Which Leadership Skill is Most Essential? The Question That Cannot Be Answered
As a business owner, you may feel that one leadership skill is more essential to the survival of your company than another. While it may seem that a single leadership skill enhances your organization more than others, there are seven that are crucial to according to an article posted on Money Central. This article was contributed by Gartner, Inc. and Korn/Ferry. When it comes to leadership skill, there are seven that are necessary to drive results in any business environment, according to the article. These relate particularly to IT executives.
Interviews were conducted in order to determine the most essential leadership skill; as a result of the interviews, it was determined that those who excel at leading people, setting aggressive goals and holding those under their leadership accountable for exceptional performance achieved the best results. Take a look at the seven areas below to determine if you believe a single leadership skill is more effective than the rest:
“In today’s world, people are looking for growth, for the company to be acquisitive, to be expanding quickly. Our belief is a little different…”. Hongkong & Shanghai Hotels Ltd is a very successful, values-led company looking to expand into China and Europe. What values drive the organization, and why does it believe these values and beliefs equip it better than most? CEO Clement Kwok explains.
Commit to leadership first; everything else comes second
With this leadership skill, individuals embrace the idea that accomplishments will be achieved totally through people; this means by individual employees, good leaders and through team work.
Lead in a different manner than you think
Some leaders are extremely creative and complex thinkers, yet when it comes to this leadership skill, they work with employees and other personnel in a way that all can understand and use to the advantage of the company. They don’t try to push their “analytical” skills on others.
Become more vulnerable
An important leadership skill, according to the article, is letting go of control occasionally in order to gain more influence. When a leader is more vulnerable, deep connections can be formed that enable people both inside and outside of the organization to become inspired.
Relationship management
By forging the right relationships, extraordinary results can be achieved. This leadership skill is one that many successful managers possess. By spending the time and energy to manage relationships with peers, suppliers and customers, a solid foundation for success is built.
Establish core messages and values
Communication is an essential leadership skill, especially between managers and employees. It is necessary that leaders and managers realize that employees are always watching; leaders should reiterate core messages and values consistently, so that those under them understand what the goal and messages of the company are. Through good communications, employees are motivated and compelled to take the correct actions.
Inspire your staff
Most people give a certain amount of themselves to their job performance, but with inspiration that will give more of their energy and motivation. Good managers use this leadership skill often; they know that when employees feel that their work is meaningful and valued by the company, they will give their all.
Realize that people make a business successful, not systems
Nearly every successful business owner knows that it is the people who ultimately make the business thrive, not systems. By using leadership skills that motivate employees and make them feel an essential part of the whole picture, leaders can increase their ability and capacity to deliver exceptional results. This means that even after current management is long gone, a strong network of people will be the lasting legacy of the company.
Can you choose a single leadership skill out of the above list that would take your company to the ultimate level on its own?
“We have a belief that you need to be able to attract and recruit the right talent in the first place. You need to have people that have that aptitude, something in the DNA that you look for when you’re recruiting. Frankly what we then do is we actually test out that leadership aptitude very, very early on…” explains Adrian Lathja Chief Leadership Officer, Accenture in this exclusive video interview.
Topics: Human Resources
