9 Proven Ways to Develop Your Leadership Skills | Career Series

9 Proven Ways to Develop Your Leadership Skills

The idea of ascending to the top of one's industry is what makes it feasible for many individuals to keep grinding away at their employment, improving their talents, and taking on new tasks. But at a certain point, job advancement relies on more than technical talents and a desire to work hard. You also need a few soft talents, not the least of which is the capacity to take on a leadership position.

Some individuals are natural leaders, but anybody may gain the skill set required with some effort. If you want to push your career as far as possible, you have to be ready to put in the effort.

Here are nine ways to help you build your leadership abilities and boost your career.

1. Practice discipline

A good leader requires discipline. Developing discipline in your professional (and personal) life is a necessary to be a successful leader and to motivate others to be disciplined as well. People will assess your abilities to lead by the degree of discipline you demonstrate at work.

Demonstrate discipline at work by constantly meeting deadlines, maintaining appointments, and concluding meetings on time. If you are inherently unorganized, then you may have your job cut out for you, but you can always start small. Try practicing excellent habits at home, like waking up early and getting regular exercise, and work your way up from there.

2. Take on additional tasks

A fantastic method to strengthen your leadership abilities is to take on additional responsibilities. You don't have to take on more than you can do, but you do need to accomplish more than merely what's covered in your job description if you want to advance.

Stepping out of your comfort zone is the only way you will learn anything new, and doing so will get you recognized by executives as someone who takes initiative.

3. Learn to follow

A genuine leader has no trouble giving authority to another individual when appropriate. You should not feel frightened when someone disagrees with you, criticizes your thinking, or puts forward their own opinions.

Keep an open mind and award merit where merit is deserved. It won't always be easy, but if you learn to appreciate and respect people on your team, they'll be more willing to step up to the bat for you.

4. Develop situational awareness

A trait of a good leader is someone who can see the wider picture and predict issues before they develop. This is an essential talent to have while tackling complicated tasks with tight deadlines. The capacity to predict and make solutions for avoiding possible difficulties is crucial for a leader.

This talent also helps you spot chances that others ignore, which will undoubtedly gain you praise. This may be particularly tough to establish while managing remote teams but with effort, you can become more sensitive to your teams and projects.

5. Inspire others

Being a leader implies you are part of a team, and as a leader, you should be able to encourage and inspire others you work with to cooperate as best they can.

When a team member needs encouragement or assistance, provide it. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen and be compassionate.

6. Keep learning

The greatest approach to become a successful leader is to be open to learning new things. It keeps your thinking sharp and your talents fresh. It primes you for future difficulties that may come your way, which is always a good thing for a leader.

7. Empower your teammates

No one is the greatest at everything, and the sooner you grasp that the sooner you may learn to be a successful leader. Delegating responsibilities to others not only frees you up for things you do well, but it also empowers other individuals on your team.

8. Resolve disagreements

Don't be a manager from hell! Not everyone will get along all the time. Instead of ignoring interpersonal disputes and expecting they would go away, confront them by talking to individuals concerned discreetly.

Also, be open to reassigning team members if the disagreement can't be addressed.

9. Be a discerning listener

Becoming a leader doesn't mean you always have to be in the limelight. An essential attribute of a successful leader is someone who listens to thoughts, ideas, and comments from other people and builds on them.

Good listeners recognize that communication is not just about words, but picking up on non-verbal signs, such as eye contact and body language.

Good leadership abilities are vital to growing your career, but as you can see, leadership is much more than merely being in control. As American politician John Quincy Adams remarked, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, study more, accomplish more, and become more, you are a leader."

Happy Advancing! 😉