Building Leadership Skills
With the workplace reeling from the global economic crisis,
leadership skills may be your best investment for employability. While
some individuals seem like natural born leaders, leadership is a skill,
and like all skills, you can acquire proficiency.
It’s important to understand the difference between managers and
leaders; managers monitor staff while leaders motivate, persuade,
influence, and inspire. And what truly differentiates leaders? Superior
people skills.
Choose from a variety of educational and experiential strategies to cultivate this all important skill:
1. Leaders are effective communicators who share their expectations
with their staffs and others. Improve your oral communications through a
course and join a speakers program, like Toastmasters, to further
improve and practice. And take advantage of every opportunity to speak,
at business, community, and social group meetings.
2. Find role models in your organization or industry. Watch others
carefully and model your behavior after leaders you feel have good
leadership skills.
3. Use assessment instruments, such as the 360-degree feedback
method, to evaluate your leadership strengths and weaknesses. Or, access
and utilize online leaderships surveys, such as “The Nature of Your
Leadership Survey” at:
http://devtc3.tc.columbia.edu/surveys/nature/index.cfm
4. Attend hands-on workshops where there’s role playing and the
opportunity to practice ideas and techniques. Check out offerings
through professional associations, private training companies,
consultants, coaches, adult education, colleges, and universities.
5. Volunteer for leadership roles in your professional organizations. It’s an opportunity to make a contribution while developing and refining your leadership skills.
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