Every business needs good leaders to thrive, and every leader needs good skills to be successful. Suppose you’ve been working in the same company or the same industry for a while now. In that case, you may well be thinking about how you can further develop those skills in order to progress to a managerial or leadership role within your business or the wider field. After all, those positions tend to come with increased job security and financial stability, plus look impressive on your resume for the future.
There are many different ways to boost your leadership skills, ranging from seeking the advice of a mentor and working on specific abilities that you are weak in to taking a master's in leadership online program. The options that are right for you will depend on a range of factors, including your current circumstances and exact career aspirations. Hopefully, at least some of the suggestions in this post will prove helpful for you.
Why is having leadership skills important?
Before we get into the specifics of what leadership skills are and how to cultivate them through a masters in leadership online or other methods, let’s step back and take a look at why they are important in the first place. Every business has people who are in leadership positions, and those people make a huge difference in terms of how the business performs. Not only that, they have a big impact on those members of staff who work under them.
However, being in a leadership position or even having completed a masters in leadership online doesn’t necessarily make you a true leader. That requires hard work, dedication, and a specific skill set that we’ll come on to shortly. Simply put, the job title alone is not enough. Neither is industry knowledge because much of what is involved in these positions is knowing how to deal with people.
Strong leadership skills enable you to keep everyone working towards achieving the vision of the company, motivating and inspiring your staff members to be the best they can be. This is how you can craft a genuine team and positive work culture, as well as guide the business through periods of change and growth.
It’s certainly true that much of this can be learned on the job, so the suggestions in this article will be helpful both if you’re already in a managerial role and if you’re still working towards landing your first one. The key thing is to recognize that developing leadership skills is an important part of the job, not just a buzzword thrown around meaninglessly. Plus, the more clearly you can demonstrate them, the easier getting that next promotion will be!
What kind of skills do good leaders need?
While some factors will vary according to the industry you work in or the specific company you’re employed by, there are many skills required by all leaders. For example, you need to be able to work with people from all backgrounds and of all different temperaments – including perhaps some you don’t like – and motivate and inspire them to be more productive. You must have strong presentation and communication skills, both written and verbal, which may well include having to communicate unpopular decisions or negative news at times.
Other key abilities include being able to effectively deal with external changes and generate positive changes internally where appropriate. Leaders must also make critical strategic decisions, solve problems, mediate and resolve conflict, plus deal with a range of financial and administrative tasks. Many of these are skills that you will be explicitly taught during a masters in leadership online degree or similar program, but as we’ll go on to discuss, there are plenty of different ways you can develop them.
Finally, there is a range of useful transferable skills that are not specific to leadership positions but will come in handy nonetheless. These include organization, time management, analytical thinking, teamwork, self-discipline, adaptability, and confidence. These tend to be easier to improve outside of formal education because they are more general.
Now that we’ve identified some of the skills that you are looking to develop let’s go over a few suggestions of how you can do that. This will put you in a great position to acquire and succeed in a leadership role.
Doing a masters in leadership online
One of the most structured methods of improving your leadership skills is taking a course designed to do exactly that. A masters in leadership online is one of the best choices if formal education is a route you are considering. This is a postgraduate level program that prepares you to act as a business leader and covers a wide variety of the skills discussed in the section above.
The program normally takes one or two years to complete depending on whether you study on a full-time or part-time basis and can be studied entirely online. This makes it a flexible option for those who have existing family commitments or who want to be able to learn alongside working in their current job.
A masters in leadership online is comprised of a series of modules, some of which are compulsory and others that will be optional. The exact list you have available will vary from college to college, but here are a selection of topics to give you an idea of what to expect:
Communication for Leaders and Managers
Conflict Resolution
Contemporary Leadership
Dynamic Leadership
Ethical Leadership
Executive Leadership
Global Leadership
Human Resource Management
Leadership and Diversity
Leadership and Values
Leading Change
Leading Teams
Leading the Digital World
Mentoring and Coaching
Organizational Performance
Organizational Structure and Behaviour
Personal Leadership Development
Strategy Development and Implementation
As well as these modules, you will complete a capstone project during your masters in leadership online, in which you will put what you have learned into practice. This involves undertaking an in-depth case study where you identify, analyze and come up with solutions to a real-world leadership problem. The choice of problem to tackle will be up to you, meaning you can focus on a specific area that is of personal interest and/or is relevant to your current job or future career goals.
