What Skills Should a Leader Have?

If even 20-30 years ago a senior manager could afford to dive quite deeply into the work specifics of each of the departments of the company, then today this, as a rule, is no longer possible. Actually, it’s not even necessary: after all, specialists are hired just for this, to solve narrow-profile tasks. But what should the boss do at this time, what skills should the leader have to effectively fulfill his duties?

Professional skills of a leader: a portrait of an ideal manager

A good leader is characterized by systems thinking. In the process of practical activity, it’s necessary to see in advance possible barriers to achieving the goal and ways to overcome them. The ability to think systematically allows you to form a picture of what is happening even with a lack of data.
Responsibility for your actions and delegation. The task of the manager is to make strategic decisions based on the information received from employees and be responsible for the results. Blaming subordinates in case of failure and finding the culprits will not correct the situation, but will certainly destroy the team and the authority of such a leader.
Ability to make decisions. Leadership faces many challenges every day. And this requires not only an understanding of the situation but also the possession of certain personal values and principles. A leader who doesn’t have guidelines, and doesn’t know the goals, is not able to succeed in managerial activities.
Creative thinking. A manager’s key skills for a resume include the ability to think outside the box and combine accumulated experience with original, non-standard management methods. An inventing innovative managerial solutions skill is needed when other options for action are in doubt.
Result orientation. A successful manager tends to respond quickly to changes in circumstances, independently make effective decisions when time is running out, methodically and systematically perform tasks on the way to the intended goal, separate the main from the secondary, and avoid turnover.
The ability to evaluate yourself and your actions objectively, the ability to apply the positive experience of others with maximum effect. A person in a leadership position understands the role of a leader in an organization and sees his impact on it.
High-quality communication skills of a leader include building a communication system in a company to receive objective information and evaluate it effectively. Any leader during the working day devotes a lot of time to communicating. Therefore, an indispensable professional quality for them is maintaining business communications with people and isolating themselves from their emotional assessment of a particular employee.
Stress tolerance. An effective leader is highly resistant to burnout, cool-headed and unflappable where needed. Those who don’t know how to control themselves, resist conflicts and stress, and effectively manage their time, are unlikely to be able to manage others.
Leadership. A competent leader draws employees into the discussion of problems and refuses the opinion if sufficient arguments of its ineffective. Broadcasts only justified criticism to subordinates to help them better demonstrate their professionalism. It doesn’t limit them in the performance of official duties, allows compromises, but at the same time remains invisible. After all, the effective managerial skills of the leader suggest that he or she doesn’t control every step of the subordinates, but is always aware of what is happening.
Constant self-development. Professionalism is a value that has no limits for growth. The leader must set an example of raising the level of theoretical knowledge and practical skills and general cultural development. It is necessary to regularly demonstrate to employees a good command of technologies, concepts, and processes during the development of management decisions.

All these characteristics form the professional skills of a leader, whose resume contains many successfully completed projects, and former employers and subordinates speak about this person as an effective leader and manager.