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Leadership is lifting a person's vision to high sights, the raising of a person's performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. -Peter Drucker

The need for advancement in one’s career is making people inclined towards taking various kinds of courses. Despite the professional and academic degree which help them to secure a job, career growth cannot be promising for many professionals. At a certain point, they realise high-end degrees are not enough to help them climb the ladder of success. To keep honing their qualities, the need for the improvement in leadership skills become obvious.

There is no denying that out of many skills that every company looks for in the candidate before hiring, leadership quality is very important. While some people are natural leaders in their field, there are various soft skills that need to be addressed for proper professional growth. So, do not hesitate if you think you don’t have the necessary skill set to be a leader. Every individual possesses one or the other quality. All it will take is good planning and consistency to keep improving. You can consider personal development programmes as well, which are designed to help you improve and be better. Just know the fact that leadership skills do not need to be natural always, as these can be acquired throughout a lifetime.

Importance Of Personality Development In A Professional Career?

It is important to know what personality development stands for before you plan anything. In simple words, it can be described as an ongoing act of understanding your goals, evaluating your inborn skills and building professional strength in order to meet the requirement of any business.

Good, Better, Best
If you are good at something, try to be better and if you accomplish that, aim for the best. Source: Lolly Daskal

The valuation of an employee depends on his soft skills. On the flip side, an employee becomes a burden on the company if he/she fails to perform the task efficiently. Even if any of the workers fail to take on additional responsibilities, there remains no point for the company to retain him/her. A business sector is an ever-growing place where you have to keep running to be in the race. But if you feel you are lacking behind, then improving soft skills can be the only way out for you. Here you can learn the importance of personality development in your career.

Taking on Responsibilities

Gone are the days when the employees were expected to do what they have been doing since the beginning. In the business sector, the better an employee gets at work, the more opportunities will run in his favour. So, being a professional, you will be required to take on responsibilities, be active in participating in teamwork and contribute to other departments while maintaining the overall productivity.

Being On The Front

Some of the industries will require you to be on the front even if you are not the team leader or anyone from the management. For instance, the hospitality and tourism industry is one such field where every employee needs to be active and professional. A front office executive is no longer expected to attend calls throughout the day. They must take an active part in other departments to keep enhancing their skills and being on the forefront. The more they are on the eyes of the management department, the better opportunities they can expect.

Stagnant Career

Realising that your career has become stagnant is important since it helps you find out ways to revitalise the same. Sticking on a routine can make you inactive and can even hamper your learning skills. It is vital to keep trying new things and being open to new challenges. It will help you find innovative skills and strategies to keep you growing with and within the organisation.

It is through personal development that you tend to be a strong, motivated and mature professional. These are some of the main qualities that will help you grow in your career. Upgrading yourself with time not only prepares you for the present but also for the future.

Expected Leadership Qualities

The question ‘what makes a good leader’ is highly debated in the professional world. There is no denying that leading a team of professionals will require a set of skills. Also, the characteristics of one leader may vary from the other. So, here are a few leadership qualities you must possess so as to get started with your journey.

Leadership
Leadership is not just about learning, it is an action in itself. Source: Topper

Active Listening

It is one of the most essential leadership qualities. A good leader will always listen to the members of his team as well as the management. He/she will have to pay complete attention to the requirements or ideas that a colleague has to share.

Patience

Patience is among the important skills that any individual must possess, especially if he/she is leading a team. The scenario at the workplace is never constant and the leaders are exposed to challenges. To deal with these, the leader must have patience so that he/she can think and take proper action.

Self-motivation

The leader is expected to motivate the team and keep them inspired. But how he is finding the ability to do what needs to be should come from within. A leader should depend on others to influence him to take a particular action and thus self-motivation becomes one of the required skills for him.

Communication

Communication includes both the ability to speak and write. With the help of this, you can make people understand what you want to say and are thus important for anyone who is leading the team.

Skill to Organise

The work environment needs to be tidy and well-maintained. Organising the work is the responsibility of the leader and he must maintain that.

Adaptability

The leader must adapt to the changing environment in the workplace and motivate others to do the same.

In addition to the above-mentioned skills, the leader must also have integrity, proper work ethics, confidence, problem-solving skills, positive attitude and of course leadership.

Qualities Of A Good Leader

There are a few factors that determine the quality of a good leader. While a good leader must always be ready to take on challenges and guide the team for the fulfilment of the same, he must not ignore his attitude toward the work. Besides being a good leader at work, there are certain qualities that are natural in a person.

Leading a team
The leader has the courage to take on risk and direct everyone with the best. Source: Champlain College Online
  • Interaction: A leader must interact with everyone in the workplace.
  • Neutral approach: In case of conflict between the team members, a good leader must always stay neutral and then solve the issue.
  • Positive attitude: The leader should always maintain a positive attitude to motivate others.
  • Humble: Creating a humble environment in the workplace largely depends on the leader.
  • Uniting the team: A leader is expected to unite the team and maintain friendly behaviours at workplace
  • Gratitude: Gratitude is one of the few qualities of a good leader that differentiate him from others.
  • Courage: A leader is expected to be courageous and has risk-taking capabilities.
  • Empathy: Empathy can define the emotional intelligence of a leader and his leadership can be thus more effective for the team members.
  • Respect: Irrespective of the positive of the colleague, a leader should respect one and all in the workplace.
  • Self-awareness: Self-awareness completely depends on oneself. A leader must be aware of himself.

These are the skills that define a leader and differentiate them from others.

How To Improve Leadership Qualities?

You must have seen people with inborn leadership skills. It is natural to think about how they are born with such qualities. While you may not have them naturally, you can find your own set of skills. And if you are wondering ‘how to improvise leadership qualities in you?’, then you can check the few practises below:

Practice Discipline

Discipline is one of the weapons for a professional. In order to be an effective leader, you must take care of discipline. Your capacity will be judged by the amount of discipline you display. So, always practice punctuality, take care of the deadline, abiding by the rules and so on.

Discipline
Discipline is one of the easiest things to practice yet an important skill a leader must have. Source: Nigel Akkara

Develop Situation Awareness

A good leader can always sense problems before they happen. Keeping your in the position and thinking about the possible resolution can help you enhance awareness. You can also take real-life scenarios.

Follow More

Lucky you are if you already have a good leader looking after everything. All you can do is follow them. Check out how they are handling a situation at work, what are the precautions they take to avoid future issues, their decision-making style and their reaction to everything at work. Notice their actions and you will learn.

In addition to the above option, you can also enhance your leadership skill by taking classes, both online and offline. You can find many tutors offering classes on how to improve leadership skills to grow your career. You can also check Superprof to find such tutors who train students to develop personal skills.

With the availability of so many options, make the right decision that will help you and your career.

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Krishna