Adopt Leadership Skills to Perform Better

Many employees think leadership skills are only needed if you are a member of a management or leadership team. But the propensity of many organizations to use employee teams to achieve objectives and complete projects has increased the importance of staff member leadership abilities. While a titled manager is usually responsible for team performance, untitled staff leaders often determine the success or failure of the project. Team members who have and display these skills are typically the preferred choices for new management opportunities.

All types of leadership abilities have common traits, including the following:

• Integrity. Business ethics and integrity are intrinsic to all forms of leadership.
  
  
• Clear goal setting. The popularity of business goals sometimes leads to haste and confusion. Setting goals clearly and understandably permits individuals and teams to focus and achieve.
  
  
• Communicating vision. Much like a great idea, vision occurs in the mind of one and then must be communicated to the many to achieve acceptance. Clearly communicating vision to others is a universal trait of leaders.
  
  
• Setting values and good examples. Leading by example is a common component of the best of the best. Clearly displaying solid values and good examples of leadership is important.
  
  
• Expecting the best of every team and project. Negativity has little value for leaders. Positive expectations for every individual, team and project, regardless of your personal feelings, are the traits of a real leader.
  
  
• Encourage others to perform. Everyone relishes encouragement. Unfortunately there is seldom enough encouragement (from co-workers and management) to satisfy the need. Leaders understand this and offer encouragement to others at every opportunity.
  
  
• Support co-workers. Like encouragement, all people want support. Once again, there never seems to be enough co-worker support to meet the wants of others. Your peers will enthusiastically welcome and benefit from your support.
  
  
• Publicly recognize superior work and effective people. All good leaders know the rule: “Praise in public, criticize in private.” Employees will recognize you as a leader if you publicly praise their work when it is superior.
  
  
• Stimulate others to perform. Like a great coach or mentor, leaders stimulate others to a higher performance. Even the best workers need outside stimulation at times to achieve high performance. Leaders provide that stimulation.
  
  
• Help a team retain their focus on their goals and projects. The diverse personalities of team members often create tangents and loss of goal focus. While natural and understandable, leaders have the ability to maintain team focus and keep the team’s “eyes on the prize.”
  
  
• Inspire staff. Inspiration takes many forms and is important in all personal and professional lives. Leaders develop the ability to inspire co-workers and/or subordinates to achieve and enjoy the workplace.

Should you aspire to join the management team, practicing these leadership skills can help. Managers must identify future leaders. And by exhibiting leadership skills to managers, you are advertising your candidacy value for future management opportunities.

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