How to Develop Leadership Skills at Any Stage of Your Career

All teams, big or small, need leadership. Be it a giant company or you work casually while studying, you definitely have a leader you work with and may even look up to. Leadership isn’t for everybody, as a lot of effort and dedication go into leading the right way.

If you want to explore the world of leadership in the workplace and you aren’t sure where you should start, here are some tips on how you can begin at any stage in your career.

Embrace a leadership mindset

If you plan on becoming a leader in the workplace, you have to have a leadership mindset. The premise that you are good at your job and, therefore, will automatically make for a great leader after a while is often something with which people find themselves in for a shock.

Being a leader is all about managing people, influencing change, and making a change in order to succeed. If you like your current role and what you do, taking on a leadership role will take time away from that for people management. If you’re okay with this change, then start by finding small opportunities to lead in your current role. Volunteer for projects, suggest new ideas or mentor new staff to get a feel for it. These first steps will help you to get into the mindset of a leader.

Seek out learning opportunities

A good leader knows that there is always more to learn. Seeking out learning opportunities head-on is an effective way to upskill quickly. Online courses, workshops, and webinars can provide great technical knowledge and techniques.

Many organisations, like APM deliver Disability Employment Services, to help those who are living with a disability, injury or health condition upskill to find meaningful work. DES providers can connect you with the services and courses to help you upskill to reach your employment goals. Additionally, seeking out personal learning through reading books and articles on leadership can provide new perspectives and give you new insights to implement in your workplace.

Develop key leadership skills

Some of the key skills include communication, decision-making, and problem-solving. Upskilling in one at a time will help you understand it.

Improve your communication by practicing active listening and learning how to get your message across clearly and effectively. Improve problem-solving skills through new challenges such as testing limits. Work on increasing decision-making capabilities by opening oneself to new opportunities and practicing critical thinking.

Understanding how to deal with different team dynamics is also critical, so learning how to manage your emotions and empathise with others is also needed. These skills will help you to align your mindset and understand how to better manage a team and deal with a crisis.

Start networking

Building positive working relationships is one of the key components of leadership. Strong leaders connect with their team and others, inspire trust, and thrive on collaboration. Start by making sure you have built solid relationships with your current team and mentors.

If you’re ready to take the next step, start attending networking events tailored to leadership in your industry and seek out guidance from others. A strong network also opens you up to new opportunities, maybe leading you to a leadership role to take you to the next step. Don’t forget, leadership is as much about people as it is about hitting goals.

Challenge yourself

Leaders often represent people who can take up something more challenging for them. In the case of working in your workplace, to be a leader there, first you have to search for ways through which you could go out of your comfort zone. That may mean heading a new project, teaching a new colleague, or perhaps assuming a new task.

By taking on new challenges, you’ll learn how to better handle diverse situations and grow from them. This can boost your confidence and greatly improve your leadership capabilities.

Reflect and seek feedback

To become a leader at the workplace, one needs to reflect on themselves. One needs time to reflect on the judgments and actions and have learned from them to grow as a leader. Reflect on what went well and what could have been done better.

Even seeking feedback from team members and supervisors can provide you with insight you may not have had before. Getting constructive feedback can help you to identify ways to improve your leadership style and guide your development. Use feedback to become a better leader and refine your approach.

Applying this to the workplace

Now that you have the tools, it is time to begin implementing them at work. This can be in a huge or small way, but important enough that you start now.

If you feel that you are at a point and there is nothing much you can do to step up and learn, then there are many organizations where you can work and access their employment services through which you get to learn certain courses that may help you upgrade your leadership skills.

Inspire others and create positive change as a leader. Regardless of what stage you are at in your career, you can seek new opportunities, challenge yourself, and grow into a great leader. You will grow into a better leader with constant effort to learn and improve yourself.

Related reading: 7 Simple Ways to Find & Develop Your Child’s Leadership Voice