As a leader, you’re likely attuned to your team’s strengths and weaknesses. You know what they do well and how they can improve. However, how often do you pause and consider how you can improve your leadership skills? There’s always room to grow, no matter how long you’ve been leading your team.
Author and speaker Paul LaRue says that the best leaders always have a plan in place for their growth. Regardless of their busy schedules, they make time for self-improvement. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we highlight LaRue’s simple ways to refine your skills as a leader.
Learn to become self-aware. If you don’t know what you need to work on, you can’t improve. Think about your shortcomings, flaws and tendencies and resolve to fix them one step at a time. This involves admission of who you are, a desire to improve and the willingness to accept any criticism about yourself.
Truly listen. LaRue says there are leaders who tell their employees to work harder when employees bring up processes that are broken, and there are leaders who delve into finding the process failures to help their employees work more efficiently and not harder. Listen to truly hear, accepting that everyone has value and their input is meaningful. Helping and seeking to understand others is a characteristic we can always continue to work on.
Stay curious. A dynamic leader is one who learns the world around themselves. Whether it’s industry information, knowledge outside their industry or learning about other people and their experiences, curiosity will deepen your relatability, help you be more conversational and will increase your storytelling in presentations and personal situations. Always find an opportunity to grow your knowledge beyond your focus and ask questions to further develop yourself and others.
Speak to edify. A simple way to get people to trust you is to never talk ill of others. Leaders who defer a critique of someone and speak about their strengths rather than their weaknesses are more admired. Those who do so will never have their people wondering what is being said about them. A quick pause to reflect on what you’re about to say will greatly aid in your leadership development.
You owe it to yourself and your team members to continually improve as a leader. No matter where you are in your career, follow these steps to enhance your growth.
Source: Paul LaRue is an author, writer, blogger and speaker. His first book, Leadership LIFT, outlines the ways each one of us can bring our influence to the next level. LaRue is also an instigator for Lead Change Group, a global leadership community dedicated to instigating a character-based leadership revolution.
