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Indeed most leadership skills are evergreen. Being decisive, motivating, and passionate have always been requisites for an outstanding leader.
But what about in the year 2024? Following a pandemic, labour shortages, technological innovations, social changes, supply chain problems and more in a short period of time - what does a leader need to guide an organization towards success?
Below are six essential leadership skills to navigate through the challenges of today and into the future of work.
Learn More: Going from Management to Leadership
1. Visionary Leadership Skills
A successful leader in 2024 must have a clear vision for the future and can inspire teams to work towards it. This vision must be clearly articulated and aligned with the
organization's goals and values.
Part and parcel of being a visionary is the ability to approach challenges from fresh angles and spark innovation while setting an example for others. A visionary leader is creative and innovative, offering potential solutions to vexing challenges.
2. Adaptability
The current professional lexicon is filled with words about flexibility: pivot, evolve, agility. The market is defined by constant and quick change, and our workplace slang reflects the importance of the traits that maneuver us through shifting scenarios and arising obstacles.
The twin sister to adaptability is resilience. Successful leaders don’t just adapt; they bounce back from setbacks. They do so with composure and are natural problem-solvers.
Pro Tip: Be adaptable and resilient with a positive attitude. Be willing to learn from failures. Such a leader will truly galvanize the team, as opposed to the leader who becomes negative or blames others, thereby leading more through intimidation and fear than inspiration
Learn More: The Eight Core Competencies of Leadership Part 1
3. Emotional Intelligence & Soft Skills
Only recently getting the recognition it is due, emotional intelligence has become one of the essential leadership skills. Emotional intelligence encompasses a number of characteristics, notably empathy and good social skills. But arguably the most important one for leaders is self-awareness.
A great leader will understand and manage their own emotions. Self-awareness is foundational for building meaningful relationships with stakeholders, and recognizing and influencing the emotions of others.
4. Inclusivity and Team Building
Getting the most out of a talent pool means embracing and leveraging diversity and fostering an inclusive environment where all team members can thrive. Today, this is one of the non-negotiable leadership skills. When you cultivate a culture of belonging, your people do their best work in support of your mission.
Building and sustaining a collaborative and diverse team, especially in a remote or hybrid setting, demands skills beyond the traditional. Here is where emotional intelligence is a particularly helpful trait. Leaders must inspire and engage teams without physical, face-to-face interactions.
Learn More: The Eight Core Competencies of Leadership Part 2
5. Learning and Digital Literacy
To remain relevant in an ever-evolving business environment requires embracing lifelong learning. Strong leaders regularly engage in professional development and serve as models for team members, encouraging their development of knowledge and skills.
Leaders have always been creators and stewards of strategy. Nowadays leaders must see the big picture, anticipate trends and plan accordingly with relevant training for employees.
While there are many factors, technology is the key driver of ongoing change and related workplace adjustments. Leaders do not have to be tech experts, but minimally they must be tech literate. Relying entirely on the advice and insight from tech advisors without significant baseline knowledge will not cut it in our technology economy.
Pro Tip: Leaders need to adopt a digital mindset. This is a set of attitudes and behaviours that enable them to see the possibilities in technological advancements and chart a path forward with the adoption and integration of technological tools into operations.
6. Effective Communication
Communication is certainly one of the evergreen leadership skills.
Quite simply, you cannot be an effective leader without being a skilled communicator. It is all well and good to have a defined vision, unflappable adaptability, high emotional intelligence, inclusive values, and be digitally adept, but if you cannot communicate these ideas in a clear and compelling way, then they have little to no worth.
Besides articulating visions and strategies with clarity and authenticity, exceptional leaders are storytellers. Beyond delivering the facts, they tell a narrative that is relatable and encouraging. In a hybrid work environment, it is particularly important to leverage virtual meeting platforms and communications applications to deliver a compelling message.
The Best in Leadership Skills Training
Acquiring and honing these six skills is not an overnight exercise. It takes considerable focus and commitment to delve into these concepts and apply them to your life and work. The best way to achieve this is with a dedicated leadership skills training partner.
Priority Management has been training leaders and their teams around the globe for four decades. We fully customize all training programs for your needs and provide crucial follow-up coaching to ensure that you meet your goals.
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