Strengthen the Leader in You: 5 Steps to Increase Your Leadership Skills By: Jackie Robinson

​When most of us hear the word leadership, we usually think of political officials, CEOs, military commanders, or even athletes. While it's true that you need good leadership skills to excel at these occupations, leadership is a valuable skill that everyone from any professional background or industry can use for their benefit and the benefit of others.
 
Effective leadership doesn't come naturally for most of us. Luckily, there are several methods that you can use to build and refine your leadership skills.
 
Try these techniques to boost your leadership skills:

1. Strive for excellence. Part of being a successful leader is your ability to set the bar for others. You can be a good role model by constantly seeking ways to improve yourself and aspire to excellence.

• A hallmark of leadership is excellence. Work on honing your existing skills and developing new ones
  
• 2. Focus on your vision and set goals. Consider what you want to accomplish in different areas of your life. Set goals that will help you to achieve your vision.

• Set goals where you are able to periodically measure your performance and progress.

• Break up larger goals into smaller ones so that you can celebrate your successes and maintain your motivation. 

• Learn to identify and use all of your resources in the pursuit of your goals. When making plans to reach your goal, always work with the resources you have in your current circumstances, rather than developing plans based on resources and circumstances that you wish were reality but don’t have access to at the moment. Use what you have until you get more.

• Be willing to refine your plans and ultimate goals based on your progress as well as your dreams.

1. Develop your people skills. Leaders are known for their ability to inspire others to work towards a common goal as well as their own goals. To be successful at inspiring others to work with you, it’s important to develop your people skills and emotional intelligence.

• Learn how to listen. Doing so helps to establish a connection and build camaraderie and trust, so others are more likely to follow your lead and help you.

• Help others to be their best. Part of being a good leader is motivating others towards positive change.

• Seek input from others when discussing goals and plans to reach your objectives. Give others a stake in the results by seeking their opinion. They’ll be more motivated to help you.

• Be compassionate and learn to manage the emotions of others as well as your own.

1. Be passionate and maintain a positive attitude. Most of us take cues from others in social situations, so you can teach others to have a positive attitude and to be passionate in their efforts by doing so yourself.

• Maintaining an upbeat attitude and giving your best effort help to energize the entire team so everyone is able to accomplish more, regardless of the circumstances.

1. Be authentic; with discretion. A great leader is one who people can connect with. They are those whom share stories of their struggles and successes.  They know how much to disclose and when to disclose it.  They show their human side and can express their feelings in a compelling way.  People respect and trust those who they believe are “real”. A great leader can be authentic without compromising their professionalism.

• Sharing stories about your journey to leadership and explaining the obstacles you overcame shows that you too have faced some of the struggles others may be currently facing.

 
Taking the time to develop your leadership skills can radically increase the amount of success that you experience in all areas of your life. These tips can help you to hone your leadership skills so that you can achieve your goals and enjoy a more satisfying life.

Jackie Robinson is Founder of SheBoss Unlimited, a success-strategist, women's equality advocate, empowerment speaker, and author.

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