Well, leaders are born, but only in la la land!!! You can be born with the traits of a leader but the right encouragement is a must for developing leadership skills.

While developing leadership skills at an early stage has its advantages, it’s never too late to start if you haven’t yet discovered the leader in you! And that’s not a whole load of motivational hogwash.

In this piece, let’s take a look at the why and how of developing leadership skills.

Successful management requires more than just assigning tasks to the team. It calls for a leader who can inspire team members to achieve their full potential. People want to be guided by a person they respect, someone who has a clear sense of direction. To be that person, there are certain things that you must BE, KNOW and DO. And that’s what developing leadership skills is all about.

Robert K. Greenleaf

”The only test of leadership is that somebody follows.”

If you want to set an example for others to follow, may we suggest the following check-list?

1. Test the waters: find out what people think about your style of management. This could be a real eye opener, and the key to making changes to your leadership style. Employ a 360 degree approach wherein you receive feedback from your team members and peers. Let your team in on the objective behind the survey. A relaxed and open environment will help draw out their honest opinion.

2. Listen hard: when your team members speak to you about all their work related worries, hear them out. You could convey empathy, suggest alternatives and create harmony within the team. GREAT LEADERS ARE GREAT LISTENERS!!!!!

3. Connect: take complete responsibility for how you are heard. Always rephrase your message to make it sound positive. Effective communication is a fine art.

4. Be a people’s person: an integral part of developing leadership skills is to learn to respect your team’s capabilities. Let the team members take decisions on certain issues. Trust them with their work; don’t be a watchdog.

5. Lead by example: your team must believe in your integrity, and that you really mean what you say. Be prepared to put your money where your mouth is. It works like a charm!

6. Share leadership: distribute tasks among group members depending on the situation and individual strengths. You become a better leader by involving more people in the leadership process.

7. Evaluate your success in tandem with that of the team: your prime responsibility is to ensure success and development of the team. Focus on building their skills as this will enhance motivation and team performance. Remember, their success is yours too!

Harvey S. Firestone said “The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.” We couldn’t agree more!

“Until ‘they’ accept my role, and I am officially ‘anointed’ as leader”; “until I’ve got ‘all my ducks in a row’ – finished everything I have to do”; “until I’ve managed some tricky interpersonal issues”; “until I’ve got somebody in place to replace me ‘doing’ all the tasks I’m currently spending all my time on”; “until I’ve got my MBA”…

It’s as though they regard growing into leadership as an incremental process – a place you get to after completing all the prior steps. In fact we’ve met people who assume that because they have mastered a busy and complex managerial job, they are now qualified as a leader – as if it’s the next step on the career ladder!

A ‘State Change’
But growing into leadership isn’t incremental – it’s a ’state change’. It doesn’t take time; it takes a transformation – of outlook, courage and focus. Most of us still have to ‘manage stuff’, even after assuming leadership – we don’t have the luxury of having staff to delegate to, and time in the diary to ‘be a leader’. So management is different from leadership – not better or worse, just a different state. What’s needed is the kind of state change that happens (hopefully!) when you realise you’re the only person who’s noticed the house is on fire! You don’t wait for permission, or to have your position ratified, or for people to like and accept you – you take control and do whatever needs to be done to put the fire out!

You’ll Know it When you See it
And you can see it and feel it. If you’ve ever been lucky enough be present when somebody ‘gets’ it, there’s a visible and palpable difference in the way they talk, move and hold themselves from the way they did before. What that difference is, will be different from person to person. Some get louder and more obviously forceful; others may remain quiet and unassuming – but you’ll still be able to see the difference.

When you’ve experienced this state change for yourself, you may finally realise that what you have been calling Leadership is mostly actually ‘management’ – at a very senior level maybe, but ‘management’ nevertheless. Leaders are as different from managers, as eagles are from chickens – both essential, functional in their own way, but different creatures. And, just as good managers aren’t necessarily good leaders, so great leaders aren’t always good managers. Once you know they are different skill sets, and have experienced the difference in ‘feel’ between them, then you are well placed to assess your weaknesses and create a development programme to fill the gaps.

