Every person has their own mode of leadership and different backgrounds in gaining their skills. Sometimes your skills work wonders and sometimes there’s room for improvement. You know the old saying that goes: “some people are born to lead and others are born to follow”? Well, this statement couldn’t be further from the truth. Not everyone is born with the personality to lead, but there’s always a way to learn/improve the skills needed for successful leadership.

LEAD OUTSIDE YOUR CAREER:

Develop your leadership skills outside of your current career. Whether you’re in a leadership position or not, having experience in another area will instill or build upon what you already know. Look for opportunities at your church, a non-profit, or another organization you’re passionate about. Leading on a volunteer basis allows you to experience working with a variety of people in an area you were not familiar with before.

HUMBLE THE SKILLS YOU ALREADY HAVE:

Sure–you have perfected communication, time management, flexibility, etc. and are a great leader. However, you can always add on to these skills. You think they’re perfect until you meet someone new and can’t manage to work with them. When this happens (and it will) do not default the blame to your new employee. First, evaluate where you could improve your connection with them. Adjust your influence where they are lacking; then if improvement is not seen, have a meeting with the employee to discuss the issue.

TAKE A PERSONALITY TEST:

If you work with a large team and don’t get personal interactions with every person, consider a personality test. It may seem extravagant at first, but it allows insight into people’s quirks you wouldn’t have noticed before. There are numerous ones to choose from, but they help address individuals’ interaction habits and how certain personalities address conflict, stress, and work.  Learn about great corporate assessments here.

BE A JACK OF ALL TRADES:

Only 14% of CEOs feel they have the necessary skills to complete their business strategies, and with roughly 28 million businesses in the world, 14% is less than 400,000. Therefore, as a great leader, you should feel capable to create and follow through with any plan. While you have a great team, directing them will come from an understanding of their particular skills. This means putting in time to learn and understand their processes – not becoming an expert. They were hired as a professional in their field and you were hired to lead, but never miss the opportunity to learn what they’re doing so you can better lead them to success.

GET WITH THE TIMES:

Leadership isn’t a solo gig anymore. Many companies are shifting to include teams of diverse leaders – meaning the introduction of more women in senior leadership roles. Companies that include more female leaders are 1.4 times more likely to show better performance in collaboration and sustained growth. The reasoning behind this growth is not to support women’s superiority, but these companies have inclusive environments that promote everyone to thrive.