To be a genuinely good leader in the workplace, you need to not only have a variety of smart skills at your disposal but know when to use the right skills. There are times in the workplace that call for a softer touch, then there are instances where decisive actions are required on behalf of your team, and there are occasions where you have to listen and take onboard feedback from your employees.
In the modern workplace, it’s no good just being able to display one of these skills in isolation - you need to be able to showcase multiple soft skills, often at the same time. Here we break down three of the smart skills that every leader should add to their toolkit to succeed in the workplace today.
1. Active listening
Half a century ago, you’d be hard-pressed to find a leader that consistently took onboard the feedback of their employees, at least not in a meaningful fashion. Thankfully, that’s changed in recent times, with today’s best leaders knowing when to listen to their employees, aware that just because they’re the leader, that doesn’t always mean they know best.
Active listening is the art of physically hearing what’s being communicated to you and truly seeking to understand it, too. It involves being ‘active’ in communication, even when you’re not talking. This could look like something as simple as a nod of the head.
The benefits of this are two-fold. Firstly, it indicates to the person talking that you’re genuinely taking note of what they’re saying. This makes the speaker (in this context, an employee) feel a more valued team member as a result. The other benefit is that in consciously attempting to be more active with your listening, you take on more of what’s being said and you retain more of the information conveyed to you.
2. Adaptability
As much as we’d all like it to be the case, things don’t always go our way. The same is true in the business world. The mark of a leader is less how they perform when things are going well for their business, and more how they act in times of adversity.
During a crisis, a leader who’s stuck in their ways will struggle to react in any way other than what they know, and whilst that might work some of the time, the chances are, there will come a time and situation where that approach doesn’t work, and they’re left floundering as a result.
However, a leader who fosters a more adaptable mindset – one that’s open to ideas and change – will likely fare much better. So, how do you become more adaptable as a leader?
- Address your current mindset. If you view setbacks and failures in a wholly negative light, then it’s time to reframe them as opportunities to learn, grow and bounce back stronger.
- Take onboard a diverse array of opinions. The more diverse the team around a leader, the more they’re able to have their perceptions and preconceptions challenged. Sometimes, it takes an external viewpoint to reach the best solution to a particular problem. An adaptable leader is one that’s willing to listen to those around them.
- Better manage emotional and psychological stressors. Because when things get tough, our natural response is often to revert to type, even if we know that will do more harm than good. If you bolster your ability to take a setback in your stride, then you’re more likely to be able to “take the leap” on a new, different course of action.
3. Decision-making
Being a leader is both an honour and a responsibility, with the latter also bringing with it a semi-frequent need to make difficult decisions. For some people, that comes naturally, but for others, it’s more tricky.
Ultimately, as a leader, final decisions will end up with you, so taking the time to improve your abilities in this regard is a worthwhile endeavour.
To improve your decision-making skills, there are several things you can do. The first of these is to introduce as much objectivity as you’re able to the decision-making process. Emotions can often get in the way and cloud a leader’s judgement, but by writing down the pros and cons of a decision, you can help view the choice in more objective terms.
Another way you can improve your decision-making as a leader is to be more decisive with decisions in all aspects of your life. When leaders tend to think of decisions they need to make, they typically think of “the big ones” – whether or not to terminate an employment contract or whether to invest in a particular avenue, for instance.
In reality, though, the more decisive you can be with your decision-making in every facet of your life – deciding what takeaway to get at the weekend, for example – the more this will translate into easier decision-making at the more important level.
Elevate your leadership skills
Of course, these aren’t the only three smart skills that will help you become a better leader. With continuing professional development, you could develop your skills with leadership-focused short courses, like our Ethical Leadership taster course or our Dynamic Managerial Capability microcredential. Whatever aspect of leadership you want to focus on, you’ll be able to fine-tune it with UTS Open.
Final thoughts
The three smart skills we’ve listed above will all help leaders become better leaders. But just because you implement these skills, doesn’t mean the learning stops there. The mark of a truly great leader is a desire to improve and get better constantly. And by enrolling in one of our short courses, you’ve got the opportunity to do just that.
You can view our full range of courses here.