The Challenge of Being Both!
The real challenge for most of us is to manage the transition from management to leadership, not on a one-time basis (for we don’t have that luxury), but from moment to moment, day to day, as the requirements change. We need to learn to be both. To be able to do that, we need to have experienced the difference, so we can feel what state we’re in, and check that’s it’s appropriate to the situation at hand. And in answer to the question, “When will I be ready for Leadership?”, our answer is “Right now – if you really want to be!”

The workplace is filled with the turmoil of change and many people question the value of these changes. In this article I will examine the changing workplace, leadership principles, and present a call to action.

The Changing Workplace
Change is and has been a universal constant. Civilizations have risen and fallen. The Wild West in America was tamed and populated. The model T Ford was mass produced and made an affordable means of transportation. Refrigerators were invented and the ice box became history. Men traveled to the moon and back. Computers and the internet shrunk the world.
Moore’s law promises even greater leaps in productivity, quality of life, and unimagined changes.

Humans adapt well to change over the long-term. The short-term is another story.
Many people exert a measure of effort and work to achieve some status, goal, or outcome in life. When they arrive, they hold the belief that they have earned their way and now life owes them. They often become comfortable, content, relaxed, complacent, and stagnant.
All the while, changes occur around them slowly making their skills, competencies, and values obsolete.

Others embrace change, race to be in front of the wave of innovation, and find energy and opportunity in their world of work.

I have described two different types of people. One person rests on their laurels unconcerned with change. The other person exercises effective personal leadership to adapt to change.

Leadership Principles
Principles are comprehensive and fundamental laws or rules. Researching leadership principles, I found that the Marine Corps had listed 11. Other organizations had similar lists.
Examining and organizing them, I discovered that effective leadership principles in the changing world are actually unchanging. They are constants of the universe just like change. People have been exercising effective leadership principles in a changing workplace since the dawn of time. Here are the timeless leadership principles I have identified.

Life Vision
Human beings are endowed with unlimited potential and greatness. They limit their development, what they enjoy, and the success they achieve by what they learn and how they think about work and life.

Ignorance is the enemy of people developing and enjoying greater success. Destroying ignorance is called self-development, personal growth, building personal leadership, or developing mastery of your job and life.

This requires knowing yourself, seeking wisdom, and forming a vision of what you can become. That vision is essential in breaking free from the routines of work and life that trap many people. That vision must include embracing change.

Guiding Values
When you don’t know what you value, then anything that comes along catches your eye and diverts you from your vision.

List all the things that are important to you. I’ll bet there are upwards to 100 or more. Don’t worry, I had the same problem. Organization being one of my strengths and over several years of work, I finally found three foundational values to guide my work and life. They are:
Integrity – Keep every commitment that you make, even those you make to yourself. Be honest, honorable, truthful, self-disclosing, trustworthy, and authentic.

Stewardship – Be responsible and accountable for every resource you manage, be responsive, and develop and grow as a person. Manage your money, time, attitude, and people in your life to achieve the very best results. Exercise courage and risk where it counts.

Love – Love is the greatest power that exists in the universe. Love, accept, and nurture yourself first. That equips you to love, serve, and share with your fellow human beings. This means extending unconditional respect, dignity, and fairness to everyone. It’s about having gratitude, appreciation, and awe for everything at work and in your life.

Purpose
Every person arrives on this earth to fulfill a specific purpose. That purpose is unique and essential to the proper functioning and evolution of the earth. Finding your unique purpose is critical to working with your natural gifts and competencies. If you discover your purpose, your work and life will become seamless and easy. Your life will be filled with more joy and happiness.

Mission
What you do at work and in life is called your mission. You fill certain roles like husband or wife, father or mother, provider for your family, homemaker, business leader, or manager. In each role you provide specific services. Looking over all the services, some common themes may emerge. Your mission may also include the quality of your services like the standard of ‘excellence.’

