People often are promoted to leadership positions and are left to figure it out on their own; a survey from Gartner Research found 85% of new managers have never received formal training, according to Fast Company. And in the current workplace, leaders must learn fast.
Fast Company shares the following ways to quickly grow your skills as a leader.
- Learn from other leaders. Identify leaders you admire who are regularly recognized and promoted and who everyone wants to work for. Observe their actions and how they behave, as well as the choices they make and how they communicate. Then, inform your own actions based on what you see is working for them. Choose leaders you respect who match your values and are successful within the company. Be yourself but learn from their example.
- Read, stream and follow. Expose yourself to best practices in leadership and learn about all types of leadership approaches. Sign up for leadership training, read books, scan blogs, stream podcasts and follow the best and brightest people. Personalize what you are hearing by asking yourself how it matters to you and whether you agree and disagree. Reflect on what you learn, then take action, experiment and continuously hone and improve your ideas and ideals.
- Read the room. The best leaders are emotionally intelligent. Be sure you are intentional about tuning into the situations you face and are self-aware about how you are being received. You want to be able to communicate in a way that gets through to people while showing empathy and being influential. Check in regularly with your team and be consistent to develop trust. Ask for feedback so you can better understand your performance and how your team is doing.
