The Essential Leadership Skills to Be a Better Leader

A good leader is vital for any business. A great leader is able to guide employees towards achieving set goals and help them overcome any obstacles which they may face within the workplace.

To become a leader, you have to have a positive attitude and be able to empower and inspire those around you, to do better. A great leader adopts certain leadership qualities such as boldness, flexibility, intellect and thoroughness. 

We can help your company leaders to be better, at Reality Training. Enjoy benefits such as having an organized and successful team which they can connect with. Such leaders are a source of motivation to the team, since they can refine their strengths and work on weaknesses. 

You’ll need a good leader who is able to clearly communicate with a team by being open and giving feedback. The impact of effective leadership is not only reflected on the team alone, but also the company or institution the leader represents.

At Reality Training, we work with executive leaders and managers, by providing excellent executive coaching courses. We’ll help your leaders improve their skills in a way that benefits the team and company. 

Have a look at some of the essential skills we recommend for leaders, who are striving to become better;

Leadership style 

As a leader, it’s important they understand their own leadership style and how they operate. This will enable them to focus on their strengths and improve their weaknesses. 

Leadership styles can be divided into three categories such as; 

• Authoritative leadership – The type of leader that takes control over everything without the team’s involvement
• Democratic leadership – A leader that involves the team in decision making and values their input
• Delegative leadership – A leader that lets the team take control and trusts them with decision making

Be aware of the leadership style that works best for you and your team.

Open communication

One of the key leadership skills that a leader has to acquire, is open communication. A team looks up to their leader for guidance and direction. It is, therefore, important to be open and candid. Remember your team emulates you and so you are responsible for their actions. Be transparent and as honest as possible with the team, so that trust can be built.

 At Reality Training, we advise you to adopt a mode of communication that works best for you and your team. Some communicate better through email, text messages and virtual calls, whilst others prefer one to one communication. The way you communicate is a tell tale sign you are a genuine or a fake leader. The team automatically reciprocates if you are a good communicator.

Intellectual motivation

A transformational leader encourages and provides room for creativity. A team needs to be challenged and supported as they work towards achieving goals. A leader seeks to tap more potential from the team members, by presenting new challenges.

Produce an exercise from time to time so that they avoid settling for the bare minimum. As a leader, you should normalise rewarding your team for a job well done, which is great motivation.

Building trust

Every leader desires a team that they trust and have an understanding with. To have a stronger connection with the team, a leader should avoid being over authoritative. They instead should be more empathetic and easily approachable. This helps to adopt certain traits such as responsiveness, kindness, modesty, trust and positivity. Being real and having a connection with the team, fosters a sense of accountability and excellent performance.

A wise leader takes time to know every team member personally, to have a stronger connection with them. Take time to analyse their traits, comforts, strengths and weaknesses. This enables you to know what it takes for them to be motivated. Encouraging team members to express their opinion goes a long way in boosting their confidence

Idealised influence 

A transformational leader serves as a role model for the team to emulate. Leaders portray the qualities they desire the team to have. This is commonly known as leading by example. This stimulates the team to have a positive attitude towards work and create high standards, for excellent performance. 

The journey to being a better leader is not an instant process. Leaders should therefore be patient and with time, they will receive feedback from their team on how effective their leadership skills are. 

Some people however, are born leaders. Such people only need to be consistent and open to acquiring further leadership skills, and refine their current skills. For a person to be a better leader takes patience, hard work, devotion and commitment. Consider the executive coaching courses we offer at Reality Training, to move significantly towards being a better leader.

What kind of a leader would you like to be recognised as? Feel free to contact us at Reality Training for more tips on becoming a considerably better leader.