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For everyone who owns a company or has a managerial position in one, the first question on their minds is usually how to become the best boss they can be. But if you want to learn how to be a better boss, you need to learn how to be a great leader as well.
A boss expects people to do as they say, but a leader inspires people to follow them by setting a good example and being an amazing role model. If you want your company to succeed and thrive, you need to possess the traits of a great leader.
The desire to always improve
It’s not uncommon to hear people call someone a born leader, but that phrase isn’t as accurate as it should be. Only 10% of people are natural leaders, and if only natural leaders ran companies, there wouldn’t be a lot of successful organizations.
You don’t have to be a natural-born leader, but you should have the desire to improve your skills continually. A good leader is someone who is always eager to learn and improve themselves and put personal development first.
Know your strengths but also be brave enough to recognize your weaknesses and the skills you need to work on. You won’t be an amazing leader from day one, but if you put in the effort and have the right mindset, you will become one over time.
If you need additional help, you can always take leadership and management courses that will help you become the person your employees need.
Good public speaking
Those in leadership positions must give presentations and speak in front of others. This is a crucial part of your job, and if you’re not confident in your public speaking skills, your employees won’t be able to see you as a competent leader.
Speaking in front of others can be daunting sometimes, and not everyone can do it.
But you can practice and use the following tips:
- Don’t be too serious. When giving a presentation or a speech, make sure you use a conversational tone. Your goal should be to grab everyone’s attention but also to keep the mood light and the presentation conversational.
- Know your strengths. Everyone has different strengths; you need to know them and use them to your advantage. For example, if you work best with visual formats, try to incorporate slides, pictures, and videos into your presentations.
- Focus on the message. If you’re nervous about speaking in front of a crowd of people, focus on the message you’re trying to convey instead of focusing on the audience. Forget about the people in front of you and the impression you’re giving out because that will only make you more nervous.
To become a better public speaker than you ever thought you could be, consider hiring a public speaking coach. Your coach will help you get all the confidence and skills you need.
Great communication skills
People in an organization interact with each other daily. But simply interacting with someone and having effective communication between parties is a completely different thing.
Someone with great communication skills can communicate in multiple ways, use the right tone, and transmit information so everyone understands the message.
Lack of communication can hurt you in the long run. In fact, more than a third of businesses have lost an employee because of poor internal communication. If you want to make sure the rest of your leadership skills don’t go to waste, practice effective communication.
Here are a couple of tips that can help you improve your communication skills:
- Use concise language when explaining specific tasks to make sure everyone knows your expectations.
- Understand that listening is just as important as talking and allow your employees to speak their minds freely.
- Adapt unique communication styles for different employees so you can talk to everyone in a way that suits them best.
- Try to express confidence, excitement, and enthusiasm whenever the situation allows it.
- Be aware of the different nuances that come with in-person, email, social media, and telephone communication.
Decisiveness
Making decisions is a part of everyday life. But in the workplace, decisions can sometimes make or break your company. As a leader, you need to be decisive and always be sure you made the right decision, even if not everyone agrees.
Some decisions require you to take risks and be prepared to face the consequences of these risks. But if you’re indecisive and try to please everyone, you will do things that aren’t good for the company and don’t bring long-term results.
Final thoughts
Everyone wants to be a leader, but not everyone has the skills and traits that are necessary for leadership. For example, if you want to be someone your employees will be happy to follow instead of someone who simply gives out orders, you need to have the traits we discussed in this article.
You may also like: How to Identify Leadership Potential
Image source: Pixabay.com
