What is your leadership strategy? Do you want to be a good business leader? Do you know what effective leadership is all about? Well, I will suggest you read on as I share with you; a list of effective leadership skills you need to build a successful business.
“Get in, get it done; Get it done right and get out.” – Donald Trump
If you are an entrepreneur or business manager, then you should know that leadership skill in business is not an option for you; it’s a must. Leadership is all about getting things done, so it means that without effective leadership skills; there will be no progress. Whether you are starting a business or running a business; you will need to be a leader to attain success.
The reason I wrote this article is because leadership is not a stand alone skill. It is made up of other skills. This means that you need to have a set of skills working for you before you can be an effective business leader. Now what are the exact skills that make you a good leader? Well, below is a list of effective leadership skills for managers and entrepreneurs.
A list of Effective Leadership Skills for Managers and Entrepreneurs
1. Delegation skill
Delegation is a skill every leader must possess to get things done. One tenets of being a good leader is to get things done through your business team or followers. Delegation involves the ability to recognize the right person for a task, assigning the task to such person and getting the best result from this same person. If you can’t get things done through other people, you are not a leader.
2. Communication skill
A good business leader must know how to communicate. He must know how to say the right words at the right time. He must also know how to get these words out through the right channel. Communication flow is essential in business; therefore, a leader must know how to communicate with those on the inside as well as those on the outside.
3. Sales skill
Selling is the most important business skill; whether you believe it or not. So therefore, an effective leader must be good at sales. Business leaders and entrepreneurs must sell constantly to keep the cash flowing into the business. A good leader, entrepreneur or manager must sell to employees, suppliers, customers and investors to keep the ball rolling. If you cannot sell, forget about being a leader and forget about becoming an entrepreneur because you will be dead on arrival.
4. People skill
People skill is another important skill that makes up a good leader. Effective leadership is the ability to make different people with different skills, perceptions, habits, religion, race come together to work as a team. For this to be achieved, you must relate with each person as an individual while putting the person’s strengths and weaknesses into consideration. This cannot be done without people skill.
5. Personal skill
Before setting out to lead others; it’s advisable that you first gain mastery over yourself. Just as Lao Tzu said; “he who has no control over himself cannot control others.” This is where personal skill and mastery comes in. A good leader must have self control. He must know how to control his/her emotions. A leader must be eloquent, have a strong charisma, high self esteem and good dress sense. His outlook and personality must be able to inspire confidence in the followers.
6. Decision making skill
“I have made tough decisions, always with an eye on the bottom line. Perhaps it’s time America was run like a business.” – Donald Trump
“You have to act and act now.” – Larry Ellison
Sometimes, being in leadership position can put you in tense situations where critical decisions have to be made. As a leader, you must have the skill and the character to make decisions; no matter how painful it is. You must also be willing to live with the consequences of your decision. Decision making in critical situations is one of the reason why most people shy away from leadership positions. So if you are going to be a leader that gets things done; you must be decisive.
7. Negotiation skill
Good leaders are tough negotiators. They know their onion when it comes to cutting deals and they aim to get the best out of every deal.
8. Listening skill
Listening skill is another skill that makes up a good leader. A leader must be able to receive feedback, analyze feedbacks and respond to such feedbacks. Most importantly, a leader must be able to hear what isn’t being said. This is where the need for listening skill comes in.
9. Competitiveness
Lastly, a good business leader must be competitive. He must know how to compete with other leaders but most importantly; a leader must effectively compete with his self. He must constantly challenge his perception and goal. A good leader must always be on edge; ever willing to adapt to change.
In conclusion, these are the nine components of effective leadership. They are essential to becoming a good leader.