In magazines, on the internet or on the television, we read and hear about the greatest leaders of our times and before. We speak of their great work, discuss their philosophies and praise their personalities. But were they all born with it? Not necessarily. While they were all bold or autocratic, leadership is a combination of many different skills. And these are skills that can be learned - through training sessions, mentorship programmes, or on-the-job learning.
While certain skills come to some people more naturally, it is not all inborn. After all, even the greatest leaders in the world didn’t become leaders overnight, but did so along the way. How good a leader you will be, depends on the effort you put into developing yourself. It requires honest willingness, and a lot of practice. Sometimes, even failures teach a thing or two. Let’s take a look at a few qualities or traits that contribute towards sculpting leadership
Character
While you don’t have to be born with an ability to delegate work to people, you certainly must not be afraid to take risks. Any leader must learn to stay positive, especially in case of a crisis when the team needs you. When it comes to taking decisions, you should be able to think critically, objectively and firmly. Most importantly, a leader must be able to focus on team bonding activities and keep everyone motivated. Even though you’ve not always been this person, learning from others and widening your exposure is something that can be worked upon. After all, leadership is a learning experience in itself and depends on how and how much of the world you absorb.
Communication
For your team to understand your vision, your plans, strategies etc. you need to be able to put them across effectively as well. Basically, your communication skills need to be excellent, so not only does your work speak for itself but you do too. Great communication is not just about speaking, but also listening to what others have to say. Work on your internal communication strategy in line with the company’s strategy. Such effective skills will influence others in the team, and motivate them to do the same. Some habits need to be developed sooner rather than later and having a strong communication skill is one of them. Working on it gradually from a younger age is always better, if you see yourself as an impactful leader in the near future.
Creativity
When it comes to creativity, we keep hearing that some people are just not creative. But this too is a skill that can be developed. Creativity and innovation help come up with new ways to solve problems. It helps learn new things, and unlearn some others. Creativity can be developed by looking at what other creative people do, letting go of stereotypes and biases, and not be afraid to come up with new ideas - even if they may fail. If creativity is your strong suit, then all you need to do is keep it running. If you think you may not be as creative, you can always look up to the people you admire, observe what they do and practice it regularly to form a creative thinking habit. With this, you set an example for others in your team to always think and innovate. Just remember that, like most other things, forming a creative thinking habit takes practice and dedication.
Hard Work and Leadership Go Hand in Hand
Just like any other leader you’ve ever admired, your path to success will be full of hard work and you need to be ready for it. Focus on developing our personality, work on building your communication skills and be open minded about everything that will come your way. Participate in corporate training sessions at the workplace so you can be in touch with the current industry trends that can help you be the leader your team admires. But most of all, leadership skills take shape with what you learn from your own experiences - whether in everyday life or at the workplace. Learn from the examples you see or admire, make note of all the things they do seamlessly and also of the behaviour you don’t appreciate. These situations and examples will help you take conscious decisions later in life on what needs to be done, and what can be avoided. Together, with a willingness to adapt, you can dive into learning new things that will help you build your leadership personality.