5 Leadership Skills You Need to Succeed

A great leader is someone that embodies several strengths and skills all at once. All great leaders share the skill of being able to respectfully communicate with their team, inspire them to do great things, and make smart decisions on their behalf. Regardless of the level you are at, practicing leadership skills can help you grow in your career. 

Here are five leadership skills to focus on.

1. Communication skills
As a manager it is extremely necessary to have well developed communication skills. This means being able to talk to your employees about issues in a respectful way, while also being straightforward. Communication skills are important for a manager because it can increase feelings of trust and rapport and also lead to more productivity as well. Make sure when you speak to use clear and concise language that everyone can understand. 

2. Empathy
In order to connect with people at work you need to show empathy. Ask people about any issues they’re having, and validate their feelings and concerns if they have any. You can offer to help or change your perspective to suit the person you are talking to. By understanding and practicing empathy skills, you and your employees are better able to resolve conflict. Try to avoid judgment in conversation and be wary of how other people might feel.

3. Positivity
It’s important to be positive and enthusiastic in your role as a leader if you want to set good expectations for your team. If you try to see the best in everyone, it not only helps your company itself portray a more positive and healthy image, but it encourages more honesty and communication amongst team members. To practice being a more positive manager you can be enthusiastic and positive more often, appreciate small wins, smile more  and encourage people’s strengths. 

4. Team building skills
It is important to have your team’s best interests at heart when it comes to talking to them. This is different from just basic communication skills and empathy. You need to take action to develop company culture and truly build the team so that everyone can work better within the organization. Taking the time to organize more team building events or weekly happy hours can help a lot. Having your team interact with each other more is crucial for them to feel like they can work together. Team building also allows you to talk about conflict while establishing common goals with people at work. 

5. Decision making skills
It is important you are able to make smart decisions quickly by evaluating the situation and keeping the best interests and values of the company in mind. How you decide to move forward with something really impacts the company. To effectively make decisions you should have a good balance of emotion and reason to fully understand the different options and various outcomes and consider the needs of yourself and the company and your employees too. Developing emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage your emotions and those of others is one of the most important skills a leader can hone. 

It takes time and effort to develop your leadership skills, but if you focus on these habits, you will be on the path to success.