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 into 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 yourattention? 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 a 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 mindset.
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 services arerequired:
=> 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.
