5 Essential Skills of a Successful Leader

As I have said many times, a leader is not necessarily a manager. But, if they are to be successful, a manager must be a leader. Therefore, in this article, I will discuss five skills that are essential for the success of any leader. A leader in which others will want to follow.

The five essential skills listed below are not only meant for business. These skills can and should be used in all areas of life. Don’t limit yourself to just a business mindset. Using these skills in our everyday lives will undoubtedly lead to success. If there are any of these skills that you don’t currently possess, don’t worry. Everyone of these can be learned.

1) Effective Communication.

Any successful individual, company, or project always starts with effective communication. I don’t just mean a good orator or writer. It is far more important than that. In communication, there are always two entities/responsibilities involved: the sender and the receiver.

It is the sender’s responsibility to ensure that the receiver receives the intended communication.

There is nothing worse than crafting a great speech, or email, only to have the recipient(s) receive the wrong message than the intended one. For instance, a football coach that is explaining to his quarterback the importance of vision. The coach leads his quarterback through film, showing the quarterback the various defense formations. As the plays unfold, the coach shows where the various receivers are available if he would merely move around in the pocket. While, at the same time, the quarterback receives the message that he needs to run the ball when he doesn’t see a receiver open.

In business, and in life, the same thing happens. We have to validate that the recipient understands and has received the intended communication. Don’t assume that just because it sounded perfectly understandable by you, that the receiver of the communication feels the same.

Effective communication also includes handing conflict effectively. Whenever two or more people are gathered together, there is always the potential for conflict. A successful leader will effectively handle those conflicts as well. Handling conflict is big enough to have an article all of its own.

I would group Knowledge Management in here with communication. Knowledge Is Power: And You Have It

2) Motivator.

Motivating and inspiring others comes natural to some. While others, it is very labor intensive. Think of introverts. While an extrovert gets their energy from feeding off of others, introverts have to drum up that energy from within. It doesn’t mean that introverts don’t want to lead. Rather, it means that we have to work a little harder.

As with any skill, the more you work on it, the more you hone it, the better it becomes.

And it’s okay if you can’t motivate yourself let alone others. That simply means that you are not a leader, at least not now. Start working on your own motivation. Set goals for yourself and then achieve them. Once you reached that goal, set the next one. Make it attainable, but not super easy either. As you achieve a goal, make the next one a little bit harder. You’ll notice that with each goal, you’ll have to push yourself a little harder to attain it. You’re motivating yourself through determination to accomplish each objective. Throughout this process, you are developing that motivation within you more and more. Use what you have learned to help others. It is important to understand, your goal is to help others not force them.

3) Empathy.

People are more willing to trust you when they know you care. There’s an old saying, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” If you aren’t willing to back them up with action, words can only go so far. When you say one thing, and don’t follow through with it, your reputation will be set as the one who speaks with empty promises. Don’t let your actions, or inactions, drown out your words.

A common word illustration of this, is to put yourself in another person’s shoe.

“Been there, done that” is not only a saying. It shows others that you are more than just talk. Empathizing with others is not about merely sympathizing with them. It is being compassionate, kind, and tenderhearted. That doesn’t mean that you have to be a softy. It simply is demonstrating that you understand others and/or their perspective(s).

4) Selflessness.

As you will see below, it’s possible to be an effective leader without the skill of selflessness. Unfortunately, it has to be replaced with something. In the following examples, it’s replaced with authoritarianism.

There have been great “leaders” that led without selflessness. Instead, they led with an iron fist. People like Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and the like. They were effective not because they had compassion for others. Rather, because they were willing to, and often did, kill their own people. It was about control. Though they reigned over different countries and time periods, their goals were the same. To force the people to obey their will. These types of leaders are self-seeking and power hungry. It’s all about them and what they want.

Thinking of others first.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, servant leaders think of others first. Servant leadership is at the core of selflessness. Many effective leaders possess this skill because they know it is for the greater good. Not in a people pleasing way though. Rather, in a way that takes the focus off of themselves and onto others. More specifically, those they are leading and/or influencing. These types of leaders learn to be a follower in order to be the best leader others need. Now or in the future.

5) Lifelong Learner.

Being a lifelong learner doesn’t mean going to colleges and universities to achieve degree after degree. A lifelong learner can not only learn from others but can learn from themselves. Learn from the mistakes and successes we have made/had in the past. As George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

It’s also about being a student of the present. To learn current trends, practices, and who the individuals are that you’re trying to lead. A successful leader knows to surround themselves with experts. We don’t need to know everything. In reality, it’s not practical. On the other hand, we can surround ourselves with a plethora of people who accumulatively have the answers. However, that does not exempt us from learning at least the basics. We can’t talk intelligently about a topic if we are completely ignorant of it.

A successful leader, one that people will want to follow, is: an effective communicator, a motivator, empathetic, selfless, and a lifelong learner.