You might just be starting out in your career and not have a single person reporting to you. Even if that is the case, it is never too early to start honing your leadership skills. You may be managing a project or working with an external team and the ability to lead will be of great value in these situations and as you grow in your career.
Do people understand what you are saying when you speak to them? Try and gage how the audience is receiving your message; even ask some of your colleagues.
I am sure you see senior people in your organization and how they can rally a team; change the feeling in a room from gloom to hope, get people behind an idea and push them to give 110%. These people might be natural leaders (and you might be to) but if you are not a natural, don’t despair; there are steps you can take to develop your leadership skills.
In 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader, author Tanya Prive describes the key qualities that every good leader should possesses. Here are some of the qualities you can start with right away
- Honesty – Honesty is an important quality for anyone not just leaders but if you are in charge of a team you should be holding yourself to a much higher standard. This is definitely a skill that you can work on developing at any point in your career and will make you a better person too!
- Creativity – Not all decisions you will make are cut and dry, black and white so you will have to dig in to your creative side to come up with viable solutions for both the project and challenges you come across with the personalities on your team. Check out my earlier post if you need some tips on how to be more creative.
- Think Positive – A positive attitude can go a long way to changing the mood of the group, getting some extra effort out of the team or just making someone’s day better. Remember that everyone you work with is a person and think of how you want to be treated and let that guide you. Help keep the balance in the office between productive and playful and remember to appreciate everyone’s efforts even if it is just a snack or a coffee. Who doesn’t like to hear a thank you every once in awhile.
- Communication – This skill like honesty will help you in all situations of your life and at any level of your career. Do people understand what you are saying when you speak to them? Try and gage how the audience is receiving your message; even ask some of your colleagues. Strive to be as clear as possible and let your teammates know that they can come to you at any time with questions or ideas.
Remember it is a journey of self-improvement not a race. Be patient with yourself and others and always be striving to be better!