It's easy for managers and business owners to claim to be leaders. Working with a team and owning a business may make you seem like a leader, but more than lip service is required for the role. Leadership skills require constant training and development. Like muscle, they develop quickly when used and can atrophy when neglected. Demonstrating your leadership skills regularly makes you a true leader. Understanding the key skills that a leader must develop and putting them into practice is the difference between those who lead and those who simply claim the mantle of leadership.
Two key leadership skills are honesty and motivation. The honesty required to tell employees or investors bad news as well as good can help set a leader apart from someone simply sitting in a leadership position. Being a leader requires a proactive stance. It is not enough to simply wait for the opportunity to arise; leaders create their own opportunities by remaining motivated and focused on the success of their organizations. Managers and business owners who are true leaders combine these elements to overcome the many challenges they face.
Effective communication skills and the confidence to employ them are also necessary for effective leadership. Those who speak volumes about their leadership skills without putting them to use often lack the necessary confidence to actually dig in and direct workers. Leaders use their communication skills to delegate responsibilities with confidence, and their confidence inspires those around them to put forth their best efforts. Leaders who merely act the part often lack these key leadership skills, leaving them unable to communicate easily with team members and afraid that others will notice their deficient communication skills.
Being a leader also requires the ability to encourage others and take responsibility. Confidence inspires confidence in others, and devoting your energies towards helping your employees succeed as well as your company as a whole is one of the hallmarks of true leadership. Leaders take responsibility when their employees struggle, realizing that employees may lack proper training or necessary tools, and they take it upon themselves to help ensure that every worker gets every chance to succeed.
The difference between those who claim to be leaders and those who actually lead comes down to the development and deployment of key leadership skills. Effective communication and confidence inspire motivation in workers. Honesty, responsibility, and a proactive nature are internal traits that allow leaders to make the right choices and keep their teams or organizations headed in the right direction. Putting these leadership skills to good use is the hallmark of a great leader, and the dedication to develop these traits shines through even without verbal announcement.
(Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net)
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