Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge.”
– Simon Sinek, Author of Leaders Eat Last
A great business leader can start from square one and still take a company on the road to success. But where are these great leaders found? Is there a specific place or website? Well, no, becoming an excellent leader is a journey that requires training, practice, and some resources.
I cannot help you in training or practicing, but I can tell you about some resources that are a ‘must know’ for business leaders. Do you know that 83% of enterprises believe it’s important to develop leaders at all levels in a company? (LinkedIn: 22 Inspiring Leadership Statistics)
Without further delay, let’s get right into it, and let me tell you about some of the essential tools and skills that will assist you in building a strong leadership network for success.
There is no one magic tool to turn someone into a great leader. However, some tools can play a part in effective business leadership and facilitate various operations –
A business leader needs to ensure the health, performance, and security of the company’s IT structure. For that, Network monitoring tools provide them with real-time visibility into the network operations. These quick updates assist them in making smart decisions, resource allocation, and long-term strategy.
Can you imagine how hectic it can get for a leader to manage different projects at once? Being a business leader requires you to work on multiple tasks and teams at once.
Tools like Teams, Google Workspace, Asana, or Trello can help you run all these tasks smoothly. These can even help you track project structures and delegate tasks in an organized manner.
A leader has the responsibility to make strategic and calculated decisions for their firms. There may be times when he/she has to give a firm and fast verdict, keeping in mind that one wrong move can lead to serious consequences. Such situations can put serious pressure on a person, but a leader has to deal with these things on a regular basis.
To help them out in this, many decision-making tools are crafted. The most common type is data analysis tools, providing real-time updates for intelligent decisions. These can range from general all-purpose tools like Excel to hyper-specific analytic tools.
FUN FACT
“Good to Great” by Jim Collins has become almost a mandatory reading for business leaders.
Contrary to popular belief, good leaders are not born, they are made through training, practice, everyday challenges, and the skills they develop in this journey. Microsoft business applications training can streamline this journey for you and prepare you to enter the technology-driven workforce with in-demand skills, the ones mentioned below.
It is necessary for a business leader to not only be able to convey their ideas and thoughts, but also be a good listener and listen to their employees to understand their perspective. Building this two-way active communication is essential for an efficacious and streamlined workflow.
It is said that problems can not be avoided and can only be solved. Since hardships are inevitable, a good person in charge must possess the right skills to overcome those. They should know how to act if things go south and put in place suitable preventative measures to ensure that something like that does not happen again.
Suboptimal time management can lead to decreased productivity and work stress. That is why time management is a must-have skill for leaders. They need to be aware of the efficiency of their teams and delegate tasks according to the strengths and weaknesses of the members to gain the most promising outcomes.
DO YOU KNOW?
Managers who have received proper leadership training are up to 88% more productive. The graph below represents the ages when managers first get leadership training.
A strong leadership network is fundamental for businesses to succeed and sustain. A business leader can build and leverage a strong leadership network by the following steps –
These eight ways will not only help you strengthen your already existing professional relationships but also help you build more new and valuable connections, leading you to better opportunities.
As I mentioned above, being a good leader is not a one-step process but a journey. The tools and skills mentioned in this article will facilitate and simplify this journey to significant degrees and help you become an asset to your company and build a strong.
