As a leader, honing your skills and continually striving for improvement is essential. Previously I explained the 7 Attributes of Leadership. Now here are some practical suggestions and short-term goals you can set to enhance your leadership traits:

1. Effective Communication: Practice active listening, ask for feedback, and clearly articulate your vision and expectations. Remember that, in essence, effective communication for a leader encompasses the ability to convey messages clearly and unambiguously, actively listen to others, show empathy towards team members’ perspectives, align non-verbal cues with verbal messages to convey sincerity and confidence (this is very important and oftenly overlooked), offer and receive feedback constructively, adapt communication styles to suit different audiences, maintain transparency to build trust and credibility, ensure consistency in messages to avoid confusion, encourage dialogue for open communication and idea sharing, resolve conflicts calmly and constructively, and create a positive work environment that fosters collaboration and productivity through honest, open, and respectful communication practices (you may want to set a goal to hold regular check-ins with your team to foster open communication).
2. Lead by Example: In short: be a role model for your team by demonstrating the behavior and work ethic you expect from them. Leading by example means showing others how to act and behave by doing those things yourself. Leaders who lead by example are like superheroes who always do the right thing first, so others can see and follow them. Leaders will set a good path for others to follow by doing good things themselves. Thereby make a goal to showcase your values through your actions every day.
3. Embrace Diversity: Encourage diverse perspectives within your team by actively seeking out input from different team members. This means welcoming and appreciating people from different backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives. It’s like having a big box of crayons with many colors, and each color is unique and special. Leaders who embrace diversity understand that everyone brings something different and valuable to the team, just like how each color makes a beautiful picture. They listen to different ideas, respect everyone’s differences, and make sure that everyone feels included and heard. By embracing diversity, leaders create a team where everyone feels accepted, respected, and valued for who they are, making the group stronger and more successful together. In essence, a great leader will create an inclusive environment where everyone feels valued.
4. Develop Emotional Intelligence: Work on understanding your emotions and those of others, and learn to handle conflicts with emotional intelligence. Developing emotional intelligence involves understanding and managing your own emotions as well as being aware of and empathetic towards others’ emotions. One way to work on this is by practicing active listening, where you focus on what someone is saying without interrupting and try to understand their feelings. For example, when a friend is sad, you can listen to them and offer support without judging. Another way is to reflect on your own emotions and reactions to different situations. For instance, when you feel angry, take a moment to think about why you’re feeling that way and how you can respond calmly. By being mindful of both your own emotions and those of others, you can improve your emotional intelligence over time.
5. Delegate Responsibilities: Trust your team members with tasks and empower them to make decisions. You should delegate more effectively by matching tasks to team members’ strengths: effective delegation as a leader involves assigning tasks to team members based on their strengths, skills, and interests while providing clear guidelines and expectations. For example, if you have a team member who excels at graphic design, you could delegate a project requiring those skills to them. Communication is key – clearly outline the task, deadlines, and desired outcome. Check in periodically to offer support and guidance but also allow autonomy and trust in your team’s abilities. By delegating responsibilities effectively, you empower team members, increase productivity, and foster a sense of ownership and accountability within the team.
6. Continuous Learning: Commit to lifelong learning and stay updated on industry trends and developments. Attend leadership workshops, read leadership books, or take online courses. For a leader, continuous learning involves seeking knowledge and insights from various sources to enhance their skills and decision-making abilities. Studying classics like “The Art of War” allows leaders to gain timeless wisdom and strategic thinking applicable to modern-day challenges. By delving into such seminal works, leaders can extract valuable lessons on leadership, conflict resolution, and decision-making that can be adapted and applied in their own roles. For example, Sun Tzu’s principles in “The Art of War” can offer insights on strategic planning, understanding competition, and the importance of adaptability in leadership scenarios. Wisdom is your goal.
7. Build Relationships: Invest time in building strong relationships with your team members. You might need to schedule one-on-one meetings to get to know each team member better. It’s also very important to build a powerful network of contacts.
8. Encourage Innovation: Support creativity and innovation within your team by creating a safe space for sharing new ideas and experimenting with different approaches. As a leader, you can boost innovation in your organization by creating a culture that values creativity, experimentation, and collaboration. Encourage open communication channels where ideas are welcomed and employees feel empowered to share their thoughts. Provide resources and support for innovation initiatives, such as dedicated time for research and development projects, training programs, and access to technology. Inspire your team to think outside the box and drive innovation across the organization.
9. Provide Recognition: Acknowledge and appreciate your team’s hard work and achievements. Learn to give specific, timely feedback and recognize individual and team accomplishments. Specially, and related to the previous goal, recognize and reward innovative thinking to motivate employees and reinforce a culture of continuous improvement.
10. Time Management: Improve your time management skills to prioritize tasks effectively and avoid burnout. Set a goal to create a daily schedule that allows time for strategic planning and personal development.
11. Conflict Resolution: Develop strategies for resolving conflicts within your team. As a leader, developing effective conflict resolution strategies involves several key steps. First, create an open and supportive environment: cultivate open communication within your team to encourage members to express concerns and issues freely. Then listen actively to all parties involved in the conflict to understand their perspectives and feelings. At this point, you’ll have to identify the root cause of the problem: get to the core of the conflict by understanding the underlying issues causing tension or disagreements. An effective approach to solve organizational conflicts is encouraging collaboration, allowing team members to work together to find a mutually agreeable solution. Facilitate discussions and brainstorming sessions to resolve conflicts. A truly great leader acts as a mediator to help guide the resolution process. Encourage team members to focus on problem-solving rather than blame. It’s also important to set clear expectations: clearly outline team goals, roles, and responsibilities to prevent future conflicts arising from misunderstandings. Finally, check in with team members after the conflict has been resolved to ensure that the solution is working effectively. Provide support and guidance if needed.
12. Lead with Integrity: Uphold ethical standards and be transparent in your decision-making. Consistently act with honesty and integrity, even in challenging situations, in order to build trust. Demonstrating honesty and integrity fosters trust among team members and stakeholders. Trust is essential for effective communication, collaboration, and overall team performance. It also sets a positive example, as leaders serve as role models for their teams. By upholding ethical values even in difficult times, you’ll inspire others to follow suit and maintain high standards of behavior. Acting with honesty and integrity will also enhance your credibility. It ensures that your decisions and actions are respected and trusted by others, even in challenging or uncertain circumstances. Besides, being honest and acting with integrity promotes transparency and truth within the organization. This helps in building a culture of openness and accountability, which leads to better problem-solving and decision-making. Don’t forget that a consistent adherence to ethical principles builds a foundation for long-term success. It helps in creating a positive work environment, retaining top talent, and fostering a strong organizational reputation. Remember, reputation is key and once it’s lost it’s hard or impossible to regain.
13. Seek Mentorship: Find a mentor who can provide guidance and support in your leadership journey. Seek advice from experienced leaders and learn from their insights. This is related to the sixth goal, Continuous Learning.
14. Flexibility and Adaptability: Be open to change and ready to adapt to new circumstances. Embrace uncertainty and lead your team through transitions with resilience. Randomness is a fact of an organization’s life. Navigating uncertainty in organizational decision-making involves gathering pertinent information, employing scenario planning to prepare for various outcomes, conducting risk assessments, embracing flexibility to adapt swiftly, engaging stakeholders for diverse perspectives, developing a resilient culture, and emphasizing continuous learning to refine strategies.
15. Self-Care: Prioritize self-care to maintain your well-being and lead effectively. Practice mindfulness, exercise regularly, and take breaks to recharge.

Finally, as a bonus, learn to visualize goals.