Call to Action
If you are clear about the vision for your life, then you will be learning, growing, and seeking greater wisdom. In pursuing your vision, you will develop more of your unlimited potential and greatness and serve your fellow human beings more effectively.
Identifying and knowing your guiding values helps you stay on course during your journey. Without clear values you will wander aimlessly and arrive ‘wherever’. Getting in touch with your purpose gives you the big ‘why you exist.’

Knowing that, your journey has great value and can fill you with enthusiasm and passion. Becoming clear about your work and life roles, the services that you provide, and the standards of your toil, make your work and life meaningful and important to yourself and other people.

Embracing these leadership principles will equip you to adapt and even embrace the changes that are ever present in the workplace. Without this solid foundation of personal leadership, change becomes an obstacle to creating the life you were meant to live.
Developing personal leadership skills and competencies will assure that you ride the wave of change and opportunity. Embracing change, thriving on it, and growing as a person will assure an exciting workplace and life filled with success, joy, and happiness.

How are you doing? Evaluate yourself in these areas. If you find that there is a need to change, you have a choice. Stay the way you are or find a way to develop more effective personal leadership and live the life you were meant to live.
The choice is yours.

When I read this I was struck by the thought that this phrase could also describe a leader’s prerogative.  Great leaders are like artists in that they also bravely go in new directions and encourage and motivate people to follow their lead by tapping into common human experiences.  Much like the artist, a leader must find ways to express their own humanity and encourage others to do the same in order to inspire purposeful and dedicated action.  I have often heard and I have even used the expression, “the art of leadership.” And, so I wondered, what exactly do we mean by this expression?

Often, we are tempted to think of leadership in terms of specific tasks and actions that can be scripted and delivered to people thus making them effective leaders by following the “leadership rules.” While I am sure many leaders have been successful and effective concentrating solely on tasks and strategy in the past, I wonder if this mindset produces the best people to navigate the plummeting profits, decreasing budgets, aging workforce, complex technological issues, layoffs, and outsourcing that is the unfamiliar and global business world of today and tomorrow.

There is no question that decisiveness, clear direction and swift action are called for in times like these, but I suspect that the most successful leaders of the future will be the ones that view leadership more as an art form where communicating vision, embracing paradox, valuing self-reflection, and demonstrating authenticity are equally important. These artful leaders recognize that their most powerful asset is their inclination to move towards the depths of human emotions and connectedness, even in a business setting, even when it seems like the hardest thing to do. However, doing it is the only way to provide the confidence and openness where true leadership happens. And, let’s not forget that much of art expresses the whimsical, the joyous, and the beautiful, so let’s not get too down when talking about expressing emotions.  The art of leadership ensures the illumination of common goals and aspirations and finds a way to manifest them with anticipation and energy.

Leadership as an art begins to expand our view of leadership to contain the flexibility and fluidity needed a world of increasingly complex issues and difficult challenges. It requires a willingness to risk being vulnerable and to continually self-manage our own emotions and motivations.  It demands the ability to stay present, focused, and self-aware even in the midst of chaos. A lot of times this is not easy and it can feel downright uncomfortable, but sometimes it is necessary to break down old barriers that prevent us from moving forward, forging new paths and seeing new possibilities. And oftentimes, it is much more rewarding, exciting, and enjoyable than we could have ever imagined.

Authentic and artful leaders understand that they can only bring out the best in others by searching within and cultivating their skills of listening, questioning, observing, and following. They know that connecting genuinely with others in the present is the way to generate trust and credibility in the future. Through their capacity to be all of the above, they empower others to do the same.  Many of these abilities have been considered intangible things that were difficult, if not impossible, to teach and I suspect this is how the myth of the “born leader” came to be. It was much easier and safer to declare that people either had it or they didn’t and boy, did that let a lot of us of the hook!

The good news, from my point of view, is that research has repeatedly shown that leaders can in fact, be “developed” and this includes the artful leader who is full of courage, emotional intelligence, and profound presence. Interestingly, I combine working with horses and people to order to build leadership skills and believe it is one of the best ways to teach people how to embody the art of leadership.  In their interactions with horses, people learn  their own unique ways of expression that best motivate and guide others collectively to accomplish daring goals with intent and clarity. The horses are remarkable in their ability to reveal leadership as a way of being, rather than of doing and the result is a truly a form of art!

