It is often assumed that leaders naturally possess or have learned the skills necessary to manage teams, but the reality is usually different.
Many leaders grow from specialist roles due to their charisma but lack adequate and structured support in developing specific leadership competencies. While being naturally gifted in leadership is possible, becoming a true leader requires the targeted development of specific skills. Being a leader is not just a matter of charisma; it requires a combination of skills and continuous investment in development. But what exactly makes a successful leader, and which competencies are necessary for that?
Being a leader means leading with trust
To successfully manage others, good leaders must first and foremost know themselves and how to lead themselves. The first step toward successful leadership is awareness of one’s strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is the foundation of successful leadership, and without it, professional development is much more difficult and prolonged. With developed self-awareness, leaders can assertively accept and appreciate criticism, always viewing it as valuable feedback.
In addition, resilience and stress management are among the key leadership competencies. With adequate mechanisms for handling stress, resilient leaders practice transparent, honest, and clear communication. They know when it’s necessary to delegate tasks to help develop their team members.
Empathy is another quality of a successful leader, crucial for team management. To create and maintain a positive work environment and strengthen organizational culture, a good leader must be able to see situations from the perspective of team members. Beyond understanding what it means to "walk in someone else’s shoes", empathetic leaders know how to successfully recognize the emotional states of their colleagues and understand the reasons behind their reactions and actions. They must also appreciate the differences among their colleagues and know how to reconcile and guide them toward a common goal.
Professional competencies are not enough
Someone may have inherent qualities that make them naturally better in areas important for management and leadership. However, like any other competencies, leadership competencies represent a combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes developed through education and professional experience.
Creating a team atmosphere, managing relationships and conflicts, and providing constructive feedback are often assumed to be part of leadership roles, but these are competencies that need to be developed systematically and persistently.
It’s not enough to know the rules of the industry in which they work; a good leader must also be highly emotionally intelligent. Such versatility indicates effective management of projects, but also teams made up of diverse personalities. Therefore, it’s important for leaders to refine their competencies through comprehensive leadership programs and to hone their skills according to the needs of the industry they work in, as well as the team they lead.
In addition to a whole set of professional competencies, a leader needs to have a "nose for business." According to the DNLA methodology (Discovering Natural Latent Abilities), which helps in discovering potential and developing talents, this means having a business mindset. This mindset includes a focus on innovation, systematic thinking, information and risk management, and awareness of process quality.
How can new leaders maintain authenticity?
For a good leader, it’s important to maintain an authentic approach to leadership. More self-aware individuals will more easily retain authenticity and be inspiring and effective leaders. They know how to build trust and motivate employees. They are focused on the well-being of their team, encourage change, and take responsibility for their mistakes. With an authentic leader, employee well-being remains high, and employees are more engaged and satisfied.
However, managers who are taking on a leadership role for the first time often don’t know what authentic leadership means to them personally. They may feel as if they are fumbling in the dark and feel like imposters in the new role they’ve taken on. Therefore, when facing leadership challenges, new leaders often experience discomfort.
When this happens, it’s important to remember that authenticity is key to success in the leadership role. New leaders just need to find and maintain it but in the context of increased responsibility and new tasks. Leaders can find their authentic selves by bravely stepping out of their comfort zone and facing discomfort, with an indispensable openness to feedback.
In finding an authentic leadership style, the crucial role is again self-awareness. Self-awareness can be built using specific tools like the Belbin Team Roles®. Through a 360° assessment of the behaviour, this methodology helps identify the roles most taken by team members.
Different roles in the same team
Roles such as Shaper (dynamic and goal-oriented), Team Worker (cooperative and diplomatic), or Resource Investigator (enthusiastic and network-building) are part of the Belbin methodology and indicate different reactions to stress, with entirely different tasks within the team. Therefore, the leader needs to recognize which of the nine team roles each of their team members takes on, to make better decisions and thus create a highly functional and successful team.
Executives and team leaders around the world use the Belbin methodology to improve their leadership skills, and this methodology is also part of the SELECTIO Leadership Academy. Future leaders there receive an individual report on their preferred team role, and through interactive content and coaching, they learn to recognize and leverage their strengths.
If you want to become a more effective and aware leader who uses leadership skills purposefully and according to the specific needs of your team, reach out to us!
