7 Actionable Ways to Build Up Your Leadership Skills
Regardless of how you’d define yourself as a leader right now, there will be a point when you’ll be ready to level up your leadership game. Here are seven actions you can take today so that you can stay ready 💪
1. Take a Test
Sometimes, all you need is a little self-reflection to determine a starting point to grow from.
You can gain great insight into your leadership style by taking a few minutes out of your day to take a brief quiz. Sure, they can be fun, but they can also provide you with some pieces of information about yourself that you may not have recognized or acknowledged. An activity like taking a quiz can help you identify both your strengths and the areas you can grow in.
Here are a few that we love:
2. Start Journaling
You’ve probably heard this before but we’ll say it again: journaling is a helpful tool! It’s a place where you can get messy and write down all of your thoughts and feelings without judgment. Journaling on leadership and your career can help you get clear on how you could’ve handled a situation differently or a time when you could have communicated better. You can also keep records of your accomplishments, long-term goals, hopes and dreams, and more.
Bonus: It’s something you can start today without a big investment of time, effort, or money!
Unsure where to start? Here’s a prompt: what would you consider to be five of your best leadership traits and why?
If you’re still not ready to crack open that journal, we’ve got a worksheet for you.
3. Find Your Passion
In order to be an effective leader, you need to be passionate about whatever you’re doing. It’s inspiring to follow a person who’s all-in, and passion is a hard thing to fake. Think about someone who inspires you–you probably perceive them as an authentic, passionate person who puts in the work to get stuff done. That could be you!
If your current job feels more like a paycheck than a passion or if you’re losing steam on a prospective goal, use our Values Clarification Worksheet to identify and understand what is important to you so you can drive towards your passion.
4. Beef Up Your Communication Skills
To be a great leader, you need to nail communication.
Right now, think of who you need to be meeting with regularly and why. How will that serve your goals? Then explain that to that person or your team and get those meetings on the calendar, even if they’re just quick check-ins.
Check out this TEDx Talk by Keisha Brewer on how to work on not only what you’re saying but how you’re delivering it. Focus on the areas where your communication might be lacking, and if you’re not sure, ask for feedback (check out #6 for some tips 😉).
5. Become a Volunteer
Becoming a volunteer is one of the best ways of getting hands-on team-building experience, not to mention the bonus of working for a cause that you’re passionate about. There are even virtual opportunities you aren’t able to be on-site! There are so many valuable nonprofits in your community that would be thrilled to have your time and skills.
Not only will you be helping a great cause, but you’ll get numerous opportunities to test out your leadership skills in a new environment. A great place to start is Idealist, but you can also talk to your network or even post on your social media accounts about the type of opportunity you’re looking for.
6. Ask for Feedback
Asking for feedback is not easy and requires a level of trust with the person you’re asking. However, getting an accurate evaluation of your performance can be invaluable in helping you grow as a leader in any aspect of your life. You may receive feedback that you’re already aware of, which can confirm the need to continue working on it, or it may be something entirely new that you were unaware of and can now regularly check yourself on.
Check out this article from Harvard Business Review about harvesting the best feedback from those around you and navigating the discomfort of receiving criticism. Then, think of someone you’d like feedback from and schedule that meeting! It might be scary, but you’ll be better for it.
7. Sign Up for a Course
Taking an online course geared toward building your professional skills, like our Power in Purpose course, or something more time-intensive from this list of certificate programs and courses can give you all of the knowledge and training you need at your fingertips to feel empowered as a leader.
While this isn’t necessary, participating in something formal like a course can help you grow your confidence and pick up some new skills along the way.
No matter where you are in your leadership journey, there is always something you can do to maintain, grow, or enhance your abilities as a leader. Here’s what we want you to do: pick one action from the list above and just think about what it would be like to complete it. It would probably feel good, right? So what are you waiting for?
If you want more from She Should Run, check out our worksheets that can help you advance your leadership abilities and even allow you to explore what it would be like to run for office 😉.