Leadership Quote # 1 – “The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself. “– Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton
Essential to becoming an effective leader is being able to consider the opinion and insight of your subordinates. Although a leader should establish bureaucracy, there must be freedom within the organizational structure to keep ideas free flowing.

Leadership Quote # 2 – “Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results. ” – George S. Patton
Effective leaders don’t merely instruct. Instead, they delegate tasks to their staff or crew according to their skill, and they trust their team members to do the job well. When you have confidence in your people’s ability, this will challenge them to live up to your standards and aim to do better.

Leadership Quote # 3 – “The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. “- Theodore M. Hesburgh
This is one of my favorite famous leadership quotes. Success lies in your ability to create objectives and goals. Only then can you determine the steps to take in order to get there. Hence, you will also be able to plan what actions to take in case you experience difficulties along the way.

Leadership Quote # 4 - “I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow.” – Woodrow Wilson
Successful leaders not only rely on their own knowledge, but they make an effort to learn new ideas and leverage from other people’s skills to improve their team’s chances of success.

Leadership Quote # 5 – “The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out and meet it.” – Thucydides
Leaders need to recognize the risks involved, but should not be afraid to make big decisions. They must pursue their mission with relentless determination. Only when you realize your vision and act on it will you reap the rewards of your hard work. You can apply these famous leadership quotes towards your aim for greatness.

If you’re not a natural born leader, you’ll need to learn how to lead effectively. The U. S. Marine Corps has identified 14 leadership traits that help leaders earn the respect, confidence, and loyalty of others. These traits are: justice, judgment, decisiveness, dependability, initiative, tact, integrity, enthusiasm, bearing, unselfishness, courage, knowledge, loyalty, and endurance.

While you may not have a military career in your future, you can learn how to lead by following the model as set forth by the Marine Corps.

Justice
Having a sense of justice takes more than recognizing fairness. If you are to be a leader, you must practice being fair consistently. This means treating everyone equally and avoiding favoritism. It also means taking a deep, hard look at yourself and the decisions you make. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I being fair?”

Judgment
You have good judgment, right? A leader exercises his good judgment by using common sense and thinking clearly and calmly in order to come to a good decision. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I making a rash decision or have I thought this problem through in an orderly, calm manner?” If you are rushing to judgment, put the issue to rest for a few hours and return when you are in a calmer frame of mind.

Decisiveness
Once you’ve made a decision, it’s important to be decisive. Make your decision without delay and stick with it. This doesn’t mean make a bad decision and become bullheaded. It means use your good judgment and sense of justice, gather all of the facts, weigh the facts against each other, and make a good decision. Don’t half-heartedly announce your decision. Instead, be professional, clear, and firm. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Is this a decision made using my best judgment and all of the facts? Can I stick to this decision?” Make good decisions in the first place and you will be better able to stand behind them.

Dependability
Do you consider yourself dependable? Are you always on time, ready to work? Do you perform your duties properly, using your best effort for performance? Are you trusted? Are you always willing to volunteer for additional duties? Do you offer your support to others and follow the rules? If so, you are dependable. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Can they count on me?” Make sure you are dependable by taking your job role seriously no matter what it is.

Initiative
A good leader takes the initiative to do something before being asked to do so. Prompt action and resourcefulness are also part of the initiative equation.

Tip: Ask yourself, “What needs to be done?” and then do it.

Tact
Do you have tact? Tact is a simple concept: treat others as you would like to be treated. It means that you are able to deal with others in a way that maintains good relations and minimizes problems. When you have tact, you don’t alienate others, even when you disagree. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I treating this person the way that I’d like to be treated?”

Tip: Do you allow others to maintain their dignity no matter the circumstance?

Integrity
The trait of integrity can be taught however this trait is extremely personal. It comes down to you and the person in the mirror. When you look in the mirror, the image you see knows the truth about your integrity. Are you honest and truthful in what you say and do? Do you stand up for what is right? Do you act to prevent what is wrong? Only you can be the judge of your integrity and only you can improve it. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I being completely honest and truthful?” Practice honesty and stick up for what you believe is right.

