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You think you’re ready to be the boss. But are you ready to lead? When aiming for the top, it’s crucial to learn how to develop leadership skills. You may be great at your job, however managing people so that they can succeed too is vastly different than just aptitude. Here are the lessons I live by to not only build, but also for how to improve leadership skills.

Aim for the job you want. I believe in already behaving like you are in your next role. It makes it easier to get promoted because decision makers “see” you in the role. As a leader, you’ll need to be good with people and inspire them into action. As an aspiring leader, seek opportunities to train others, or even mentor younger employees when you can.

The “L” in leadership is for “Listen”. The skill I most admire in good leaders is their ability to listen. You’ve heard many leaders say they have an open door, but do they really? It’s rare to find a boss who welcomes ideas that are very different from their own. Not all ideas are good ones, but a great leader will hear them all out and give feedback with honesty, even going out of their way to assist in propelling a good idea. A poor leader will think they already have all the answers.

Great leaders excel at being honest. Candor is something that all managers are afraid of. Many leaders avoid the “truth” during review time or try to sandwich it in between pleasant topics or compliments. Candor is essential for growth. A great leader is concerned with the growth of her team. Taking the good with the bad is true leadership at work!

What are your leadership lessons for an aspiring leader? Do you agree with mine?

Leadership Lessons for the Aspiring Leader by

Holly Courter Controller - Corporate