5 surefire Ways to Master Your Leadership Skills

Good leaders all have one thing in common – they get stuff done. Now, leaders may have different methods of getting there, and they may disagree on the details of what makes a leader. But in the end leadership means that the leader, along with his/her team, accomplish what they need to. The question becomes, then, how to master the skills you need for this particular work environment and for this particular team makeup. Here are 5 ways to do this.

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes

You know that good leaders can delegate. They look at the details of a project and assign parts of it to their team members. But how are those tasks delegated and how do you know what is really involved in each task that must be completed? You don’t really know, unless you get on the field with your players. The next large project you have, delegate as you always would. Then, spend some quality time with each team member learning how they go about attacking their tasks, how challenging the task is, what tools and resources do they use or need.

Once you have done this, you will have mastered several things:

# You will understand each team member much better and appreciate the job that each one does.

# You will know if you need to modify delegation in the future

# You will know what tools and resources you need to do a better job providing so that things happen more efficiently.

# You will have earned the respect and admiration of your team, and their loyalty will grow.

One of the most important skills a leader must have is to know his/her team well. You have just mastered that skill.

Be a Teacher and a Student

Part of leadership is teaching/training you team. You either do some of this yourself or you have an expert come in. But it is your responsibility to see that everyone has the skills s/he needs. You expect them to listen and absorb what is being taught.

Now the student part. Life is learning, constant learning. You expect your team members to listen. You must master the art of listening too. You must be the student at times and listen to your team members. They have good ideas; they have suggestions; they can tell you when things are not going well, if you let them. If you want to master the student part, you will hold regular meetings. You will ask a question and then you will shut up. With practice, you will master this art of listening, and your team members will feel very comfortable being completely honest with you. The other part of being a student is knowing your own weaknesses and finding ways to overcome them. Suppose projects involve written research summaries and reports and you are not a skilled writer. Rather than throw that off on someone else in the team, find a good resource reviews click here.

Being a Servant

This is a hard thing to master sometimes. You are so focused on the goals and the projects and the deadlines that you don’t learn how to be of service. The best way to learn this? Get a cause outside of work and volunteer. It can be a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, tutoring kids who are struggling, or walking dogs at the local animal shelter. Outside of the work environment, you can master being of service. Then, you can bring that mastery back into the workplace with a new attitude. That new attitude will say, “Is there anything I can do to help you?” “Can I re-fill your coffee while you finish that up?” “Do you need a day off to get your mom moved into the nursing home?”

Acting

How are your acting skills? You may need to brush up, because you will need them. When times are tough; when a project is threatening to go past a deadline; when everyone is stressed and overworked, you have to be the one to put on the positive attitude even though you feel anything but. You lead by example during these times, and it means no bitching and moaning and complaining. It means that “we can do this, people,” and you have to say it like you mean it. If it means late hours, you spring for the pizza or Chinese delivery; if it means you pitch in by clearing the jam in the copier or by doing some typing or running some numbers for someone, you do it. But always, the attitude is, “we can do this.”

The Final Skill to Master

Mistakes are going to happen. When you make a mistake, ultimately you forget about it and move on. In effect, you don’t dwell on it and you have forgiven yourself. Mastering the skill of forgiveness is absolutely critical to a relationship with your team members. And you have to mean it. When a mistake is made, of course it must be addressed and fixed if possible. But two dwell on that mistake and to allow a team member to live with guilt, or worse, fear, is just wrong. You have to practice forgiveness to master it, but master it you must. When you master forgiveness, you have modeled something you want every team member to practice as well.

Leadership is really modeling for your team the behaviors you want from them. People can argue all day about the key elements of leadership and which is more important. In the end it is situational, but this skill of modeling is always there.

 

[Dhruv Bindhani]

Good leaders are defined by their ability to achieve results alongside their teams. While methodologies may vary, the ultimate measure of leadership lies in accomplishment. The key then becomes how to cultivate the necessary skills for a specific work environment and team composition. Here are five ways to master these essential leadership qualities.

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes​

Effective leaders understand the art of delegation, meticulously assigning project tasks to their team members. However, true understanding of the delegation process and the intricacies of each task is only gained by engaging directly with the team. For your next major project, delegate as usual, but then dedicate quality time with each team member. Observe how they approach their tasks, identify the challenges they face, and understand the tools and resources they currently utilize or require.

By doing this, you will master several crucial aspects: a deeper appreciation for each team member's contribution, insights for modifying future delegation strategies, knowledge of necessary tools and resources for enhanced efficiency, and most importantly, you will earn the respect, admiration, and loyalty of your team. This direct engagement is paramount to truly knowing your team, a fundamental leadership skill.

Be a Teacher and a Student​

Leadership inherently involves teaching and training your team, whether personally or through experts. It is your responsibility to ensure every team member possesses the necessary skills, and you expect them to absorb what is taught. However, true mastery extends to being a student as well. Just as you expect them to listen, you must master the art of listening to your team members. They possess valuable ideas, constructive suggestions, and crucial insights into potential issues – if you create an environment where they feel safe to share. To master this, hold regular meetings where you ask a question and then, importantly, remain silent. With practice, you will become a proficient listener, fostering an atmosphere where your team feels comfortable being completely honest. Another vital aspect of being a student is acknowledging your own weaknesses and proactively seeking ways to overcome them, rather than simply offloading tasks.

Being a Servant​

This leadership quality can be challenging to master, especially when intensely focused on goals, projects, and deadlines. The best way to cultivate a servant's attitude is to engage in volunteer work outside of your professional life. Whether it's at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, tutoring children, or assisting at an animal shelter, volunteering allows you to practice service without the immediate pressures of work. This mastery can then be seamlessly integrated into the workplace, manifesting as a new attitude characterized by offers of help, small acts of kindness, and genuine concern for your team members' well-being.

Acting​

Assess your acting skills, as you will undoubtedly need them. During challenging periods – when deadlines loom, projects falter, or stress levels are high – you, as the leader, must project a positive attitude, even if you feel otherwise. This is leading by example. It means refraining from negativity and instead exuding confidence, proclaiming, "we can do this, people," with conviction. It involves tangible support, such as ordering food for late nights or actively pitching in with mundane tasks like clearing a copier jam or running numbers. The unwavering message, always, is one of collective capability: "we can do this."

The Final Skill to Master​

Mistakes are an inevitable part of any endeavor. When you make a mistake, the ultimate goal is to learn from it and move forward without dwelling on it; in essence, you forgive yourself. Extending this mastery of forgiveness to your team members is absolutely critical for healthy team relationships. When a mistake occurs, it must be addressed and rectified if possible. However, to dwell on the error and allow a team member to endure guilt, or worse, fear, is detrimental and wrong. Forgiveness requires practice to master, but it is a skill that must be acquired. By mastering forgiveness, you model a crucial behavior that you want every team member to embody.

Ultimately, leadership is fundamentally about modeling the behaviors you expect from your team. While various elements of leadership can be debated endlessly, and its application is often situational, the skill of modeling desired behaviors remains a constant and foundational aspect of effective leadership.