Developing leadership abilities is not always simple, which is why only a select few are successful in their quest to become effective leaders. Those who succeed, however, can take their teams and organisation to new heights.

To become a successful leader, you should exert effort in honing your talents and developing good leadership skills, especially the following:

1. Communication

The ability to communicate precisely and clearly convey what you want to your team members — from your overarching organisational goals to individual tasks or projects — is one of the most important and effective leadership skills.

Since communication is integral to all workplace processes, it’s crucial to hone one’s interpersonal and organisation-wide conversational abilities. Learning the ropes of communication over the phone, email, video, chat and social media is also important.

Communication training also includes active listening. This requires you to be a good listener to be able to readily  address your team members’ questions and concerns.

2. Creativity

While it’s crucial to adhere to policies and guidelines and be familiar with the way things are usually done, not everything can always be done by the book.

As a leader, you need to be able to think outside the box since you will often have to make decisions that do not have obvious solutions. Thus, it pays to be open-minded, innovative and flexible. This way, you’ll be better equipped to handle unusual or unexpected challenges. Moreover, you can inspire your subordinates by being a leader who doesn’t depend on the usual safe, expected routes.

3. Delegation

It will be difficult for you to accomplish anything if you try to take on too many things by yourself. Instead of stressing yourself unnecessarily, learn to delegate. Having confidence and trust in your team is a sign of a strong leader, and delegating is not a sign of weakness or laziness.

Use each employee’s skill set as your basis for assigning certain tasks. When you entrust certain projects or jobs to employees, you not only free up your time to concentrate on other crucial activities but also show you believe in the capabilities of your team. This not only inspires confidence but also boosts employee morale.

4. Motivation

Leaders must be able to motivate employees to go above and beyond for their company. In some cases, offering competitive salaries may be considered inadequate motivation.

You can inspire your team members to do better by giving them more responsibilities, as this would make them feel more invested in the company. You can also boost their self-esteem through recognition, appreciation, incentives and awards. You can adjust what types of rewards and recognition you’ll provide depending on the goals and motivators of your team members.

Knowing what and how to improve leadership skills is crucial to becoming a competent, successful leader.

Start by identifying which types of leadership skills you want to prioritise, or make things easier on yourself by focusing on the ones mentioned here first.

If this article has inspired you to think about your own unique situation and, more importantly, what you and your family are going through right now, please contact your advice professional.

(Feedsy Exclusive)