In an article that first appeared on HR.BLR.com, guest columnist Elizabeth Dukes from iOffice.com writes that while the top leaders’ instincts are much of what helped them rise to the top, many of their most valuable tools are learned skills. If you are looking to advance into a top leadership position, here are 5 more things you must learn to do habitually and every day:
6. Accept responsibility—Successful leaders never fall into the “blame game” trap. One must recognize that regardless of how or why the team falls short, the true blame falls on them as the leader. Look for others to blame and you will lose the trust and respect you have worked so hard to earn. Hold yourself accountable and you will spur the entire team to work even harder toward your common goals.
7. Make communication the key—To be a true pioneer in your field, you MUST be a great communicator. Provide the members of your team with a clear understanding of what is expected and share all of the information you have. Fear that transparency will make you lose the upper hand sets the entire team up for failure, making you a mere manager as opposed to a great leader. Perhaps even more important is ensuring your teammates are comfortable being open and honest with you. Communication is a two-way street, so your success as a leader hinges on your ability to allow others to voice their perspectives and opinions as well. Successful leaders deflect attention away from themselves and encourage others to voice their opinions. This candor among colleagues will help build trust and respect throughout the entire team, providing everyone with the knowledge they need to do their best work.
8. Make decisions—You must have the ability to “make 30 decisions in 30 minutes” if you want to emerge as a successful leader. Top leaders keep the momentum going at all times, shifting gears as needs arise. And rather than making your teammates come to you when a decision needs to be made, arm your colleagues with the information and tools they need to make their own decisions when appropriate. Remember, their successes are your successes, too.
Yes, you do have the budget and time to train managers and supervisors with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer®. Try it at no cost or risk. Get details.
9. Never stop asking questions—Those that have fought their way to the top are not afraid to ask questions and seek counsel, even when they think they already have all the answers. This goes back to that deep desire for information and knowledge. Successful workplace leaders have committed to bettering themselves daily through the wisdom of those around them.
10. Enjoy your chosen profession—True pioneers are not leaders for the power, but for the impact they can make on those around them. At the end of the day, your position is about serving the needs of others—there is no way to truly do this without loving what you do. As Steve Jobs once said:
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.”
Many are under the impression that a simple title is evidence of success. True success, however, comes from increasing your company’s value while maximizing ROI. A true leader lifts up those around them, bringing out each colleague’s strengths and talents to paint the bigger picture. While many are natural-born leaders, anyone can rise to the leading position with the right drive and commanding skills in their repertoire.
Elizabeth Dukes is author of Wide Open Workspace and co-founder of iOffice, one of the fastest growing facility management software providers and consulting companies in the country. As today’s workspace evolves from a brick-and-mortar place to the unlimited expanse of the digital world, iOffice provides integrated workplace management systems tailored to meet the unique needs of companies today. Connect with Elizabeth Dukes at mailto:medukes@iofficecorp.com, Linkedin, Twitter, or YouTube.
Train your line managers with BLR’s 10-Minute HR Trainer. There won’t be time for classroom boredom. Try it for free.
This brief primer on the top 10 leadership skills can be accomplished fairly quickly. But, what about other training topics, such as legal matters, safety procedures, or ethics? Can these issues be covered just as quickly?
Believe it or not, the answer is “yes,” and BLR has just the tool to accomplish it: 10-Minute HR Trainer.
Effective HR Training in 10 Minutes!
As its name implies, this product trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic.
With this training resource, we’ve provided an easy-to-manage program that lets you train in discrete, 10-minute chunks. It’s a program that’s easy for you to deliver and that requires little time from busy schedules. And it’s remarkably affordable.
As its name implies, this product trains managers and supervisors in critical HR skills in as little as 10 minutes for each topic. 10-Minute HR Trainer offers these features:
Trains in 50 key HR topics, including manager and supervisor responsibilities, under all major employment laws and how to legally carry out managerial actions from hiring to termination. (See a complete list of topics below.)
Uses the same teaching sequence master teachers use. Every training unit includes an overview, bullet points on key lessons, a quiz, and a handout to reinforce the lesson later.
Completely prewritten and self-contained. Each unit comes as a set of reproducible documents. Just make copies or turn them into overheads and you’re done. (Take a look at a sample lesson below.)
Updated continually. As laws change, your training must as well. 10-Minute HR Trainer provides new lessons and updated information every 90 days, along with a monthly Training Forum newsletter, for as long as you are in the program.
Works fast. Each session is so focused that there’s not a second’s waste of time. Your managers are in and out almost before they can look at the clock, yet they remember small details even months later.
Evaluate It at No Cost for 30 Days
We’ve arranged to make 10-Minute HR Trainer available to our readers for a 30-day, in-office, no-cost trial. Review it at your own pace and try some lessons with your colleagues. If it’s not for you, return it at our expense. Click here and we’ll set you up with our 10-Minute HR Trainer.
Download newsletter sample.
Download product sample.
Download table of contents.