Career Growth: Developing Leadership Qualities
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- August 29, 2024
The corporate world is rapidly growing and changing, requiring professionals to constantly upscale themselves, gain both professional and personal skills, and diligently carry out their roles.
When it comes to personal qualities, there are an array of qualities for one to develop, and one of the most sought-after is the leadership quality an individual possesses.
Whether you are aiming for a promotion, seeking new opportunities, or just trying to become a more effective leader, empowering yourself with leadership qualities is key. Here are some reliable strategies for improving your leadership capabilities and moving your career forward.
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Set Clear Goals
The leadership journey is not all about “going with the flow”. It’s an intentional journey that requires you to set clear and achievable goals as you move from one stage in your career to another. Goals such as improving your active listening skills in meetings or with a colleague can seem too simple, but you will be surprised to learn how many professionals lack such skills. Setting goals can be likened to having a clear path that keeps you focused on where you are going, with no distractions.
Organisation
Being a leader involves being able to arrange and order things. Such organisational skills should start with how you organise yourself before focusing on handling an entire department or even establishment. Leaders have eyes on them; everyone wants to see how they handle their personal affairs before trusting them with the affairs of others.
Balancing IQ and EQ
There’s a time to display your intellect and another time to display your empathic side. As a professional working towards leadership, it’s important to read the room, understand what part of you needs to come out and treat the situation accordingly.
Upscaling
One quality of a leader is being knowledgeable on different topics and sharing this knowledge with others. But then, you can only give what you have, hence the reason to continuously learn and never stop upscaling your skills. Take advantage of formal training programs, workshops, seminars, and online courses focused on developing leadership qualities. Look for opportunities to increase your knowledge and practice what you know. Once you can prove yourself knowledgeable and apply that knowledge, chances of being noticed inevitably increase; it’s like a light in a dark room; it just can’t be ignored.
Seek Feedback
The feedback from your team members is important; you need to know how the people you are leading feel about you. Negative feedback helps you go back to the drawing board to re-strategise; if it’s positive feedback, you need to keep up with what you are doing.
Having these skills and building on them doesn’t just help you professionally; they also come in handy when dealing with situations outside of the corporate world. Also, keep in mind that leadership isn’t just a title; it’s a position that needs constant work to reassure your team members that you’re worth putting their trust in.
