Are they ones that you continue to hone and develop? Do they hold the keys to future successes in leadership?
I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership competencies. It takes time and practice to be a top line leader. You are not borne with leadership competencies. And you are never done developing them.
My experience leads me to this list of 10 business leadership competencies that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.
Related: The Zen of Abraham Lincolns Leadership Lessons
If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously developing this list of leadership competencies:
No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So … getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader.
Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them.
Balancing listening
Part of the balancing is going beyond hearing to develop your full sense of listening. This includes watching body language and observing emotions. If you don’t listen in this way you’ll miss plenty of opportunities to learn and connect with others.
Another part of the balancing is knowing how to exhibit strategic silence, i.e. knowing when to stay quiet. Great leaders understand the impact of words that can hurt, anger, or create fear. They know that when they say too much, others stop speaking and creativity and inclusion are a lost cause.
Foster teamwork
Peter Drucker made an interesting point when he said that leaders don’t train themselves not to say “I.” He’s implying that leaders innately work with others and let the team get the credit. They don’t force themselves to say “we.” “We” is natural for them, and it’s the way they’ve always thought.
It can be negative for an organization to have an “employee of the month” or a “who gets credit for what” attitude. You work as a team when you don’t care who gets the credit.
So the next time you see someone with a resume that states, “I accomplished x” or “I did x,” it should send up a few warning signals.
Collaboration
It’s important to know it is OK to ask for help, advice and constructive criticism. There are very few places where a lone wolf leader can be effective. Decisions are complex, and it takes a village of smart people to help make them. Leaders who aren’t inclusive may find that their organizations lack creativity.
No fear of daring choices.
There’s never one formula to achieve something. Don’t be afraid to take a leap; even if the outcome is not ideal, it provides you with the opportunity to learn the next time around. Step out of rigid mindsets and explore new ideas outside your comfort zone.
Leadership competencies … boost team self-esteem
We have written on employee attitude on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.
No matter, you’ll have dozens of people criticize you. Customers, current and former employees (whether you know it or not), and family and friends may give you constructive criticism. It can be stressful to hear or read, and it can be easy to pass on criticism to employees. But it doesn’t help. As a leader, you should ensure employees have high self-esteem in their job.
Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure fire way to decrease morale and performance.
While completing certain tasks and achieving success is the ultimate goal, it’s important to have a work-life balance so you don’t burn yourself out. Lots of leaders espouse this balance, but only a rare few actually walk the talk. Great leaders can’t say this and then work 60 or more hours per week (or more!).
If you’re not developing yourself, you’re coasting. If you’re coasting, it means you’re going downhill. Don’t get comfortable. Continue to learn and develop. Continuously. Those around you will follow your lead.
Lead with questions, not directions
Rarely tell staff what to do. While that may seem the easiest way, it’s more beneficial to help by allowing them to figure things out for themselves. The real learning is created within the team by ensuring that we’re asking the right questions.
Patience
Many leaders are intolerant of others who might do things differently or at a pace the leader finds unacceptable. Action-oriented leaders may have a tendency to jump to conclusions before things are thought through.
The lack of patience can manifest itself as anger or decisions that aren’t fully thought through. Be patient and reflective and always set aside thinking time. It is imperative for success.
The bottom line
A simple reminder … business leadership competencies, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it … it takes lots of consistent practice. You need to dive into the pool as soon as possible.
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business.
I was raised to believe I could become whatever I bothered to learn. No single idea has served me better. A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others. We like to open most of our blogs with an enlightening quotation that relates to the topic. To distinguish your leadership behaviors is one area of particular interest to us.
Ever wondered how the best leaders handle distinguishing their leadership behaviors so effortlessly? The truth is, most highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.
Zen teaches that the potential to achieve enlightenment is inherent in everyone but lies dormant because of ignorance. It is best awakened not by the study of scripture or the practice of good deeds, but by breaking the boundaries of mundane logical thought. The ability to distinguish your leadership behaviors certainly break through these boundaries.
I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership behaviors. It takes time and practice to be a top-line leader. You are not borne with leadership behaviors. And you are never done developing them.
My experience leads me to this list of xx business leadership behaviors that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.
If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously distinguishing this list of leadership behaviors:
Commitment
People believe in those leaders that stand strong through adversity.
No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So, getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader. Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them.
Great leaders inspire motivation and learning. They create environments where learners feel empowered, impassioned, and engaged.
Distinguishing Leadership Behavior … innovation
Learning from others is always important to me. For example, I have learned innovation from Amazon. They have one of the very best innovation cultures in an industry built on constant innovation and change.
Experiment and change
Remember, change and innovate, BEFORE you have to. Change is a big part of the reality in business. New ideas are the lifeblood of business. And the basis for creative change.
Your life will be in constant change mode, and that is a good thing if you lead change in the direction of your success goals. To do that most successfully, you should try lots of new things continually. For things you like, get very good at them with lots of practice. But keep trying new activities.
I love this quote from Jeff Bezos:
If you double the number of experiments you do per year, you’re going to double your inventiveness.
If you ask the best business leaders, they’ll tell you that experimentation is imperative for their business. It’s how innovations are born and how they stay competitive in the market. Experimentation is everywhere and is always happening.
Your career is not your life
This was probably the most difficult of my lessons, particularly early to mid-career. To be successful in this lesson, you should develop a breath to your list of activities and always put family and friends first.
To do both well, think about activities that maximize your friends and family, like coaching your children’s sports teams.
