As the work culture and structures of workplaces are changing, the definitions of leadership are changing too. Gone are the days when only the manager, supervisor, or CEO were the only leaders in the workplace. With the rise of alternative structures like freelance and gig cultures, you now need leadership skills while collaborating with small teams for projects. Even working with gig workers like yourself, you need essential leadership skills to work through your projects and make sure things are on track.
The 10 most in-demand leadership skills
With such requirements of more and more leaders around workplaces freelance and gig cultures take the center stage, people with key leadership skills become more employable than their peers. So, here are the ten key leadership skills you need to know in 2023:
1. Building and maintaining relationships
Good leaders understand the value of their team and their people. They know that a leader and his team complement each other. Thus, the skill of building network with people and maintaining them is one of the essential leadership skills. In a leadership role, a person has to interact and collaborate with people from all different backgrounds. To successfully do so, the leader must be able to communicate and connect to their people. Good leaders must also understand the art of uniting team members through shared goals and vision. This leads to better team bonding, collaboration and conflict resolution, thus becoming a high-performing team.
2. Emotional intelligence and regulation
You must have heard the phrase, “Don’t let your emotions get the best of you.” Being a leader requires you to be emotionally balanced. Good leaders are calm during high-pressure situations and thus have the mental clarity to strategise and take decisions. To achieve this state of mind, practising emotional regulation is essential. To be a good leader, one must understand their emotions first and know how to react more effectively.
Similarly, emotional intelligence helps leaders understand the emotional cues of their team. Such leadership skills enable leaders to keep morals high by providing what the team needs at that exact moment. Emotionally intelligent leaders are also better at conflict resolution and better decision-makers.
3. Problem-solving
One of the key leadership skills is problem-solving since being a leader means you have to spend a lot of time fixing issues for your customers, stakeholders and teams. In any emergency, team members seek the leader’s guidance and advice. With the last say in every decision, leaders must constantly be creative and innovative with possible solutions.
However, a good leader will include their team in the problem-solving process rather than solve everything independently. They will understand the strength of every team member and be able to utilise it in the whole process of solving a problem.
4. Decision making
With great power comes significant responsibilities. With the authority and energy that is bestowed upon leaders, they are also the ones that have to take the most challenging decisions. And often, the company's and its employees' future depend on these decisions. So, to be a good leader, making quick, thoughtful and well-calculated decisions even under stressful situations is essential. Especially in adverse situations where well-informed choices are not feasible, leaders need to be able to anticipate the outcome of the decision. This can help the organisation and the teams prepare for the best and worst possible scenarios.
5. Learning and upskilling
The world is changing, and many new things are coming up. Every day, from new technologies to recent trends, is an opportunity for learning. Thus, the willingness to keep learning and upskilling is another one of the essential critical leadership skills in 2023. Even with authority and power, it is humanly impossible for a leader to know everything. Leaders must know how to digitally upscale themselves to find better career opportunities and make informed decisions towards it. Thus they must keep learning from online resources, conventions, seminars, and even their colleagues! You should be able to utilise the best resources available for upskilling and learn new skills as a leader to guide your team better.
6. Mentoring and coaching
True leaders see their employees' potential and encourage them to be the best versions of themselves. They understand every subordinate's unique abilities and ensure that their talents are used in the right direction. Thus, mentoring and coaching associates in a way that helps them grow is one of the most essential critical leadership skills in 2023. In the long run, well-mentored employees become assets to the organisation, and growth becomes the norm.
7. Responsibility delegation
Authentic leadership doesn’t mean doing everything yourself but knowing how to lead the team to do the work most efficiently. Thus, responsibility delegation is another one of the most desirable leadership skills. The leader should know how to analyse their team's bandwidth and delegate tasks accordingly so the team isn’t overwhelmed or exhausted. They need to master the skills of splitting the work according to the resources available and be able to balance the workload among the teams.
8. Organisational skills
For the team members to look up to their leaders, the leader must come out as a reliable presence. A disorganised leader needs to do so, as disorganisation causes confusion and chaos in the company. A leader’s disorganisation also sends the wrong message to the team, conveying that such behaviour is acceptable and okay. To provide structure and direction to the team and ensure things are on track, organisational skills make the list of our top 10 essential leadership skills.
9. Time management
A leader’s time is the most expensive thing in the organisation. Since their to-do lists are always overflowing and they have to present for infinite stuff throughout the day, time management is one of the leadership skills every leader should master. The skill of time management can help leaders understand the subtle art of organising priorities and dividing their time in more innovative ways. The leader’s subpar time management skills also set an example for the employees and inspire them to use their time wisely.
10. Listening and empathy
No matter how big or small the team is, every member wants to be listened to. Employees feel unheard and lose a sense of belonging to the organisation. A good leader understands this and thus fosters the leadership skills of active listening and empathy. Leaders need to be willing to listen and understand the concerns of their team members. Active listening can also help leaders find great ideas within the team, making the work easier or more efficient. It can also help leaders discover the hidden potential in their team members and, in turn, help them realise it.
11. Resilience
Leaders need to act empathetically, but it doesn’t mean they become a pushover. A leader must ensure things go the right way, which may take occasional instructions and even confrontations. Great leaders must also be firm enough to stand up for their team or even push through their competitors. With all such factors, resilience becomes one of the most crucial leadership skills the professional sectors look up to.
With these skills, anyone can start their journey of being a great leader. Even as a student, beginning to foster critical leadership skills early in life is essential. However, these leadership skills aren’t just necessary to be a leader and facilitate a successful career path while becoming a more evolved version of yourself!