,
Persuasive, Highly Effective Leader, Each & Every Day! http://www.leadership-toolkit.com/skills.html
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Would Socrates Be A Celebrity Today?
Last week, as I was standing in the checkout line of my local grocery store, I found myself staring at the dozen or so magazines on display. As I gazed upon the various photos and headlines praising or trashing the celebrity du jour, I got to thinking.
Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!
What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?
Three Factors Of Leadership Motivation
Leaders do nothing more important than get results. But you can't get results by yourself. You need others to help you do it. And the best way to have other people get results is not by ordering them but motivating them. Yet many leaders fail to motivate people to achieve results because those leaders misconstrue the concept and applications of motivation.
Helping Others Develop Their Potential
Most of us find ourselves in a position to help others achieve more of their potential than we realize. Sure, as leaders, supervisors, and parents we can see ourselves in that position; but the fact is that all of us are uniquely qualified to help at least one other person in our lives reach their potential. I believe it is part of our purpose in life to serve others in this way ? to encourage and support people we care about in becoming their best selves.
Beyond Authority: Debunking the Top 3 Leadership Myths
Have you noticed that across the business world people are recognizing that we are fast outgrowing the thinking and language of hierarchy, but we're also struggling to create a new, more collaborative future? The challenge for all is to figure out how to operate in this emerging paradigm-the one that our own efforts are helping to shape.
Choose Your Best Life: Where Are Your Choices Leading You?
According to the dictionary choice means "to select freely after consideration, to have a preference for, to take an alternative and of high caliber." Based on this definition, I believe choice is the act of careful selection, identifying preferences and exploring quality alternatives that lead to freedom. How often do we approach our choices in such a deliberately thoughtful way?
Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 4, Quiet Participants
There are many reasons why someone would decline to participate during a
meeting. For example, the person may feel reluctant to speak out, may disagree
with the approach endorsed by others in the meeting, or may just be tired.
3 Cs Leaders Must Communicate!
"Of every noble work the silent part is best,
Of all expression that which can not be expressed"
- William Wetmore Story
It?s Not All About Cheese: The Missing Component in Employee Development (Part 1)
Spencer Johnson really hit a nerve when he wrote Who Moved My Cheese? The book, a best seller still, is a wonderful allegory of the things that drive and motivate us. I personally loved the book, perhaps because I read it in one night. But, I was left wondering if the most important part of the cheese story was ever addressed profoundly enough. I am talking about the idea that it is not all about the cheese!
Transformational Leadership
"What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of the people answer "leadership is the capacity or an ability of a person to lead". Earlier theories of leadership viz. trait, behaviour and contingency theories explain the meaning of leadership from different angles. But all these theories spring from the point of view of leaders i.e. "How to control the followers?" Now-a-days the most recent type of leadership is Transformational Leadership theory which also theorises from the point of view of leaders but it attempts to transform the followers or subordinates into leaders.
The Ten Commandments of Leadership
A poem hangs on the wall at Mother Theresa's orphanage in India. For all who are called to lead, it is a great reminder of what we should do:
To be, or Not to be (Average)?
When is hate OK? When it's the feeling you have toward average. Let me make this point clearly and without reservation. I hate average!
Two Vital Abilities Any Leader Must Have
As a business owner, you are a leader whether you like it or not. Whether you like it or not you have to guide your group in order to expand your organization. And whether you like it or not, there are some difficult situations that you have to confront and handle -- hopefully in a way that inspires confidence in you from your staff.
Embracing Adversity for Achievement
"Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I'll show you someone who has overcome adversity." -- Lou Holtz
Dont Be a Complainer
Complaining. There's room for legitimate complaining, but if you let this deadly disease of attitude - complaining ? loose, it will conquer you. Complaining can take over your life. Destroy you and leave you without anything.
5 Human Capital Asset Enrichment Strategies for Leaders!
Here's a really simple way to think about the ins and
outs, the doing and practice or attitudes and behaviors of
being a leader.
Five Surprisingly Hip Politicial Ideas From Plato
Don't you love politics?
Premature Articulation
Ask anyone about what makes a good leader and they are sure to put the ability to communicate high on the list of necessary skills. Yet all to often communication is simply seen as the ability to speak.
Being Other Focused
In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. Ambassabor to Singapore wrote the Manager's Journal column about some of the things he learned from the late President Reagan while working on his staff.
All You Really Want Is Feeling Good
If I asked you what your goal in life is, what would you answer? Well, the answer would be as diversified as people are.
|
