Are you happy with your current range of skills, or are seeking to enhance yours? We analyse ten key skills and qualities held by many strong, successful business leaders to let you see development areas you may wish to focus upon.
Organisation
Organisation is often key to running a business, and many effective leaders recognise its importance in the workplace, meeting schedules and deadlines consistently. The ability to keep track of multiple client cases alongside larger strategic projects to grow a business is essential to succeed. If a business has an organised leader, there is a far greater chance that the entire team will perform well and function efficiently.
Delegation
It’s important for leaders to recognise when someone else may have more time or be more capable at accomplishing a particular task, using their skills. In order to do this, it is first essential to be aware of the skills available within your team and delegate tasks appropriately to ensure the best outcome. Once proper delegation is underway, the business’ potential and efficiency is increased, giving you more time to focus on higher-level strategic projects.
Communication
Communication skills are one of the most essential tools in the armoury – a vital part of being a capable leader and founder of a productive team, and someone who listens actively and speaks confidently. An effective business should have open and efficient channels for communication, with the leader at the heart of ensuring effective communication at all levels within their business. It is also far easier to foster a productive working environment with team members if the leader effectively communicates their vision, addresses issues and exchanges ideas to the team.
Responsibility
Responsibility is one of the most sought-after skills in a leader. It means accepting the consequences of your business’s actions, whether positive or negative, and viewing every success or failure of your team as if it were your own. Responsible leaders accept every aspect of their role, work hard to remedy mistakes, reward successes, and always act on behalf of their teams, seeking to make decisions with the business’s best interests in mind.
Target Setting
Strong business leadership involves the ability to focus on a vision for the future and setting strategic targets for the business to succeed and grow. A good leader will encourage their team to work together to meet common goals. Setting meaningful, achievable objectives and communicating these with the team is one of the key qualities that an effective business leader can have.
Calculated Risk Taking
Good leaders understand that the business world can be challenging, but are not afraid to take calculated risks to solve key challenges. They utilise data to make their decisions, even when risky or unconventional.
Integrity
Honesty and integrity are crucial in business, especially so in the world of mortgage & protection advice, and a team’s success relies heavily on the integrity of its leader. Lead by example, be honest, commit yourself to always doing the right thing, even when it’s difficult. Take pride in your team’s work and deliver positive results.
Innovate
Good leaders are always looking out for new ideas and innovate solutions to move their business forward. Being willing to try new things will likely inspire your team to do the same, and encourage others to be forward thinkers.
Interpersonal Skills
Make an effort to know your team personally, take time to talk to your co-workers and provide guidance. By having strong interpersonal skills, it gives you the ability to successfully navigate conversations, meetings and a whole variety of workplace interactions. In addition, leaders with strong interpersonal skills are equipped to deal with disagreements, negotiating compromises and encouraging productivity within their business.
Self-awareness
Before you can identify strengths and weaknesses in others, it’s essential for you to be aware of your own. Recognise what you can and cannot do so well, and take action to improve accordingly. Showing vulnerabilities inspires team members to step up and possibly become leaders themselves.
