3 leadership skills that will help you stand out as an emerging leader
Most of the time when someone is promoted into a management position, they were promoted because they're a good individual contributor, in other words, managing TASKS. Then they get promoted into a management role with little to no training on how to manage PEOPLE.
Sound familiar?
This is one of the biggest downfalls I see in companies - they aren't investing in the proper training and development in their leaders, so they're setting them up to fail.
Without the proper training, most new managers just copy what their own manager does, or may learn new tips and tricks from mentors and books along the way.
You're not alone if you've ever been in this boat.
In fact, I see it all the time.
It's so frustrating for the new managers because they're typically ambitious, high-potential employees who now feel like they're on their own and drowning in new responsibilities.
So let's get you set up with three leadership development skills you can start growing today with the mini trainings below.
These skills has been chosen purposefully because they have such an impact on the leader, the team, and the organization when done right. However, they're also typically the most forgotten leadership skills because managers don't know where or how to learn these techniques on their own.
Prioritization - what's urgent and important?
Prioritization is the process of deciding the relative importance or urgency of something.
Prioritization needs to happen daily and whenever a new task, project, or ask is added to your plate or someone on your team's plate.
If you don't even know where to start, ask yourself what is urgent AND important?
Urgent means it requires immediate attention. Most things seem urgent (like emails), when in reality, they aren't.
Important means it is a necessary part of the project or goal to be complete or successful. You may notice some items are simply nice to have, but you can complete the necessities of a project or goal without it.
As a manager, you need to always be prioritizing the tasks that are both urgent and important (tasks that will move your goals forward in the short-term). Secondly, prioritize the important but not urgent (like strategic, long-term initiatives). Thirdly is urgent but not important (tasks with an approaching deadline). Lastly is the not urgent and not important (most emails).
In order to effectively follow through on this prioritization, you'll need a way to keep track of your most important to do's. Add these tasks and deadlines to whatever platform you use for keeping track of your tasks (to do list, planner, software program, app, etc.).
I don't recommend one specific system because each person is so unique. If you have something that works for you, don't change it until it stops working. You may find you need to switch up your systems every 6-12 months in order to keep it as effective as possible.
Delegation - who does what by when?
Delegating is the act of giving responsibility for something to someone.
Delegation is one of the most uncomfortable responsibilities for new managers. They typically say to me that it feels like "I'm asking someone else to do my work for me," or that "I'm just dropping this onto their desk," or that "I don't know how to ask them without it feeling like I'm being bossy."
Knowing when to delegate connects with the previous skill of prioritization. As a manager, you need to be constantly prioritizing the projects, tasks, and asks within your team. You should have a good sense of each person's work load and big deadlines (if you don't - please ask them now).
Delegation is the next level of prioritization because you're navigating which priorities go to which person based on the bigger picture of the team's needs, deadlines, and goals.
The keys to making delegation successful are being clear with the:
Expectations of the end result - what does success look like?
Guardrails they need to know and any checkpoints along the way
When they should come to you with questions or needs along the way
Acknowledgment - who did what well?
Acknowledgement is the simple act of recognizing one of your team members for a job well done.
It doesn't have to be a big grand gesture or only at the end of a big project or after having achieved the goal. The best way to acknowledge team members is consistently for the day-to-day work that often goes unrecognized.
This one still baffles me that it isn't widely or consistently used by many managers. Some simply don't take the time to think about it intentionally, others don't really even know how to do it.
Some simple ways to get started on this are to start recognizing your team members at the end of each one-on-one meeting you have with them. Acknowledge what they've accomplished, that they came prepared to your session, any other recent events, and even what makes them unique or valuable to the team.
It's a mental muscle that you build up and it gets easier and easier as you do it.
For example, I acknowledge my coaching clients at the end of every session. For every client, they are almost uncomfortable the first few sessions. People aren't used to being recognized like this and yet it can have a profound impact on their confidence, appreciation, and trust in you. Over time, my clients glow while I acknowledge them, some have said it feels like a warm hug.
Ready to see where else to focus your leadership development? Take the free Leadership Blind Spot Audit. Take the audit here.
Brittany Canaski is a highly-rated Leadership Coach, Trainer, and Founder of Hello Velocity where she builds confident leaders and high-performing teams. When she's not building her business, you can find her planning her next travel adventure with her husband, watching Formula 1 racing, or volunteering in her local community of Charlotte, NC.