Dedicate yourself to continuous learning
I am a big believer in continuous learning. You should always seek to be flexible and keep several alternative paths in front of you. Always be on the lookout for ways to reinvent ways for self-improvement. My most favored quote on continuous learning comes from Charles Darwin:
It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.
All of these life lessons get better when you have a strong foundation in knowing how to be kind to others. I have never found a better way to stay happy. Kindness costs you nothing, and you’d be surprised how much it can do for your leadership.
Always look to find something to make you laugh
Another important factor in your happiness is enjoying a good laugh as often as you can. Making fun of yourself and your mistakes is a great place to start.
Clarity
People trust the clear and mistrust the ambiguous.
Connection
People like to be around people with whom they have relationships.
Boost team self-esteem
We have written on employee attitude and engagement on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.
Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. It is something all people crave. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure-fire way to decrease morale and performance.
Consistency
People love to see things done consistently. They like to know what to expect.
Distinquishing leadership behavior … character
People take notice of those who do what is right over what is easy.
Vision
People need leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision of the future.
Continuous learning
People always put more confidence in those who continually expand their skills and talents. Especially those who share their know-how in these new talents.
Results oriented
People always respond to great results.
Patience
Many leaders are intolerant of others who might do things differently, or at a pace the leader finds unacceptable. Action-oriented leaders may tend to jump to conclusions before things are thought through.
The lack of patience can manifest itself as anger or decisions that aren’t fully thought through. The most effective leadership behaviors reflect patience.
Live your strengths
Good leaders coach what makes you effective so you can tap into those skills at any time.
Guide talent
Coach your teams and develop their future paths. People respond favorably to leaders offering help.
Compassion
People put faith in those who care the most beyond themselves.
So what’s the conclusion? The conclusion is there is no conclusion. There is only the next step. And that next step is completely up to you. But believe in the effectiveness of great leadership. And put it to good use in adapting to changes in your business environment.
It’s up to you to keep improving your ability to lead. Lessons are all around you. In many situations, history may be providing ideas and or inspiration. But the key is in knowing that it is within you already.
It’s up to you to keep improving your leadership learning and experience from all around in your environment.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new lessons.
When things go wrong, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add to the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
I was raised to believe I could become whatever I bothered to learn. No single idea has served me better.What do you consider to be the most important end result of a leader? My answer is influencing skills, hands down. Finding leadership characteristics to improve influence is one area of consistency interest to me.
A great quote can provide personal inspiration and can be used to educate others. We like to open most of our blogs with an enlightening quotation that relates to the topic. This one is a real favorite.
What leadership characteristic is your strength? We would love to hear what it was. Would you do us a favor and post it in the comments section below? Be the one who starts a conversation.
Ever wondered how the best leaders handle distinguishing their leadership characteristics so effortlessly? The truth is, most highly successful people do stumble, worry, and doubt themselves, just like the rest of us. But they are very good at mastering the way they are perceived.
I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked what I believe are the most important leadership characteristics. It takes time and practice to be a top line leader. You are not borne with leadership behaviors. And you are never done developing them.
My experience leads me to this list of xx business leadership characteristics that most successful leaders all share. They rank as the most significant to success as a leader in my perspective.
If you want to be a better leader, work on continuously distinguishing this list:
Show commitment
People believe in those leaders that stand strong through adversity and continuously show their commitment.
No matter how good you are, you will only be as successful as your team. So, getting the most from each team member is critical. We call this being a multiplier leader.
Multiplier leaders know the importance of bringing out the smarts and capabilities in everyone around them. Great leaders inspire motivation and learning. They create environments where learners feel empowered, impassioned, and engaged.
Psychological priming
People often forget the things you tell them but they will always remember the way you made them feel. Do you know the 3 most powerful emotions to use with team interactions? I believe they are happiness, power, and aspiration. You can never go wrong when using these emotions when priming your team.
Related: The Zen of Abraham Lincolns Leadership Lessons
Act in face of change
Many people don’t do well with change. They do favorably respond to leaders who act when faced with the need for change and who explain the need for the change.
Foster collaboration and team self-esteem
We have written on employee attitude and engagement on several occasions. Employee attitude is so critical that it can’t be overemphasized. It trickles down from employers. Your business can never be what it can be if you don’t focus on employee happiness.
Leaders should make employees feel good about themselves. It is something all people crave. Constantly criticizing and pointing out the flaws in an employee is a sure fire way to decrease morale and performance.
Influencing skills … character
People take notice of those who do what is right over what is easy. Good character will always shine through, won’t it?
Vision
People need leaders who communicate a clear and compelling vision of the future.
Encourage work – learn balance
People always put more confidence in those who continually expand their skills and talents. Especially those who share their know-how in these new talents. Always encourage your team to expand their learning and give them some time to do so.
Your capacity for leadership influence expands in direct proportion to your commitment to lifelong learning.
Influencing skills tips … guide talent and teamwork
Coach your teams and develop their future paths. People respond favorably to leaders offering help. People love working as part of great teams. They appreciate leaders whocoach teamwork and develop their future paths.
People put faith in those who are the most beyond themselves.
Does your job just happen to you?
If you’re a willing cog in the vast machinery of the work environment, it’s entirely possible that the things that occur all day feel like they’re being done to you.
The alternative is to take the initiative to create a job where you create forward motion, where you do things to the job, not the other way around.
Take a look at the language you use to describe what happened at work yesterday, that’s your first clue. If you’re not the one leading the change, perhaps it’s time to start.
Always remember that true leadership is the ability to lead while being led.
Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to innovating your social media strategy?
Do you have a lesson about making your advertising better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change. We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.
More leadership material from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:
Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, and LinkedIn.
