Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a French writer and aviator who is best known for his novella The Little Prince.
This quote is all about the essence of what leadership is: not predicting what will happen, but conditioning the circumstances for it to happen.
Although leadership is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that can be defined in many ways, the main thing it involves is influencing others and working together to achieve a common goal.
Leaders are not always born with leadership traits or characters. Rather, they are made to learn and trained to be so through disciplined hard work, practice and feedback.
Now the question is; what are the skills that make a good leader? And how can you practice them to enable the future for yourself and others?
Here we will discuss 5 leadership skills essential for creating a positive impact in the world which are;
- Vision
- Communication
- Collaboration
- Adaptability
- Empathy
Let’s look at each of these skills in more detail and see how you can improve them.
1. Vision: The Ability to See the Big Picture
The ability to see the big picture and have a clear sense of direction and purpose from the beginning is vision.
Vision is important for leaders to set goals, align actions, and influence the greater mass as well as to anticipate challenges and opportunities, and to create strategies to overcome them.
To develop your vision, one needs to:
Think Long-Term:
For long term thinking, don’t get bogged down by the details and the daily tasks. Instead;
- Think about where you want to be in the future and what you want to achieve.
- What is your mission and your vision?
- What are your values and your principles?
- How do you want to make a difference in the world?
Do Your Research:
Get information and data that can be useful to understand the current situation and the trends that are shaping the future. For instances;
- What are the needs and the problems of your target people?
- What are the best practices and the innovations in your field?
- What are the threats and the opportunities that you face?
Be Creative:
Always use your imagination and intuition to generate new ideas and solutions. Don’t be afraid to challenge the status quo and to think outside the box — What are the possibilities and the alternatives that you can explore? How can you create value and make an impact?
Share Your Vision:
Sharing your vision with others is an excellent way to expand your network and connect with people of similar interest, goal and or values as well as to learn from their experience and insights.
Share your ideas with others in a clear and compelling way. Collaboration and insights is the key foundation during the process. Use stories, metaphors, and visuals to convey your message. Explain why your vision is important and how it will be beneficial for everyone. Listen to others, invite feedback and input from them to refine and improve your vision.
2. Communication: The Ability to Express Yourself and Listen to Others
Communication is the skill that helps leaders to convey their ideas, opinions, and emotions, and to understand those of others as well as to build trust, rapport, and influence their followers, peers, and stakeholders.
To improve your communication, and make it reach out to many, you need to:
Know Your Audience type, category and their interest:
Tailor your communication style and content to suit the needs and preferences of your audience. Who are you talking to and what do they want to hear? What is their level of knowledge and interest in your topic? What is their language and culture?
Communication should Be Clear and Concise:
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