Some people believe that leaders are born, not made. Others, however, think leadership skills can be developed and honed, just like any other ability.

Throughout September on the blog, we are taking a look at the different skills required for managers and leaders to successfully fulfil their duties, and how to get them.

We’re going to start at the beginning of the management journey, with skills for new managers.

Being promoted to manager for the first time is both exciting and challenging. It takes a lot of hard work and reliability to move up the corporate ladder but transitioning into your new role means mastering a new skill set. No matter what kind of business or field you work in, these 6 workshops will give you the skills to navigate the new, undiscovered managerial waters.

Improving your Personal Impact

The ability to understand how you are being perceived - and to manage your interactions based upon both this perception and the communication style of the other person - is vital to building effective relationships. Learn how to build your brand, become more assertive, and handle conflict effectively.

Effective Communication

Having effective communication skills is vital for any individual - even more so for new managers who are internally promoted and will have to learn how to adjust their communication style to fit their new role and responsibilities. 

Handling Difficult People & Situations

Not all situations that come before the new manager will be easy to deal with. A main responsibility and obligation as a manager are to address and confront difficult and uncomfortable issues in a professional and confident manner. Improve your assertiveness, the ability to use effective questions and active listening skills.

Negotiating with Confidence

As a new manager, you may be tasked with negotiating with individuals internally and externally. Entering negotiations confidently to ensure that win-win results are obtained. Equip yourself with the ability to reduce the number of negotiations by justifying your position and reducing unnecessary discounting.

Time Management

For all people within the business, time management skills are crucial to delivering results. As a manager, you are now responsible to coordinate the work from a team of people. Learn how to plan and prioritise your workload, eliminate time stealers and manage your new work environment. 

If you’re looking for a formal qualification to help you start your journey, why not try the ILM Level 3 Award in Leadership & Management. The Level 3 qualification provides a foundation of managerial skills for new managers, by developing the skills and knowledge to lead, organise and motivate teams. Throughout the programme, you will learn key leadership styles, how to confidently solve problems and make decisions more effectively.

For more information on how we can assist you on your management journey, call Dawn on 01332 836638 

Leadership is established over time through teaching, learning and experience and is a set of skills acquired, which when combined; equip you with the ability to lead a team to success.

Consider these 6 behaviours to become an effective leader.

• Self-Awareness of your strengths and weaknesses allows you to understand other people and how they perceive you. This in turn increases trust and credibility within your team. It also allows you to implement change effectively within your organisation.
• Listening not only is essential part of communication between you and your team, it also develops trust, enhances motivation and helps detect and solve problems faster.
• Commitment to advance the welfare of employees. Dedicate time to developing your employee’s skills, through coaching, mentoring and training, to help them become better leaders.
• Empathy not only to identify with others but to accept what others contribute to the company.
• Persuasion will influence many stakeholders to follow a course of action. Having influencing skills will assist with organisational change and development.
• Foresight allows leaders to analyse the past to make informed decisions for the future.

Each person embodies at least some leadership qualities; it is how you use and adapt these that determines your success.

Are you looking to develop yourself or your team? We identify skills gaps and integrate training into your business in order to create instant impact and drive results. Learn more.

Don't forget to follow us on Twitter @RHThinking and LinkedIn for more top tips.

Have you ever considered your own leadership style? According to findings, there are four fundamental leadership styles, these being Pragmatist, Idealist, Steward and Diplomat. Leaders can be effective or ineffective with each of these four styles, and there are vast amounts of subtle variations which can determine what kind of a leader a person is.

We take a look at the defining features of all four categories – Can you identify your leadership style?

The Pragmatist
• High standards and expect themselves and their employees to meet those
• Driven and competitive
• Bold thinkers
• Least common of all leadership styles.

The Idealist
• High-energy achievers
• Believe in the positive potential of everyone
• Want to learn and grow
• Charismatic
• Open minded
• Prize creativity from themselves and others.

The Steward
• Dependable
• Loyal and helpful
• Values rules, process and cooperation
• Stabilising and calming.

The Diplomat
• Kind, social and giving
• Typically develop deep personal bonds with their employees
• Resolve conflicts peacefully
• Socially adept.

There isn’t a correct style of leadership and it certainly cannot be defined into a specific role. Often leaders today take defining features from each style in order to develop their own leadership style and capabilities. It’s incredibly important to understand your own style as you can then start to think about how to develop this further to achieve even greater results.

For more helpful tips, follow @RHThinking!

Sources
www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2015/07/09which-of-the-4-leadership-styles-is-yours/#405020f411a2