Thanks for coming back to our series on high-impact workplace skills. So far, we’ve taken a closer look at how you can use skills like analytical thinking and motivation and self-awareness to impress employers and get you closer to your goals. This week we’ll explore another desirable skill set: leadership and social influence.
When we think of people with strong leadership skills, certain titles may come to mind: managers, CEOs, presidents, professors, and other designations of expertise. But the truth is like that anyone can be a leaderregardless of titles or position in the organizational chart.
Simply put, a leader is someone (anyone!) with the ability to encourage, empower and enable people around them to achieve a common goal.
What makes a good leader?
A good leader is one who moves the team closer to their goals. Additionally, the traits and characteristics that define good leadership will vary depending on who you ask.
There are several different management styles, such as authoritarian, democratic, transformational, and collaborative. Perhaps you work best with an authoritative leader who makes the decisions and tells you how to execute their plans; or perhaps you prefer collaborative leadership, where everyone’s ideas are shared freely and considered equally.
Depending on the work environment, one can become a good leader by relying on a particular management style. The best leaders, however, will excel at several management styles and know when to employ each to effectively motivate their team.
How to become a leader
There are four fundamental skills for effective leadership: communication, influence, learning agility and self-awareness. By practicing these skills, you’ll be better prepared to take the lead the next time the opportunity arises.
Communication skills enable you to engage in clear dialogue with others through verbal, written, visual and non-verbal media. As a leader, you can use your communication skills to give directions, share expectations, and actively listen to your teammates—all of which can be important for building trust.
→ Learn effective communication techniques in the Enhancing Communication Skills course at the University of Pennsylvania.
Influence is the ability to persuade others as you move toward your shared goals. This skill includes building and managing relationships. When you know your teammates well, you’ll be better equipped to motivate them in ways that encourage desired results.
→ Learn about social influence at the University of Michigan’s Leading People and Teams specialization.
Learning agility it has to do with how you seek, accept and apply new information. Acknowledging your own growth path and striving for continuous development can allow you to expand your perspective as a leader and consider new perspectives and ways forward.
→ Learn mental agility in the Positive Psychology: Resilience Skills course at the University of Pennsylvania.
Self-awareness and the ability to think inward can allow you to emerge as the leader you want to be. When you know how to motivate yourself, your greatest strengths and your areas of weakness, you are better equipped to navigate stressful situations or unexpected obstacles.
→ Learn self-awareness in the Self Awareness and the Effective Leader course at Rice University.
Once you feel confident in these leadership principles, identify opportunities to practice being a leader. After all, you may not need a title to become a leader, but you do need people to lead you. So how do you plan to show up?
We’ll leave you sitting with that question. Next week we will close this series with a topic on empathy. I’ll see you then.