10 leadership skills every leader needs to success

Good leaders share a series of leadership skills that make them the best people to head teams. They know how to ask for advice, have a high degree of emotional intelligence, act with fairness and empathy, take risks. These are just some of the leadership skills every leader needs to success:

1. Surround yourself with people smarter than you are

Good leaders achieve success when they’re surrounded by teams of people who are experts in their areas, and even who are smarter than the manager that hired them. Good leaders let their team work and innovate. In exchange, teams with a good leader make it so this leader feels comfortable and prepared for the challenge of creating good work.

2. Be transparent

A team that feels like something is being hidden from it is mistrustful. The group has to know what’s going so that everyone rows in the same direction. If you hide information, you’ll lose the trust of your team, because they’ll believe that you aren’t taking them into account and turn their backs on you. If you tell them what’s happening, you head off possible fears and at the same time inject a healthy dose of motivation.

3. Show empathy

When someone brings up a problem or concern, a good leader tries to understand the problem and the point of view of the person. Showing empathy is proof that the leader has listened. Your response must address the concerns the other person has brought up, even it’s not always the response this person was hoping for.

4. Be altruistic

Your taking an interest in the well-being of others will make the teams work better and give back better results. Making room for emotions helps you get to know your people, and them you, it connects you on a personal level. It’s not a question of being “best buddies” but rather of making the relationship more human. Asking “how are you?” in the morning, or taking an interest from time to time in family members or hobbies, helps close the gap between “bosses” and “employees”.

5. Be responsible

Leadership is also a responsibility. Effective leaders are aware of their responsibility for the team they head, and that’s their biggest concern. If you ever lose your empathy with or dedication to the people you’re leading, you’re not being a good leader.

6. Involve them in your vision

Be as transparent as you can with your team. The more they know, the more they’ll share the same dream and the harder they’ll work to reach the goal as a team. Share your passion.

7. Have a clear vision and communicate it to the team

Have a clear and convincing vision of the future of your project and communicate it to your team. This will motivate and center the group. Act as if the vision were a reality and share it with the others so that they can also visualize this idea and do everything necessary to achieve it.

8. Develop the management skills of your team

A solid leader is one of the pillars of success of any company. People, however, aren’t born with leadership skills. In other words, a leader isn’t born, a leader is made. The people in an organization must be trained and have the tools, resources and development necessary to assume leadership.

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9. Earn their respect

Leaders with character have no need to pull rank to get results: they get them by generating trust and respect, that’s why they’re more effective. They don’t need to impose rules or micro-manage to get their teams to complete their tasks.

10. Be optimistic and show curiosity

Optimistic leaders inspire and motivate teams. If you show curiosity, you’ll learn and collaborate with the team. This closeness avoids unnecessary conflicts that can grow out of lack of understanding and indifference. Curiosity will allow you to get closer to people and rise to the challenge of leadership in new times.

Some of these qualities have traditionally been seen as weaknesses, but the truth is that these aptitudes can become powerful tools for business people and future leaders who are willing to develop leadership skills.

What advice can you contribute?