by Kevin Hartford

Created on: February 08, 2010

There is a perception among the general population that leaders are just born to be leaders.  This perception is not true.  Many of the people the public recognizes as great leaders were not born to be leaders, but they had to work at it.  Leadership is an illusive skill, ask a hundred people what attribute they think is leadership and you will get a hundred different answers.  In truth, leadership is what works for the situation.

There are several ways that a person could put tools into their leadership "tool box" and begin to improve their leadership skills.  There is no right or wrong answer to what skill is most important, because every situation or issue requires a different tool or using the tool in a different way.  There are several ways to acquire the leadership tools for success: 

First, they need to know themselves and understand where they are coming from.  There are many tests out there that tell someone what their type or temperament is, but the most important thing about these tests is to realize that they are not chains to be worn around the neck; they are tools to break out of those chains.  A person who is introverted can still be a good leader, if they recognize situations where they should break out of their shell.

Next, leaders read many and varied things.  They read fiction and nonfiction.  They read about business and they read about the human condition.  They are always learning and looking for the next thing that they can use to illustrate a point or a lesson to be learned to compliment their experience.

Leaders also practice communication.  Communication has been identified time and again as the most important skill that a leader can possess.  It does not do a leader any good to be the smartest person in the room, if they cannot communicate their message.  Leaders find the opportunity to practice their communication, whether that opportunity is at work, a community group, or at a social event; leaders communicate.

To improve their skills, a leader could find a mentor or they could mentor someone else.  Mentoring is a nice way to compliment skills and to improve interpersonal relationships.  Leadership, at one level, is about building and maintaining relationships.  Mentoring and being mentored is a great way to tackle issues in the workplace and it also can be rewarding.

All leaders need a continuous learning plan.  They need to figure out what the next thing is and learn as much as they can.  This continuous learning plan cannot be static; it must be flexible enough to include the inevitable changes that is going to come, but it is a path none the less.

Lastly, nothing beats experience.  Leaders do.  Experience is the best teacher.  There is nothing wrong with doing and failing.  It is how a person recovers from those failures that matter.  Experience is a ruler that all other events are measured.

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