Leadership is somewhat an enigma for most of us; we try to be our best at what we do yet still often in our performance review we get to read “lacking leadership skills”. There is a ton of information available over the internet and many articles that define leadership and the skills required to be a leader are free to read – but since all this information is scattered, we only sift through and think we got enough information out of the few articles we found. This article is a summation of all the secrets of the Holy Grail we call “Leadership Skills”

It’s About Making Things Happen

To be a leader, you need to make things happen. Should you come across something that needs to be done, get up and do it. Leadership is not only required in the professional facet of your life, it plays a vital role in your personal as well. If you have dishes to be washed, get it done! If you have assignments to complete, do it! Don’t be lazy or distract yourself from the task at hand. Remember, being professional starts way before you are formally employed, so start today, start now – and get it done, whatever it is you need done!

A Good Listener before a Good Leader

We all know and agree nothing in existence around us is without reason or purpose. Ever wondered why we have two ears and one mouth – think deeper, why do we have 32 bars around our tongue? Simple, so we could listen more and talk less. Leading is all about listening more, understanding and taking the necessary action. As a leader, one needs to listen to every bit of information available, think about it well and then take required steps. You must have seen CEOs often talking very little, taking brief pauses during the little conversation they have – it is not because they are arrogant or think too much of themselves, rather they take their sweet time thinking and then speaking. So listen well, and talk less.

Three Tough Questions for a Leader

Every day is a journey when it comes to our existence, same is the case with profession; the three questions which need to be clearly answered and explained are “where are we to go?”, “how are we supposed to get there?”, “what would be my role”. Every team asks these three questions from their leader and expects clear answers. The leader will never be able to explain and answer unless s/he isn’t clear on the journey – so make sure you have enough information to clearly answer. Unless you do so, your team will be confused and your results, well let’s just say they won’t be what you expect them to be.

Jack of All…

As your career progresses, you will be expected to operate in a range of positions dealing with a number of tasks. A leader is supposed to be a “jack of all trades and master of none” so to say. A leader knows enough about almost everything relating to today’s dynamic corporate world and has the ability to:

  • Develop ideas
  • Effectively plan its implementation
  • Execute the plan second to none
  • Achieve superior results time and time again

At first blush this does seem like a tough challenge, after all who can know it all, right? Well, here is where we make the mistake of shying away from it. Its not like you mug up the books and case studies, all you need is knowledge and that comes from “observation”. So my friends, start observing, regardless your position.

Be Curious

“Curiosity kills the cat”, we all heard that growing up – well, we are grownups now, so the statement becomes “curiosity is a prerequisite to continuous improvement and excellence”. How would man make it to the moon if it were not for curiosity, I would like to know. You need to be curious, what’s around that corner, what comes next, what’s that market like, how can we tap in? Do you know, back in the mid-1900s, when pilots were faced with the sound barrier, they called it the Devil in the sky which will rip your ears off if you try to challenge it. Chuck Yeager (Charles Elwood) went toe to toe with the sound barrier and defeated it in October of 1947. That tells us a lot about leadership should we choose to observe, Chuck Yeager was simply curious, while other test pilots were demanding a high compensation to fly the test plane called Bell X-1, Yeager accepted by saying, “The Airforce is paying me already”. He retired as a Brigadier General  in 1975; latter on in 2005 acknowledging his military achievements the Air Force promoted him to Major General. So you see, legacy of a leader carries on. As a supplement to reading this article, watch the movie “The Right Stuff (1983)” – it tells the tale of Chuck, and teaches a lot about leadership.

Every Picture has Two Sides

Whenever you are confronted by a situation in which you have to deal with a number of people before coming to a decision yourself, listen to what every one of them have to say. Instead of filtering out people you are not very fond of in particular, listen to everyone; chances are that very individual gives you a “eureka” moment. Remember, every situation has multiple conclusions – don’t jump to one, analyze carefully and sincerely.

Prepare, Make Contingencies, and Prepare More

A failure to prepare is a success in preparing to fail. A common mistake most of us make, we think we “have it covered” or say “hey I got this!” – ask yourself, “do I really?” If something inside you begins to jump around and makes you uneasy, you are not prepared my friend. So what is a good preparation then? A good preparation is a plan laid in such a way that every possible corner is covered. It is something like “baby-proofing” your house – something you do when you have new kids in the house and don’t what them to hurt themselves, or damage that expensive home entertainment system you recently purchased. Moreover, a good plan will also have effective contingencies, and satisfies the “if this, then that” situation.

There you have it people, the 7 key points to adopt if you would like to be a leader. As mentioned earlier, a leader makes things happen – so sit silent for a moment after you read this article, think and then “it’s all guns blazing!”. Go get some!

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