Every business needs strong leaders. From supervising employees to managing day-to-day operations, effective leadership can have a profound positive impact throughout an organization.
Companies across all industries are looking to hire and promote supervisors with leadership and training skills that will increase employee morale and retention, as well as the companies’ financial bottom lines.
Whether you are just beginning to work towards your aspiration to become a supervisor or were recently promoted as one, here are nine skills you’ll need to develop in order to succeed:
- Critical and Innovative Thinking. As a leader, you’ll need to regularly assess situations and make clearly thought out and rational decisions. Carefully exploring the how and why behind each situation, and thinking outside the box can lead to powerful results.
- Problem Solving. All businesses face problems and every leader is hired at least in part to solve them. Strong leaders are able to identify and develop solutions quickly and efficiently by embracing different perspectives, thinking creatively, assessing risk, and enlisting the help of others.
- Openness to Technology. While you or your team may not need every new program, application, or device, it’s important that you are at least able to understand the role and impact these technologies could possibly have on your business. Technological change can have both positive and negative effects. Understanding and preparing for these as early as possible can help you get ahead of the curve.
- Relationship Building. No leader can do it all on their own. Working well with others, both inside and outside your team is an absolute must. Building strong connections with others helps cultivate an environment that is conducive to growth, feedback, and accountability.
- Effective Communication. Whether it’s face-to-face, over the phone, or written, great leaders communicate professionally and regularly with their employees and others. Not only speaking, but also listening closely to their needs and concerns, as well as offering clear expectations, support, and feedback helps build confidence and trust.
- Time Management. When it comes to business, time truly is money. Effectively managing and maximizing your time, as well as the time of those you lead is critical. Formulating timelines, sticking to schedules, and being communicative regarding updates and changes can help ensure that everyone is clear on the overall goal, as well as their individual roles.
- Developing and Motivating Others. Great leaders recognize that their success is not based solely on their accomplishments, but those of their entire team. The ability to develop and motivate others is a key skill of an effective leader, and can be accomplished through mentoring, coaching, and simply sharing your experiences.
- Tenacity. When the going gets tough, great leaders must keep going. As a leader, seeing things positively or to completion isn’t always easy, but it is necessary. Remaining dedicated and focused through difficult situations is not only your job, but it helps motivate and inspire your team to do the same.
- Willingness to Grow. Developing your leadership skills is an ongoing process. Each day, the world around us continues to change and advance, which means you’ll need to do the same. Reading books, searching the Internet, attending seminars, and taking continuing education courses are all ways you can maintain and enhance your leadership skills and level of expertise.
Ready to learn more? Enroll in management courses at North Lake College.
