Tiffany Harper* examines the seven key leadership skills women need to drive success in the workplace.
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Women have gone beyond the traditional beliefs that men were meant to be leaders.
This is evidenced by the huge strides ahead being made by female leaders.
The current trends indicate that women have a greater potential of making greater leaders and people of influence across the globe.
But what are the specific leadership skills which are exhibited by successful women to make them stand out from the rest?
Here are seven skills that are most influential in dictating successful women leaders.
- Effective communicators
Effective communication is undoubtedly the most critical skill in successful leaders.
Communication includes such skills as effective use of nonverbal language, the ability to read, ability to write well, as well as active listening.
These skills are critical in establishing strong relationships and influencing others positively.
For women leaders who communicate effectively, they tend to provide their followers with appropriate guidance, ask questions, and seek feedback.
They are always transparent in their communication so that the recipient of the information is not confused.
They are also ready to clarify issues that are unclear and ensure that everyone if satisfied with the information provided.
- Trustworthy
Successful female leaders exhibit strong attributes of trustworthiness.
They tend to create a climate that promotes trust, and their teams are usually committed to the realisation of set goals.
High levels of trustworthiness are associated with clear communication skills, and a greater free flow of ideas.
In addition, this skill is critical in ensuring that workers are more comfortable and prepared to adapt to change and show a willingness to embrace new visions and goals.
In order for aspiring women leaders to realise this skill, the need to be willing to listen to others, honour the commitments they make, and be ready to accept their mistakes.
- Problem solving and critical thinking
It’s vital to address problems created by global issues such as competition, poor economic stability, and technological innovations.
To do this, you need the ability to solve various organisational problems.
This requires asking important questions that revolve around specific problems, gathering and assessing all the relevant information, and making a well-thought conclusion.
Therefore, successful women leaders tend to have the capability of thinking with open minds about consequences and assumptions associated with numerous decisions made.
To succeed in making decisions as a leader, you need to learn as objectively and fairly as possible on the basis of the available and relevant information pertaining to a particular issue.
As such, you should understand any potential biases you may have and appropriately guard yourself against them.
- Confidence
There is no doubt that successful leaders need confidence, particularly when it comes to making and committing to decisions.
To succeed in gaining the confidence, understand the issues at stake and be prepared with the information you need.
Be aware that you may fail sometimes, but do not fear making decisions you believe will have a positive impact on your leadership.
- Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence may be understood as the ability to understand and manage individual emotions, as well as the emotions of others around us.
The critical elements successful women leaders should exhibit based on their emotional intelligence include social skills, empathy, motivation, and self-awareness.
A good leader should be able to relate well and work with others towards achieving the success of everyone involved.
To develop emotional intelligence as a leader, you should identify the ways in which you can effectively manage negative emotions and stressful situations so that you do not get overwhelmed when making decisions.
- Innovation and creativity
In today’s workplace, there is increased competition and high levels of uncertainty.
Leaders are confronted with challenges of planning and monitoring their team’s performance.
Successful women leaders possess a high level of creativity and innovation in terms of addressing various organisational challenges through the use of effective viewpoints, different working styles, and embracing diversity.
“To effectively utilise creativity and innovation, women leaders should greatly focus on ensuring that their employees are provided with all the tools they need for their work, which include training, software, and computers,” argues Hanna Anderson, a leadership coach at Rush My Essay, a custom writing service.
They should constantly encourage others to dare to be innovative and creative.
Although this may entail some risk, it counts as a great part of establishing creative mindsets.
A woman leader should ensure the provision of a climate that does not intimidate the individuals who develop creative and innovative ideas.
- Strategic vision
“The women leaders who are successful have the ability to influence other leaders and influence change in their organisations,” says Hughey Gorge, a leadership trainer and coach at Best Essay.
Leaders are mandated to deal with difficult issues in organisations, influenced by external organisations and market forces.
Successful women leaders can anticipate what may happen in the future and encourage this type of thinking in others.
To develop a strategic vision, a good leader should ask employees about the issues that the organisation may face, including the external forces in the industry that may compromise the performance of the organisation.
It is not easy to be a leader, regardless of your gender.
However, the good thing is that these skills can be developed by women if they have the appropriate mindset and determination to become great leaders.
* Tiffany Harper is a freelance writer.
This article first appeared at womenlovetech.com.
