The 7 Core Skills That Make or Break a Leader

What are the seven core skills of a leader? Leadership is like a journey. It would help if you had a destination, a map, a vehicle, and a team to travel with. Along the way, you will face many challenges and opportunities that will challenge you. How you handle them will determine the success of your journey.

This article will explore the seven core skills that make or break a leader based on research and best practices from various sources. I will also provide some tips and examples on how to apply these skills in your leadership journey.

Communication

Communication is like a bridge. It connects you with your team and other stakeholders. Also, it lets you share your vision, expectations, feedback, or instructions, enabling you to build trust, rapport, or collaboration.

As well as that, it is about more than just speaking or writing well. It is also about listening actively, understanding nonverbal cues, presenting confidently, and engaging persuasively. As a leader, you must communicate with different audiences, in different situations, and for various purposes.

To improve communication skills as a leader, some of the suggestions are as follows:

• First, tailor your message to your audience. Consider your people’s needs, interests, preferences, and level of understanding.
• Second, use simple and concise language. Avoid jargon, ambiguity, or unnecessary details.
• Third, utilize stories, analogies, or examples to illustrate your points and make them more memorable.
• Fourth, ask questions that help people to see things from different angles. Use positive and constructive language to motivate and empower your team.
• Fifth, utilize appropriate body language, tone of voice, and eye contact to convey confidence and sincerity.

Integrity

Integrity is like a compass. It guides you in making honest, ethical, consistent decisions. Similarly, it helps earn your team’s and other stakeholders’ respect and loyalty.

Furthermore, it is about more than just following rules or codes of conduct. It is about being true to yourself, your values, and your principles. On top of that, it is about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, or it is difficult or unpopular.

Some tips to demonstrate your integrity as a leader are:

• Lead by example. Behave in a way that is consistent with the behavior and standards that you expect from your team. When you model the behavior you expect, you set an excellent example for your team and are more likely to get the desired results.
• Be transparent and accountable. Share information openly and admit your mistakes.
• Keep your promises and commitments. Follow through on what you say you will do.
• Respect others and treat them fairly. Honor diversity and inclusion.
• Stand up for what you believe in. Speak up against injustice or wrongdoing.

Adaptability

Adaptability is like a Swiss Army knife. It equips you with multiple tools and functions that help you adjust to changing circumstances and cope with uncertainty and ambiguity.

Moreover, it is not just about being flexible or versatile but also resilient, creative, and proactive. It is about learning from experience, embracing change, and seeking improvement.

Some tips to enhance your adaptability as a leader are:

• First, be open-minded and curious. Seek new perspectives and experiences.
• Second, be agile and innovative. Experiment with new ideas and solutions.
• Third, be optimistic. Focus on the possibilities rather than the limitations.
• Fourth, be resourceful and collaborative. Leverage the strengths and resources of your team and network.
• Lastly, be prepared and proactive. Anticipate potential scenarios and plan.

Vision

Vision is like a telescope. It allows you to see beyond the horizon and envision a compelling future picture that inspires and aligns your team toward a common goal. Furthermore, it is the driving force behind any successful leadership endeavor.

Likewise, it is not just about having a dream or an idea. It is also about having a strategy, a plan, and a roadmap to achieve it. Similarly, it is about translating your vision into actionable steps your team can follow.

Some tips to develop your vision as a leader are:

• First, define your vision clearly and concisely. Use specific and measurable terms that describe what you want to achieve, why it matters, how it will benefit your team or organization, and when it will be accomplished.
• Secondly, communicate your vision frequently and consistently. Use various channels and formats to share your vision with your team and stakeholders.
• Thirdly, involve your team in creating your vision. Solicit their input, feedback, and suggestions.
• Then, align your vision with your values and mission. Ensure that your vision reflects your values as a leader and an organization.
• Lastly, review and revise your vision periodically. Monitor your progress and adjust your vision as needed.

Influence

Influence is like a magnet. It attracts others to support your ideas, initiatives, or decisions and helps you mobilize your team or other stakeholders to take action.

Indeed, influence is not just about having power or authority. It is also about having credibility, rapport, and empathy. As well as that, it is about understanding the needs, interests, and emotions of others and appealing to them respectfully and ethically.

Below are some tips to increase your influence as a leader:

• Build trust and credibility. Demonstrate your competence, integrity, and reliability.
• Also, build rapport and empathy. Show genuine interest and care for others.
• Utilize logic and emotion. Provide facts and data to support your arguments, but also appeal to the values and emotions of your audience.
• Likewise, use reciprocity and social proof. Highlight the benefits and value of your proposals, but also show how others have benefited or supported them.
• Use scarcity and urgency. Emphasize the uniqueness and importance of your proposals, but also show the consequences of inaction or delay.

Decision-making

Decision-making is like a chess game. Making sound and timely choices that lead to desirable outcomes would be best. It involves gathering information, analyzing data, evaluating options, and implementing actions. Also, it consists in balancing your decisions’ speed, quality, and impact.

Keep in mind that decision-making is not just about choosing among alternatives. It is also about defining the problem and the goal, generating and evaluating alternatives, selecting and implementing the best option, and monitoring and assessing the results.

Some tips to improve your decision-making skills as a leader are:

• Define the problem and the goal clearly. Identify the root cause and the desired outcome of your decision.
• Then, gather relevant information and data. Seek input from various sources and perspectives.
• Next, generate and evaluate alternatives. Brainstorm multiple options and weigh their pros and cons.
• Also, choose the best option and implement it. Proceed with the option that you believe has the highest likelihood of success.
• Finally, monitor and evaluate the results. Track the impact and effectiveness of your decision and make adjustments if necessary.

Empowerment

Empowerment is like a garden. It allows you to delegate authority and responsibility to your team members, enabling them to grow and flourish. It helps you unleash the full potential of your team.

Remember that empowerment is not just about giving tasks or instructions. However, it is about giving feedback, coaching, mentoring, and recognition. Also, it is about creating a culture of trust, autonomy, collaboration, and learning.

Some tips to empower your team as a leader are the following:

• First, delegate meaningful and challenging tasks. Assign tasks matching your team members’ skills, interests, and goals.
• Secondly, provide clear expectations and guidelines. Communicate what you expect from your team members and how they will be evaluated.
• Then, give feedback and coaching. Give constructive and timely feedback on their performance and guide how they can improve.
• Next, provide mentoring and recognition. Share your expertise and experience with your team members and acknowledge their achievements and contributions.
• Finally, encourage collaboration and learning. Create a collaborative and supportive work environment.”

Leadership is not a fixed or static trait you have or don’t have. You can learn, practice, and improve this dynamic and evolving skill.

By mastering these seven core skills that make or break a leader, you can become a more effective leader who can inspire, motivate, and empower others to work towards a common goal.

Remember that leadership is about what you do and who you are. As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, become more – you are a leader.”