Great leaders are more than just charismatic. They also get results. If your plan is to move up into a managerial role, then don’t worry if you were never a natural leader growing up. The aspects of a great manager can all be learned and perfected over time. Being naturally charismatic will help, yes, but it isn’t the make-it-or-break-it factor you may think it is. Instead, it’s these top four skills:
Organizational Leadership
Organizational leadership is essential for managers. It’s also not something that will come naturally to anyone. A great way to learn how to organize and manage people, products, tools, and services, then, is with an organizational leadership degree online. Such a degree can help you hone your critical management skills, learn how to properly and effectively communicate and delegate, and how to manage a project like a pro. All of these skills demand a combination of interpersonal skills and strategy, and practice makes perfect. The best part is that, with an online degree, you can start putting what you learn to work immediately.
Empathy and Interpersonal Skills
Organizational skills help you manage your team, but if you want your team to stay motivated, committed, and loyal to your business, then you’re also going to need to build up your empathy and interpersonal skills. An excellent way to stay informed on the latest recommendations is to take sensitivity workshops. Society moves very fast, and how you would talk about certain things or people in the past may no longer be acceptable. Knowing the right language to use and being open to learning about other perspectives can help you operate in a naturally more empathetic way.
It’s not all about being understanding, however. You’ll need to follow up with a support structure that will allow employees to put their health and wellbeing first. Sometimes all it takes is flexibility. Letting employees work from home when they’re mildly sick will prevent the rest of your team from catching their illness. Offering personal days as a perk can let them manage their health and personal matters easily.
Strategic Planning
A great leader also moves the project or company forward. They are at the helm of the business and steer it toward success. All of that requires you to know how to plan so that you’re business strategically is always moving forward, not stagnating. Beyond a degree, a good way to do this is to stay informed on the latest trends, technologies, and discourse. If you know what your competitors are doing and what industry thought leaders are saying, you can better prepare for the future in small steps instead of scrambling to react.
Creative Problem Solving
Even with the most robust view of the future, there will still be problems you can’t account for. Creative problem-solving requires you to think outside of the box. Learning continually is an excellent place to start, but the real secret is collaboration. Hiring a diverse range of professionals, not just from different backgrounds but different specializations, will give you a more comprehensive range of ideas you would never have thought of yourself. Work together to cover all angles and solve problems more efficiently in the process.
