Main leadership skills for top managers. Continuation

In the previous part of this article, we’ve covered only a portion of the leadership skills any good top manager should have. This part is going to discuss character traits such as a good sense of humour, curiosity, and the ability to negotiate and delegate authority. Let’s crack on.

The ability to negotiate

At first glance, it seems there's nothing tough about negotiating and conducting business talks. People meet, chat, have a cuppa, show off, and sign piles of papers. This is how a typical negotiation is perceived by an average envious employee. Few realise that conducting negotiations is one of the main leadership skills. The most crucial issues are discussed, multi-million dollar deals are signed, and the most significant decisions are made during these talks and business meetings. That’s why one should never undervalue the worth of proper negotiation skills. By the way, there are loads of books on the subject, with annual and monthly meetings and training sessions dedicated to this important skill. Don’t hesitate to attend these meetings and read a couple of books on the subject. Then, even the most demanding and chaotic negotiation will go as smooth as butter.

Curiosity

Curiosity is another essential leadership trait of a professional boss. If you want your company to grow, you have to be curious in the best sense of the word. We’re not saying you should be interested in your employees' personal lives, who’s seeing who, and where someone spent their holiday. We're talking about a different type of curiosity – inquisitiveness even. It's important that when you become a director, you don’t lose your spark and curiosity, and remain invested in learning about new technology in your industry, attend conferences, exchange experiences with colleagues, and keep progressing.

The ability to delegate authority

When working in an ordinary position, you get used to doing all assignments by yourself. If you want to become the head of a company and learn how to effectively manage staff, you have to learn how to delegate authority. Not only will it save you time but it will also allow you to adjust the company workflow, as all employees will have something to do, and they’ll feel valued and needed. Many people fear distributing tasks among employees or giving important assignments to one of them. Understand that if you do this correctly, a department or a business you run will function like a well-oiled machine.

The ability to set goals and achieve them

Any seasoned director knows that assignments must be appropriately formulated and followed through. If you aimlessly run a business and haphazardly make illogical decisions, no good will come of it. A director with great leadership skills must be balanced, calm, and able to clearly formulate their own and the company’s goals. Then employees will see him as a leader and also strive to achieve the common goal. Objectives have to be understandable, clear, and properly framed. For example, the goal of becoming the best in our industry sounds vague. It’s also unclear why people should strive to achieve it. If you set a goal for your employees such as In the coming year, our income should be double the income of the previous year they will understand what they have to do and will strive towards the desired result. Still, when you set a financial goal for your employees, don’t forget to reward them once it’s achieved.

A good sense of humour

A sense of humour is another valuable leadership trait that characterises a successful boss. However, this trait has one peculiarity – you can’t learn it. You are either born with a good sense of humour or you aren’t. On a more serious note, we’d like to point out that finding a company director with a good sense of humour is a rarity. You’re very fortunate if aside from all the above-mentioned qualities, you’re also able to make intelligent jokes and get jokes told by other people. We must admit that a sense of humour helps us in the most complicated and seemingly unsolvable situations, which you will inevitably encounter regardless of the position you’re holding.

A positive outlook on life

Living in the modern world makes it hard to maintain a positive outlook on life and the world in general. If you wish to become a truly successful company director, you absolutely must look at things as positively as possible. You must understand that you are the head of a company, and your mood, opinion, or view on life influences the mood of all your employees. Each time you come to work, imagine you are the captain of a massive ship. If you radiate negativity, you will become tense and irritated, your ship will sink, or all the sailors and chief engineers will run away while you are left alone in the turbulent business sea. If you don’t want this to happen, try finding joy in the little things and see the best in the world and your work.

Inspiration skills

We’ve left the main leadership skill, essential for working at a top position, for dessert. If you’re uninspired by work you’ve dedicated your daily life to, you won’t be able to inspire employees towards new victories. Any first-class director must know how to inspire people, give them hope, motivate, and unlock their potential. This skill can be easily mastered if you’re truly in love with your work or are passionate about your business. If you’re uninspired yourself, it’s challenging to foster the opposite feeling in someone else. That's why we advise finding work you love or the one that bothers you the least and provides a good income.

If you master all of these skills, the road to a promotion will be an easy one. Strive, learn, dare, and always improve yourself!