Tips to Develop Your Leadership Skills
Part of being a great leader is being able to have power over a variety of situations, asserting yourself as the person of power, and having empathy for those that you work with. Without striking a careful balance between the two of them, you could be left with a leadership dynamic that isn’t appropriate for the workplace. CEO leadership training can unlock your ability to create that crucial balance.
Lead With Empathy
As you grow in your position, it can become less obvious to you how the people working underneath you feel in both their personal and professional lives. This isn’t just the case for CEO’s. Once you’re no longer dealing with any situation, it can become more difficult to be empathetic. For example, if someone takes a week off of work to deal with an ill child and it’s been quite some time since you’ve had to deal with an ill child, it’s easy to disconnect yourself from the situation and feel that what they are doing is irresponsible to their employee. This can be the case for any number of instances, from making a mistake on a client’s file to forgetting that you had a meeting at noon. Losing empathy for others can create a tense, and even hostile, work environment.
On the other hand, you must be able to maintain power over those in your charge. Having too much empathy can create situations in which those who work for you are taking advantage of your gentle-hearted nature. While being kind is almost always the right choice in any situation, you must still be able to take charge, lead, and tell others what has to be done without backing down from your directives.
Find Your Leadership Style
One part of becoming a great leader is finding your personal leadership style. Once you’ve discovered what kind of leader you are, you can function within that role with the confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and what your goals should be. Maybe you thrive when surrounded by a multitude of individuals. Or, perhaps you have a more introverted leadership style? It’s not always easy to discover your style by yourself, but the following list is a great place to start. If you’d like to know more about these styles, send us a message. Julie Keyes can help any leader discover what their talents are.
Leadership Style #1: The Team Leader
The “team leader” leadership style is for those who value teamwork over anything else. They like to be democratic and fair, playing to the strengths of the individual players in order to shape a team that functions as a unit. They have an expectation that others will work hard and play hard in a cohesive manner.
Leadership Style #2: The Facilitator
The facilitator likes to take a step back and let others lead themselves, only stepping in when there is a need to encourage a group to get back on track. The facilitator offers great steps toward finding solutions, but there is an expectation that their team members will use those steps to find their own way.
Leadership Style #3: The Charismatic Leader
A charismatic leader uses their diplomacy and charm to affect outcomes from the inside out. These are the leaders who are likely to invite their team members to a “Glow and Grow” meeting, in which they list numerous ways that the person is functioning well, followed by a growth area. These leaders tend to look on the bright side, but recognize the need for goal setting and acquisition.
Leadership Style #4: The Visionary
Your typical visionary leadership style entails staying abreast of the latest trends in leadership growth and business management. They love big ideas and lofty plans, especially when their team members are willing to split the tasks in an efficient, meaningful way. They want everything bigger, better, and more modern than your other leadership styles. They know that their dreams can become a reality through hard work and precise planning.
Set Leadership Development Objectives
Leadership can be taught, and we’re here to teach it to you. With CEO leadership training, you can regain the skill of being an empathetic person, while finding empowerment in that skill. It can be a difficult task, as it is often the job of the leader to make split-second decisions in the heat of the moment, where empathy and power can clash as you work out the best-case scenario. With the help of Julie Keyes at KeyeStrategies, you can grow as both a powerful force in your company and as a person who demonstrates empathy and understanding in times where it is needed most. Julie draws on her years of experience to help create a plan for you to grow as a leader. Ready to get growing? Get in touch with us today.
