Key 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 have to be a good top manager? We tried answering this question while writing this article. Perhaps we've all dreamt of becoming leaders and big bosses once in a while, or even small department managers when we were ordinary employees. Of course, we were sure we'd handle our new position no worries, as we were all keen to climb the career ladder quickly. Has any of us considered what exactly keeps us from having 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 need to develop qualities that will lead you to success. Now we will talk about personality and character traits any good company leader should possess.

Confidence

Confidence is perhaps one of the most valuable leadership traits; lacking it will make things hard for anyone who wants to take on a managerial role. Any successful person radiates confidence in themselves and in the coming day. This kind of person quickly makes a good impression on others. People listen to confident people and follow them. It's important not to overdo this. Your confidence needs to be backed up by your accomplishments, knowledge, and skills. You can’t be confident in yourself if you have nothing to show, as people who are aware of the situation will see through your bluff. If you truly want a promotion, you must overcome any lack of 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 key leadership skill any ideal boss should demonstrate. Before properly shaping and organising staff work processes, you need to be able to organise your day, plan your schedule and make good use of daily time. How disciplined or undisciplined you are can directly influence how your employees work. If you can’t plan your daily routine, you won’t be capable of managing an entire staff. Being organised is one of the greatest leadership skills. It starts with discipline and self-discipline. It’s about creating a strict work plan and sticking to it. You must be orderly and set an example for your employees.

Imagine that you finally got the desired boss position and are in charge for a couple of years. While doing that, you also constantly arrive late for work, return late after lunch breaks and spend hours a day talking to your friends and family over the phone. How do you think your workers are going to react? I doubt you'll maintain authority and be a good example for your employees after such disorganisation. 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 similar attitudes 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 at the bottom of the career ladder. People like this often begin treating their employees with bias, arrogance, and disrespect. If you wish to become a world-class leader, don’t engage in this sort of inappropriate behaviour. Remember that whatever position you currently hold in the company, you must treat those who surround you with respect, both colleagues and subordinates. Every time you want to insult someone or treat a worker disrespectfully, remember you were once in their position. You also faced hardships when learning new things and were probably displeased with the contemptuous way your boss treated you.

Determination

Determination is a leadership trait which you won’t be able to run a company properly without. Whether it's a business or a small department in a big corporation, we have to admit that without determination, it's tough to achieve anything in life for both leaders and ordinary people. If you really want to reach the top or already hold the position, you must be absolutely determined. Don't fear anything. Learn how to make timely, important, and responsible decisions on your own without offloading the burden onto your employees.

Advanced tech skills

This seems obvious. Someone aiming for the highest position must keep up with the times, knowing 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 need to stay a step ahead of your workers and teach them new things. Implement new programmes and ways of working while being technically savvy. If you aren’t an expert in what you are doing and managing, you won't be respected and could fall prey to deceit. That’s why to have great leadership skills, you have to stay progressive and aware of everything happening in your company.

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