There is one simple thing that differentiates between a good manager and a star leader and that is the soft skill they possess.
Know what soft skills you should inherit to become a leader who is followed by almost everybody. There are leaders who assume that if your followers are taking your orders out of fear, then you have succeeded as a leader, but it is completely wrong.
Followers who love their leaders will walk on the footprint of their leaders readily without being coerced to do that.
Love and respect is what the great leaders have earned all their life by using their soft skills, rather than showing how talented they are.
Change in the style of managing things:
Earlier, emphasize was more on the commanding and controlling. The decision making approach was like this and everybody thought that it was the right way of handling every situation.
With the changing times the companies understood that being compassionate and bit soft at times helps in resolving the matters much faster, thus saving time and money for the organization.
As you move up the ladder, the most required skills are the ones that have nothing to do with functional or technical expertise. Instead, you have to concentrate more on how you lead through several others.
Technical skills will lead you to the position of a manager, but after that how you deal with people and dig out the best performance from them is what will differentiate you from other managers.
Great leaders have great thoughts:
If you are trying to become a great leader and not just any leader, then you will have to hone your emotional IQ.
You will have to understand your team members and how they work best, then only you will be able to extract the best work from them. This can only be achieved through honest and open dialogue with them.
You must create an environment where people feel motivated and aligned within the company. Not just that as a leader you must make everybody in your team feel that they are also a stakeholder and they are also contributing towards the growth of the business in their own small way.
When the employees have this feeling that they are also part of the organization, then they automatically get motivated to work even better.
Leadership Soft Skills:
If you want to differentiate between a great leader and just about a good manager, then here are several soft skills that will distinguish between the two.
A great leader must possess these soft skills.
1. Great foresight:
Leaders who have great foresight and also know how to utilize them are touted as great leaders.
They have the knack to figure out the opportunities that nobody notices and they believe in that and work towards making a successful venture as well.
It is not only about understanding the opportunity and working towards it, instead it is also about making others believe in it too.
2. Has a calming effect:
The great leaders are the ones who have this calming effect on others. No matter how grave the situation is, he will stand still and be there for everybody.
Just by his appearance he will induce confidence in his followers and people would love to follow whatever he says.
He is not someone who everybody is scared of because that is definitely not a good sign of a leader.
3. More of a listener:
A great leader must possess humility and must be a good listener. Otherwise, how do you expect him to come up with an answer that will have a positive impact on the follower!
Their simplicity is what makes them popular, people can easily trust them.
4. Redirect the impulsiveness and moods:
A great leader must be empathetic because without this quality they won’t be able to help the followers redirect their negativity into something positive.
They must understand the situation of the follower first and then only they will be able to come up with a solution that will affect the follower in a good way.
5. Self regulation:
If the leaders are not self regulated, then how come he can ask his followers to be a self regulated one?
Great leaders keep themselves up to date with all the latest technology and the changes that are happening around them. This way they use this information in a manner to motivate others as well.
6. Taking care:
Great leaders have the ability to make great teams out of nowhere. He has the ability to take care of each team member and making them realize their true potential.
Great leaders not only come up with innovative ideas, but also execute them successfully and all these are only possible when your followers trust your vision completely.
Trust can be gained by taking care of your teammates and great leaders do just that and much more.
7. Communication:
Communication is the biggest asset that a great leader possesses. He excels at all kinds of communication, including departmental one, one on one or for that matter any other type.
It is very important that a leader explains the task to its employees succinctly, so that the employees do not find it hard to follow.
Through clear communication, he will be able to discuss issues with his employees and solve them right away.
8. Delegation of work:
The success of a project depends on the ability of the delegation of work as well. You need to know who is good at what and then delegate the work accordingly. This will help in completing the work successfully and that too within the specific time frame.
But, if you hold on to maximum responsibilities, then you won’t be able to complete the work and there are high chances that everything will get messed up too.
You need to know what is important for you and keep those tasks for yourself and delegate other work.
9. Flexibility:
Last minute changes are part and parcel of almost every work, but if you are a rigid leader, then things might take a worse turn.
Therefore, it is important that as a leader you stay flexible and incorporate the steps that are required to accomplish the task successfully.
10. Creativity:
The ability to think out of the box is an important factor in great leaders.
Moreover, they know that the traditional way of doing things might not work every time, so they have the courage to tread the path, which no one have tried before and solve the issue.
It is not always good to run down the safe for a conventional path
11. Positive attitude:
Not many can laugh at their own self, but the people who have the ability to do so can become a great leader.
It actually helps in creating a healthy and happy work environment, which is great when you have loads of work on hand. This positive attitude or vibe from the leader makes, even the busiest of days at the office a less stressful affair.
12. Commitment:
If you have committed something, then you will keep it at any cost. If that means working extra hours, then be it, but it is important that you live up to your expectation and perform better than the best.
A great leader sets an example by working harder because he knows if he wants his employees to put in that much of an effort, then he himself needs to perform first.
13. Appreciate the work:
The employees look for recognition or appreciation from their leaders. Therefore, it is apt to provide the employees with proper feedback once they have completed a task, no matter how big or small it is.
It will also make the employees more confident about the work they do and they will be able to take their own decisions even better.
14. A great team member:
Gone are the days when the work of a leader was to supervise. Now the leaders lead by example and they are very much part of the work that their team is doing.
They are there to avoid conflicts between the employees, communicate to meet the challenges and inspire others to perform their task brilliantly.
