Commitment + Clinical Leadership = Better Outcomes

No matter what role you have in an organization, you can be a great leader. A leader is someone who helps a team by motivating and inspiring them to reach a specific project or goal. Leaders bring out the best in others and know how to provide them with challenges that help grow their skillset.

Here are some ways to improve your leadership skills.

What are leadership skills?

Leadership skills are the ability to motivate, guide, and inspire others within a group or organization. While some people may be born natural leaders, anyone can develop and hone their leadership skills.

You can use leadership skills anywhere – at work, in a volunteer organization, in school, or in the community. You do not need a formal role in management or an important role in a group to be a good leader.

Why are leadership skills important?

Leadership skills are crucial to all organizations because they help a team work towards a common vision or goal. People need leaders to help organize tasks and inspire a strong team framework.

Personal leadership skills can also help you build connections and better communication with your colleagues and others. As you become a developing leader, you will be an example to those around you and help motivate them. Leaders can take their strengths to use for their vision, and they are always continuously working on improving their weaknesses.

What are some examples of leadership skills?

The definition of what qualities make a great leader will vary from person to person. However, there are many layers to leadership that can make the difference between a good and great leader.

Here are a few examples of leadership skills:

• Emotional intelligence
• Goal setting
• Delegation
• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Active listening
• Strategy
• Compromise
• Creativity
• Empathy
• Time management
• Accountability
• Honesty
• Positivity
• Conflict resolution
• Respectfulness
• Relationship building
• Coaching
• Presentation Skills
• Learning

While this list doesn’t encompass all of the skills a great leader will have, leaders will possess some of these qualities.

Your leadership style

A leadership style is how you delegate work and motivate those you work with. Your personal leadership style will determine where you excel and need work because it is based on your personality, skills, and the job itself.

Some leadership styles are better at certain aspects than others, and your leadership style determines how you influence and manage people. The 6 common leadership styles are¹:

• Transformational leadership. Someone who takes control of the group and shares a vision with them. These types of leaders work to inspire those that they work with and motivate them to reach goals. Usually, these leaders focus on the future and are working to create a positive change. They are also great at noticing the potential in people and can work with them to reach their goals.
• Delegative leadership. These types of leaders allow their employees to get the job done. They don’t micromanage or interfere much with tasks. Delegative leadership works best with people who know their roles and have the vision to fulfill the department’s goals.
• Authoritative leadership. These types of leaders work on inspiring and mentoring those who work under them. They lead by example and want their followers to copy their lead. They give those that they work with feedback and motivation. This results in the leader being close to their colleagues as they get to know them and work with them on hands-on projects.
• Transactional leadership. This is a type of leadership focused on rewards and punishments. It is structured to incentivize those who work under this leader to work on the vision and get rewarded in the end. Oftentimes, the rewards will be things such as increased pay or bonuses.
• Participative leadership. Also known as democratic leadership, this type of leadership will involve listening to employees and bringing them into the decision-making process. These leaders look for the group to come up with the best solution and want the team to work on the goals together. This style of leadership makes employees feel valued and gives them the ability to share their ideas and voice.
• Servant leadership. The goal of servant leadership is to put others first. This type of leadership focuses on the collective group and what will benefit the organization as a whole. As a result, many employees will feel more loyal to organizations that follow servant leadership because all employees have a voice. No single group will be favored over another when decisions are made.

How to Improve Leadership Skills

Identify Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Someone who practices effective leadership knows what they are good at and what they need to work on. This can help you identify the skills you’re lacking and make an action plan to improve them.

Your action plan will depend on a few things:

• Your leadership style. Each leadership style has strengths and weaknesses. Knowing the way that you delegate tasks and work with others can help you find out where your leadership lacks and how you can improve your leadership skills.
• Your skills. Everyone has skills that they bring to the table, as well as things that they could improve.
  • For example, you might be good at communication but lack in the area of time management. In this case, you’d have to work on learning how to manage your time better

By having an understanding of where you have a weakness, you can make an action plan to strengthen your leadership.

Find a Mentor

If you want to be a great leader, then it is important that you seek out a mentor who can help guide and hone your developing leadership skills. Oftentimes, you will learn through good examples, and finding a mentor can be one way that you can develop your leadership skills.

A mentor can help guide you and give you feedback on how to improve your personal leadership style. Your mentor may also have leadership workshops or book suggestions to help you grow as a person.

Think Critically

Critical thinking is an important part of leadership development. A critical thinker will not only be able to solve problems as they arise, but they will be able to predict and think about problems before they actually become an issue.

A leader who proactively thinks critically will be able to handle situations head-on and be proactive, not reactive. A leader will find the root cause of a problem and take steps to develop a solution that encompasses the company’s vision and respects the value of its employees and followers.

Stay Disciplined

Discipline is an important leadership skill because it helps you stay focused on different tasks in order to accomplish a goal. A leader needs discipline to finish an overall company project or make strides in their personal development goals.

Discipline requires being able to create a timeline or set goals to reach a company’s overall objective. A disciplined leader will work with the tools that they have and try to get what they need to achieve results.

Continue Learning

A great leader keeps an open mind and will continue to learn throughout their career. This not only means staying up-to-date with the latest skills and technology, but continuing to learn and hone different soft skills is important as well.

You can continue to learn through observation and from the people around you. Over time, you will grow as a person and develop a skill set that a great leader has.

Know How to Resolve Conflicts

In any organization, there will be conflicts, and someone who practices effective leadership can handle them. Sometimes a conflict can occur between team members or between yourself and another person. The people you deal with will have different personalities, and some may be stronger and more difficult to deal with than others.

It’s important to know how to resolve conflict in order to be an effective leader. This involves listening to everyone’s side and working through difficulties a team member might be having. Some conflicts may also result in decisions such as firing, so it’s important to listen to everyone to avoid making rash decisions.

Inspire Others

A leader is someone who doesn’t just use their team to complete a task – they inspire the people on their team to achieve more. A leader is someone who can influence others to reach their potential and gives them the courage to try something new.

If you want to be a great leader, work on encouraging and offering guidance to the people on your team. You can point out someone’s strengths and encourage them to continue to grow in what they do.

Be an Active Listener

Active listening is when you are able to process and consider the thoughts and feelings of other people. Someone who practices active listening will listen attentively to someone and work to understand their information and emotions.

An active listener is able to take what is said and respond using emotional intelligence and engaging the speaker. Someone who is an active listener is not quick to make judgments and will remember the information that they are told to make decisions. Leaders who are active listeners are able to understand the people they work with and connect to them through conversation.

Improve Your Leadership Today!

Now that you know some of the ways to improve leadership skills, you can take these ideas and apply them to your life. By starting with a few goals, you’ll soon cultivate your leadership talent and make an impact in your community.

Saber Healthcare is an organization that provides services to more than 115 buildings across the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana, Delaware, and Florida. To learn more about our company and services, click here.

Saber Healthcare is an organization dedicated to providing consultant services to long-term care providers. This article is for informational purposes and is not meant to be seen as professional advice. Please consult with a medical expert before relying on the information provided.

Sources

1. “The 6 most common leadership styles & how to find yours.” Last Updated: January 2023. Link: https://www.imd.org/reflections/leadership-styles/