Enthusiasm
Who would you rather follow – a leader who is following orders or a leader who truly believes in his mission and is enthusiastic and optimistic? Enthusiasm is sincerity and interest in a particular task. When you are enthusiastic, you are interested in the task and willing to take on the challenges it offers. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “What is this purpose of this task and why must it be done?” When you understand and believe in a purpose, even for menial jobs, you’ll become more enthusiastic.

Bearing (Personal Conduct)
How do you conduct yourself? What standards do you set for yourself? Your conduct and appearance represent the trait of bearing. Are you confident, alert, and competent? Do you dress professionally? To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I holding myself to the highest standards?”

Unselfishness
Unselfish people are considerate of others and give credit where credit is due. They don’t use their position for personal gain at the expense of others. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I recognizing the contributions of others?” Go out of your way to thank or reward someone for their hard work. Remember, everyone needs feedback. Consider reading this short story on the Henderson State University website – Geese Story.

Courage
Many people think courage means being brave, but courage is much more than this. Yes, remaining calm while recognizing fear or physical danger is courageous; so is accepting blame when you are wrong. Standing up for what is right is a sign of integrity but it is also courageous. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I willing to take the heat?” Practice self-discipline and calmness and learn how to control your reactions to your fears by confronting them.

Knowledge
Having the knowledge you require to do your job is important. A leader knows their business well. A leader should also be knowledgeable about company policies, the industry, trends that affect the workplace, business practices, current events, and other issues that concern the group as a whole. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “What concerns do my subordinates have and do I have the knowledge to address for them?” Stay alert, listen to others, read newspapers, trade publications and gather information. Adopt a personal “continuous learning” mentality.

Loyalty
The Marine Corps values loyalty so much that their motto is “Semper Fidelis” which means “always faithful.” Those wishing to become leaders can take a lesson from this simple concept and develop their loyalty trait by being loyal and faithful to everyone in their organization from the top to the bottom. To develop this trait, you don’t have to ask yourself any questions. Simply practice being faithful. This means avoiding speaking unfavorably about the company or any of its people in front of others. No badmouthing. It also means adopting decisions made by others and carrying out your duties willingly.

Endurance
The Marine Corps expects physical endurance and stamina as well as an ability to withstand pain, hardship, stress, and fatigue of its leaders, you might think that you can skip this leadership trait in other scenarios. Not so. You may not be called upon for a grueling march but you will need stamina and you will need to get through hardship and stress in just about any job role you find yourself in. Long hours, corporate takeovers, layoffs, unhappy employees, emergencies, and other influences will require endurance. To develop this trait, ask yourself, “Am I physically fit?” By getting into shape, you will be better able to handle both the physical and mental challenges your position will throw your way.

The Next Steps
Next, take a leadership trait a week and put it into practice.

For example, on week one, practice justice and ask yourself if you are being fair when making decisions or handing out assignments. Stay alert to the other situations and traits but make a concentrated effort on being fair. On week two, continue being fair in all things but add practicing good judgment to the equation. In fourteen weeks, you will have experienced each leadership trait and improved your leadership skills in the process.

And this, of course, is the problem. You want to change something you do, but the folks in the office just aren’t expecting you to change anything. They don’t WANT you to change anything.
Also, some people around you may be suspicious or cynical. Not all of them, maybe, but enough to make it tricky to change.

So no matter how enthusiastic or motivated you might be to make a change, all of the ‘noise’ around you makes you reluctant, or resistant, to change. The pain of change seems worse than the gain of change.
So you stop even thinking about change. And soon you’re as cynical and suspicious as all the rest. And nothing ever changes.

If this sluggish feeling is familiar to you, then what you’re experiencing is the heavy inertia of ‘the way things work round here’. It’s the power of the status quo to weigh heavy on you and stop you from changing anything.
How can you start the change process? What you urgently need to do is find ways over or round the inertia. And the questions to ask are these:

1. When is it easier to change my leadership style?
2. What will help me to change my leadership style?

First, it’s easier to change your leadership style when you take a new job or a new role in another department. In a new role, you can set out your plans for the new team and you can change the way you manage or lead the team. This is, of course, because no one knows you from your previous role. They don’t know the old boss.
You can also change your leadership style at the start of every new project. Every beginning is an opportunity to restart or relaunch your leadership style.

