Assessing our Executives

Skills your Business Leaders must have

In order to achieve organisational goals, effective leadership is essential.  But how does one become effective? What are the key skills that we require in our leaders? This article will outline 5 important skills that Business Leaders require.

Key Skills

1.    Think and Act Strategically – A leader must be able to place the market, economic, business and operational aspects into context and create a plan for the future. Thinking about and acting upon these things strategically is critical to achieve success.
2.    Organised and Productive – It is important to lead by example. Therefore, he/she has to have good personal productivity, organisation and time management.
3.    Understand the impact of technology – One must understand the impact of technology on the business and how it can be leveraged for commercial advantage.
4.    Set the Performance Standards – This relates to creating the desired culture for the Company, individual, and team.
5.    Ability to be a Team Player – Creating a strong leadership team – building relationships within and externally to the business – putting team above self.

In relation to these key skills, it is important to highlight that:

•    These skills are in addition to any technical skills that might be required and the list is not exhaustive.
•    Take note that good leadership is not about being perfect – it is about balance and “walking the talk.”
•    You can use these areas to assess individual performance of yourself and the team.

Today, Business Leaders are constantly juggling a range of issues and challenges. These are the skills that help our leaders be effective in a changing environment.

How do you rate yourself? Score yourself on each skill area (out of 10 – where 1 = poor and 10 = excellent) and determine where you might need to focus your personal development. Assess your key leaders against the same criteria.

Where do you need to improve your skills? Add your feedback below.

Russell

Download Skills Assessment Template here

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