More Strategies to Develop Your Leadership Skills
By VICKY BROWN
You know, this Leadership thing…..it’s ‘adulting’ times 10!
You’ll need to look at your skill set, and target specific ones to grow.
For instance, are you great with people, but not great with numbers? What? Listen, you have to understand the numbers if you want to be a solid leader.
So, if numbers aren’t your thing – get some help. Take a course, heck you could even watch YouTube videos – anything that will help you understand what you’re looking at when you look at a budget.
And speaking of getting help, absolutely get a good coach or mentor. Now, this could be a formal engagement with a professional business coach, or you could look to someone outside your company to be a mentor.
Either are great because they bring a different perspective to the party. And in fact, even better, think about joining a mastermind.
A mastermind is a small group of people (usually no more than 10 or so), who have something specific in common. For instance, maybe they all run businesses of 15 people or less. Or maybe they all have businesses in the same city – or they have only been in business for less than a year.
The reason a mastermind is a great vehicle is because it’s sole purpose is to provide the support of your peers, brainstorm ideas and give everyone a safe space for discussion. You should be able to unburden yourself in your mastermind. And, often you’ll find that other members of the group have either gone through something similar and can offer a solution, or they have someone you should speak to or a resource you haven’t thought of yet.
Being with a good mastermind will really engage your leadership muscle; and it will spark your creativity. My suggestion is to find a mastermind where you aren’t the smartest person in the room (you know what I mean) – you want to be in a mastermind group with people who have surpassed where you are, so they can give you tips on the road ahead. And, hopefully, help you avoid some potholes.
Another thing a mastermind is great for, and another thing you absolutely MUST do if you want to be a solid leader – expand your network.
Just like a mastermind – a good old fashioned network can work wonders. Actually – you could think of your network as the ultimate mastermind for connections, opportunities and tips.
“… to become a good leader, you have to be honest with yourself. Take a good look and identify your strengths and weaknesses“
Now of course, you aren’t going to spill your guts to your whole network. But under certain circumstances, and when chosen properly, reaching out to one or a few members of your network can get you massive amounts of the right help, just when you need it.
Need to find a new team member, leverage your network.
Need to know how someone in a different industry solved a problem, leverage your network.
Trying to find good data on how long it takes to fill a specific position – well, you get the idea.
OK, last – but absolutely not least – to become a good leader, you have to be honest with yourself. Take a good look and identify your strengths and weaknesses. In fact, do a self SWOT analysis.
Now if you haven’t heard of the term SWOT before, it stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.
For your Strengths, you’ll take a look at, and identify, things you do well, qualities that separate you from other leaders and your resources such as knowledge and experience.
When looking at your Weaknesses, you’ll want to figure out what you may be lacking (could be skills, experience or something else), what are your resource limitations (for instance, do you have the money or time to take classes).
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Now back to something a little sunnier – what opportunities exist. Do you have access to a training program, or a great mentor pool. Is your team experienced working under solid guidance. Maybe you have prior experience leading a team.
And finally the Threats. What could derail you.? What stands in the way of achieving your goals. Are all members of your team solid. Just make a list of everything that could be an obstacle – those are the threats.
Now, I know I said the SWOT analysis was the last point. But I almost forgot the most important – practice.
In fact, you can actually practice leadership skills long before you have an official leadership role. And I bet you already have. You’ve probably lead a small team before, or been the lead on a project – all those opportunities were leadership practice sessions. So, don’t be shy about pulling on what you learned from them.
And when you use some new (or new to you) leadership technique or strategy, pay close attention to the outcome. Did it work like a charm? Did it need a few tweaks? Was it a dud?
Then, use that knowledge for the next time something similar comes up. As time goes by, you’ll get better and better at knowing what works, when.
And then, my friend, you’re ready to knock it out of the leadership park.