What's your plan for developing and maintaining leadership skills?

The best approach that I've found for assessing where your current skills are at is through a combination of self-assessment and anonymous peer assessments. Once you get feedback from 15-20 peers on your current skills and how you're being perceived, I'd recommend working with a coach to dig deeper into insights and create an action plan based on them.

Remember to acknowledge what you are already doing well/have strengths in, as well as those weaknesses. It can be so easy to fall into the trap of only focusing on the negatives when in fact you already have many positive qualities

After using various assessment tools to define the gaps, make a realistic plan to achieve your goals. There’s not just one path toward leadership, but many. Finding the one you can stick to and see traction will yield the best outcome.

Don't forget to reflect upon what motivates you to improve too. By focusing on your motivators you are much more likely to taking the process seriously and actually getting started! Where balance is important, it can be hard to list our 'weaknesses'. Try reframing to 'focus areas' or 'development'. It may not fit into the SWOT acronym but it's much more likely to help you be honest in your self-assessment

Use every tool at your disposal. Feedback surveys and 360-degree reviews aren't just corporate mumbo jumbo, they're actual instruments for growth. If you can't take the heat of hearing where you suck from your colleagues, then you're not cut out to be a leader. Leaders crave feedback, they feed off it like a Tesla on a Supercharger. So, take it in, filter the constructive from the chaff, and grow from it. Self-reflection isn't just for Buddha under a Bodhi tree. It's a powerful tool. Allocate some dedicated hours in a week, sit your ass down and let your mind wander. Don't fear the silence or the thoughts that will inevitably crowd in, rather face them head on.

As both a graduate (and then volunteer) of a state-wide leadership program and as a director of a community-based leadership program, I highly recommend those types of programs. They not only provide the "tools" but they also give participants the opportunity to learn more about their communities and expand their leadership networks.

My go-to tip for developing leadership skills is to practice active listening. There’s a lot of great leadership resources out there but much of leadership development happens on the job. Hearing other perspectives, getting feedback from your team, and engaging cross-functionally have been key in building leadership skills - and flexing your leadership style depending on what your team needs.

Many of my coaching clients come to me wondering if they need another degree or an advanced degree… and usually my answer is no. A degree will not equate to leadership. Learning from others, growing your self-awareness, and addressing skill deficiencies will go quite far. (And often comes with a much lower price tag.)

Don't confine your learning to a classroom, the world's your damn university. Online courses, books, podcasts, webinars, workshops, these aren't just buzzwords, they're your arsenal. The digital age has democratized knowledge, you have access to the world's greatest minds at your fingertips. So, exploit it. Learn from their experiences, triumphs, and blunders. Participate in mentoring programs or peer groups, not just as a mentee, but as a mentor. Sharing your knowledge and experiences isn't just charity, it's an investment in your growth. Learn from other leaders. See what makes them tick, how they handle crises, how they make decisions. Observe their communication, their collaboration. Everyone's got a lesson to offer.

Once you are clear on your core development areas, seek out an expert in that. Perhaps it's someone you already work alongside, or maybe a famous trailblazer. Really dig deep as to what that specifically does that makes them your chosen expert. Then consider ways you can emulate that in your own world.

Sometimes you can’t find ways to grow these skills with your current employer- and that’s okay. Consider strategic volunteering opportunities. These opportunities create win-win solutions as they grow skills, expand your network, and positively support your community.

Don't expect to go from 'zero to hero' overnight. Slow and steady usually wins the race, so be patient yet consistent and keep reminding yourself why you want to develop your skills. Having a strong purpose will keep you motivated on the tough days

There's no point learning if it's not engaging. Leadership isn't a dry topic you need to mug up for a test. It's dynamic, it's alive. So, seek out resources that keep you hooked, that excite you, that light a fire under your ass. Leadership skills aren't just about barking orders and taking charge. It's about communication, collaboration, decision-making, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, and innovation. These are the spices of the leadership dish. So, make sure your learning resources have them in ample measures.

Actively spend time speaking with employees across the organisation to understand their pain points and build a broader view of opportunities. Reverse mentor, you’ll learn a lot Reach out to peers you admire, have a coffee, sharing and learning from peers is hugely helpful and often unearths gems.

Mentoring programs and peer groups aren't just a treasure trove of knowledge and insights, they're also a stage for you to step onto. Yes, being a mentee means you're learning, but being a mentor? That's next-level stuff. When you share your experiences, your insights, your hard-earned wisdom, you're doing more than just helping someone else. You're cementing your own knowledge, you're developing your communication skills, you're becoming a better leader. It's a two-way street, my friend. The same goes for learning from other leaders. But you know what? Leadership isn't a Mount Everest that only a few people can conquer. It's a journey, it's a process, and it's happening all around you.

Leading is acting beyond knowledge. Many people know. Few people lead. Leading with heart is a daily devotion to others. Why? You lead by connecting with others. You lead by relating with others. You lead by belonging in solidarity with others. Connect. Relate. Belong. Three moves, one outcome: Leadership in action. How will you lead today?

The saddest day is the day you think you know all there is to know, as that means you stop applying yourself and stop learning. Leadership, like most things, evolves and adapts. The best leaders evolve and adapt too. Every day is a school day!

The focus on developing and maintaining leadership skills centers on making me a more reliable, informative, and ethical resource for others seeking assistance and insights related to leadership and management. It's a dynamic process that involves continuous improvement and a commitment to delivering valuable, responsible, and unbiased information.

Leadership attributes are like downloadable songs, endlessly shared, making the leader a timeless icon. So the recipe of a timeless leader lies in sharing the skills by creating more leaders around. It sharpens their own learning and positions themselves as timeless leaders.

Create your “Excellence Circle” & Act like an “World Class Athlete” Let me explain why. Any world class athlete outlives others by their constant reinvention. It’s beyond their game Hence they built a team of experts who can constantly tell them what he/she/they can’t see! Core Game coach Body Training Experts Food & Health Experts Branding & PR Experts Wealth Management Experts Well-being Coach When a leader builds such circle He beats hedonic adaptation Grows constantly Aligned with the need of the time Becomes Timeless leaders Rather than Time-less ones

Have goals, have a plan, keep an eye on them, review regularly and! don't overly fixate on them either. Staying flexible will allow you to not miss opportunities that can be life and career changing simply because they don't "match" the goals you have set for yourself.

If you’re manager isn’t a good one, find a coach! The coach will partner with you in helping you find the best solution to your challenges or help you stay focused on your development goals.

Accountability is critical for anyone. If you are hoping to grow and develop as a great leader, find someone to partner with and guide you along the way. You don’t need a friend… you need someone that will tell you the good and the bad, be realistic, and offer suggestions that align with your goals. A coach can do this, it’s their job. Don’t lean on a friend or a mentor to define a path and keep you accountable.