Of course, you may still have tricky issues to deal with – people asking ‘why the sudden change?’ – so there is something else you need to do: create a Leadership Manifesto to overcome inertia
A Leadership Manifesto will make it easier for you to change your leadership style.
The Manifesto – like a manifesto for a political party – is an outline sketch of what you’re trying to do. And, importantly, it’s also a sketch of HOW you’re planning to do it.

Drafting and actually discussing a one-page leadership manifesto with your team is a great way of getting people moving anyway, and the idea of a manifesto helps people focus round what you’re trying to achieve.
Now your manifesto could address any of the issues you feel are important for the team to address. Here are just three suggestions:

1. Collaborative goal setting versus boss-centred goal setting. You may want to work with people to help them set goals or you may wish to give people targets based on your understanding of their skills and performance in the past.
2. Cross-business collaboration versus cross-business competition. You may want to explore why you believe you should be collaborating with other teams in the business or why you should be competing internally with them.
3. Day-to-day constructive feedback versus end-of-year appraisals. You may wish to create a more open atmosphere and attitude towards ‘live’ performance management. You might want to create an atmosphere where it is acceptable to give practical and constructive feedback. The alternative is waiting for the end-of-year appraisal which is way too late to be useful.

I find that the concept of a leadership manifesto is very flexible and you can use it anyway that suits you. For example, you could with your team develop a change manifesto. Get the team to create their own manifesto for the way things work round here. Invite them to think about, if they were in charge, what would they change?

And finally, make sure that part of your Leadership Manifesto is about making it easy for others to make changes in their role. Give your team permission to change, too. That’s part of your developmental role, which should also be in the Manifesto.

Having an open and understood Leadership Manifesto is all part of building your personal leadership brand. Your openness on what people can expect from you helps them to trust you more, so that when the going gets tough, they know they can rely on you to lead them well.

The leader should also be able to adapt the style according to the situation. As the situation changes, you (leader) should also quickly change the leadership style. Depending on the situation, you (leader) should adopt leadership style. Adopting a particular style also depends on the relationship between the followers and the leader.

The cooperation of the employees also plays a major role in deciding the type of leadership that should be in that organization. Factors such as mood and stress may affect the leader’s behaviour. When a situational leader is required to take a decision, he or she does not use only one preferred style. Situational leaders are effective and versatile.

In our day-to-day life, we do this in dealing with different people. That is our leadership style is different for different people.  We avoid getting angry if a new employee makes a mistake. We also remind forgetful employees. This theory is not only applicable to people who are leaders or are  holding management positions but is also applicable to those people that lead others  at play, at work and at play.

A situational leadership model is also associated with situational leadership theory. The basic idea of this model is that leadership flexibility is necessary for effective leadership. It also believes that different leadership approaches are required for different situations. This model defines four leadership styles. These styles are based on how much guidance or direction the leader can give to his or her followers.

Leadership Styles are as follows:
Directing Leaders- Tasks and roles of the followers are defined by these leaders. Directing leaders also supervise their followers very closely. All decisions are taken and announced by the leader. Here the leader is more focused on completing the task than keeping a good relationship with the follower. Thus, communication is one way.
Coaching Leaders: Here the leader still defines the tasks of the followers but asks for any suggestions from the follower and tries to keep a good relationship with the follower Final decision is made by the leader and not the author but communication is two way.Supporting: Here the leader frequently takes the help of followers for day-to-day decision. Decisions include processes and task allocation. The leader facilitates decisions but the final decision is taken by the follower.

Delegating Leaders:  Here the leader is too involved in problem solving and taking decisions but the authority to take the final decision is with the follower. Followers also decide how and when the leader should be involved.Depending on level of development of the employees, a particular style will be most effective. The leadership approach should also match to what is required or needed by the employees or followers.