Taking a short course
Whilst doing a masters in leadership online is certainly one of the most effective ways to boost your leadership skills, it’s not an option that works for everyone. If you don’t have the time or money available to dedicate to college study, you could instead opt to take a short course. These generally have either a narrow focus – for example, concentrating on just one skill – or give a shallower overview of several skills.
This means a short course can be a great option if you are simply testing the waters regarding becoming a business leader or if you know there are one or two specific skills that you need to work on. For instance, if you know that you struggle with public speaking and presentations, or if you don’t have much experience dealing with conflict resolution, you could look for a program that just covers those areas.
One positive aspect of these types of courses is that they are easy to fit around your current schedule because they tend to be entirely self-directed. In addition, they are often free to enroll on. Many will also give you a certificate of completion and can be included on your resume. Alternatively, you could see if your company offers any internal training that you could undertake.
Putting together your own study program
If you don’t feel that you want to take a masters in leadership online or any other type of formal educational program, you can always set up your own study program. To do this, conduct a bit of research online to get some recommendations of books and blogs to read, podcasts to listen to, videos to watch, and any other materials that might be useful. Then spend some time every day going over them and learning everything you can from the contents.
This can be a very helpful method because it allows you to tailor what you learn specifically to your personal circumstances and needs, focusing only on what you want to and using those resources that you find interesting and informative. Plus, with so much available out there, you’ll never be short of material!
Finding a mentor
Sometimes studying is not enough on its own, even with a course as thorough as a masters in leadership online. To get a more personal touch, you could try to find an experienced mentor (or perhaps more than one) in your field or company to help guide you. Even just watching someone in a higher position do their job – seeing how they deal with conflict, make critical decisions, adapt to change, and so on – can be extremely helpful.
Of course, approaching strangers to ask if they are willing to mentor you can be nerve-wracking, so focus on people you already have some connection with and who are working in the sort of leadership role you are hoping to progress to. You can try to make connections at industry events, in your current workplace, or even online. Then make polite contact and ask if you can meet for coffee or a video call. Have a clear elevator pitch ready about what you’re hoping to get from them and also what you’re willing to put into the arrangement. If they say no, don’t be discouraged – they’re probably very busy! Simply move on to the next potential mentor. You’re sure to find a suitable fit eventually.
Gaining relevant experience
There is only so much you can learn from books, a masters in leadership online, or other courses, and sooner or later, you will need to get some real-world experience. Taking a proactive role is critical to building both your leadership skills and your career, so seek out opportunities wherever you can. This will not only help you to improve, it will also demonstrate to those in higher up positions than you that you are committed to your career and your personal development.
Here are some ideas: Put 100% into every task so that you have demonstrable results and successes you can point to. Doing your current job well and with a positive attitude is one of the most effective ways to show and build your skills. Participate actively in meetings and other initiatives, making thoughtful and meaningful contributions.
Volunteer to take on extra responsibilities when they are offered, and ask for them when they are not. This will show that you are dedicated. Just be careful not to take on too much at once, as you want to make sure that you do well at the tasks you attempt.
Seek out feedback where possible to help you understand what you are doing well and what you need to work on. Sometimes our weak spots are not immediately obvious to us. Network at every opportunity – not just when you need something – and cultivate the links you develop. This will increase the doors that are open to you.
Offer to teach others when relevant, for example helping interns or staff members in positions you used to work in to solidify your knowledge and build your skills. Look for opportunities where you can take the initiative and be innovative at work, such as suggesting solutions to problems your team is currently facing or introducing new ideas to boost performance and productivity.
Look for leadership positions outside of the work environment, for example, in your local community. These can be a great way to help make a difference and boost your skills in an environment with less pressure. Plus, it looks good on your resume!
