Three skills Every Leader should Have

#1 - Confidence

Many people today have to change job or even career at some point in life. We all need to be flexible in our working patterns and be prepared to change jobs and/or sectors if we believe there are better opportunities elsewhere.

In order to be flexible we need a set of 'transferable skills' – skills that are not specific to one particular career path but are generic across all employment sectors. And here are three skills that are absolutely necessary to be successful in our careers and in personal life 

Confidence is the most attractive quality in anyone. It is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it. Confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success. The good news is that self-confidence is a skill and can be learned and built on.

Confidence is the knowledge of yourself and how you will act in any given situation. Start to learn how to pick up and defeat the negative self-talk which can destroy your confidence. Stay on top of positive thinking, celebrate and enjoy your success, and keep those mental images strong. And on the other side, learn to handle failure. Accept that mistakes happen when you’re trying something new. Feeling more confident is one part of living a happier, more fulfilling and successful life.

  

#2 - Leadership 

Learning how to be a more effective leader is within everyone’s grasp – whether you lead multiple teams, an entire company or just one staff member. Becoming an effective leader is not a one-time thing. It takes time to learn and practice leadership skills until they become a part of you, but still, they can be learnt. And the only way to really learn leadership is by doing it! Get involved in leading groups, whether its leading a group project, chairing a student society, captaining a sports team or even being a play scheme helper. Carefully observe what is working for you and learn from your mistakes.

Good managers are key motivators who can make a real difference to their teams. The ‘five fundamentals’ of good management: coaching, giving feedback, listening, rewarding and recognizing success and performance management. Something as simple as hearing ‘you've done a really good job on ....’ can strongly boost to an employee’s confidence, deliver a sense of pride and satisfaction and encourage them to put more into their work.  

#3 - Communication

On a daily basis we work with people who have different opinions, values, beliefs, and needs than our own. Our ability to exchange ideas with others, understand others' perspectives, solve problems and successfully utilize the steps and processes presented in this training will depend significantly on how effectively we are able to communicate with others. To improve your communication skills you need to:

• watch your body language (Our non-verbal and non-written cues often reveal more than we think they do. Whether it’s how you make eye contact or how you hold yourself during a video interview, don’t forget that you’re constantly communicating even when you’re not saying a word.)
• learn to listen (the best thing you can do to improve your communication skills is to learn to really listen—to pay attention and let the other person talk without interrupting.)
• watch your language (learn public speaking, how to tell stories, know your grammar, vocabulary and sentence structure).

Developing this three skills together will help you become more successful in any aspect of your life.