Main leadership skills for top managers

Everyone knows the old saying, “People aren’t born good leaders, they become them”. Is this true and what leadership traits does one need to possess to be a great top manager? We tried answering this question when writing this article. Perhaps, all of us dreamed of becoming leaders and big bosses once in a while, or even small department managers when we were regular employees. Of course, we were confident that we would handle our new position with no problem as we all deeply wished to rapidly climb the career ladder. Has any of us thought about what exactly holds us back from a skyrocketing career? Perhaps we don’t possess the great leadership skills that good and experienced directors should have.

Don’t get too upset already, as any trait can be nurtured and developed. If you wish to one day hold your boss’s position, you have to develop qualities that will lead you to success. Now we will talk about personality and character traits any good company leader should have.

Confidence

Confidence is perhaps one of the most valuable leadership traits. Without it, things will be tough for anyone who wants to secure a managerial role. Any successful person radiates confidence in themselves and in the coming day. These sorts of people quickly make a good impression on others. People listen to confident individuals and follow them. It's important not to overdo this. Your confidence has to be backed up by your accomplishments, knowledge, and skills. You can’t be confident in yourself if you have nothing to show because people who are aware of the situation will see right through your bluff. If you sincerely want a promotion, you have to overcome low confidence in your knowledge and actions no matter what. Victory on the battlefield and in the office race favours brave and self-confident people!

Orderliness

Orderliness is another main leadership skill any ideal boss should display. Before properly shaping and organising staff workflow, you have to be able to organise your day, plan your schedule and properly use daily time. How disciplined or undisciplined you are can directly influence how your employees work. If you are unable to plan your daily routine, you won’t be able to manage an entire staff. Having an organised nature is one of the greatest leadership skills. It first comes with discipline and self-discipline. It's the ability to create a strict work plan and follow it to the letter. You have to be orderly and set an example for your employees.

Imagine you finally landed the desired boss position and are in charge of things for a couple of years. While doing that, you also constantly arrive late for work, come in late after lunch breaks, and spend a couple of hours a day chatting to your mates and family over the phone. How do you think your workers are going to react? I don’t think that after witnessing such disorganisation, you will be able to maintain authority and be a good example for employees to follow. Remember that if you’ve made it to the boss position, you have to become an embodiment of success and effective work, otherwise, your lack of self-discipline will breed a similar attitude towards work among employees.

Respect the people around you

Upon becoming the boss and moving to a bigger office, many workers tend to forget that they were once regular workers and started out at the bottom of the career ladder. People like that usually start treating their employees with bias, arrogance, and disrespect. If you wish to become a world-class leader, you shouldn’t engage in this sort of inappropriate behaviour. Remember that whatever position you currently have in the company, you have to treat the people who surround you with respect, both colleagues and subordinates. Each time you want to insult someone or treat a worker disrespectfully, remember that you were once in their shoes. You also had it tough when you had to learn something new and were very displeased with the contemptuous way your boss treated you.

Determination

Determination is a leadership trait without which you won’t be able to run a company properly. Whether it's a business or a small department in a big corporation. We have to admit that when there’s no determination, it's very challenging to achieve things in life, for both leaders and ordinary people. If you really aspire to get the top position or already hold it, you have to be absolutely determined. Don’t be afraid of anything. Learn how to make well-timed, important, and responsible decisions on your own, without sharing the burden with your employees.

Advanced tech skills

This seems self-explanatory. A person aiming for the highest position has to keep up with the times, know how to use modern technology, computer software, and various apps. It will be hard for you to manage staff if you don’t have the same skills as your employees. Moreover, you have to be a step ahead of your workers and teach them new things. Implement new programs and ways of work while being technically savvy. If you aren’t an expert at what you are doing and what you manage, you won’t be respected and will become susceptible to deceit. That’s why in order to have great leadership skills, you have to be progressive and aware of all that goes on in your company.

These are not the only great leadership skills a good company CEO should possess. The next part of the article will talk about other character traits that will make you a good company manager or get the position faster. Learn about other top manager skills in the second part of this article: Main leadership skills for top managers. Continuation.