Get the skills: Leadership

Good leaders understand how to inspire people to work towards a specific goal and – in many cases – encourage individuals to achieve things that they would not have done (or perhaps even attempted) on their own.

 

Leadership can take many forms. Asked to name a good leader and our first thought may be of a charismatic individual such as Nelson Mandela or Winston Churchill. However, influential leaders can be lower key, inspiring through their integrity or consistent pursuit of a goal. There is no right or wrong way to lead, but approaches should be authentic and play to an individual’s strengths. 

 

Although the style may differ, good leaders have a number of common capabilities. 

 

Good leaders set out a vision and clear expectations. They listen and get to know the people that they work with, enabling them to delegate tasks appropriately, offer encouragement where necessary and identify where individuals need help and support. To do that effectively requires empathy. Good leaders also inspire trust and have strong managerial skills, ensuring they can organise others and track progress. They have confidence in their abilities, inspiring confidence in others, and are accountable. Above all, they are good communicators.

 

These are all skills that individuals can develop and display whatever their role. There is no need to be in a line management position. In fact, the scale of change needed to implement sustainability in many organisations means that individuals at all levels need to inspire, support and guide others. 

 

Sustainability initiatives provide employees with an array of opportunities to develop their leadership abilities, whether that is convincing others to recycle more or join a corporate fundraising initiative, organising a group of sustainability champions, or identifying and promoting more sustainable ways for the company to make its products.

 

Learning to lead

Effective leaders call on a broad set of skills – some that come naturally to them and others that they have to consciously work at. Consequently, there are as many ways to develop leadership skills. However, a few common practices can put individuals on the path to becoming better leaders:

1. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses: You may be naturally organised, but struggle to influence others. Core to developing your leadership skills is knowing what you are good at and what you do not do so well. This should help you to prioritise your leadership development needs.

2. Focus on specific skills: Leaders need a broad set of skills, but it is impossible to develop all of them at once. Pick one skill that comes less easily and make a plan to develop it. See OckiPro’s ‘Get the skills…’ series.

3. Identify skills that are relevant: Depending on your organisation’s sustainability journey, there may be leadership skills that are particularly relevant. For example, emotional intelligence will help you to identify where colleagues’ well-being may suffer because of the enormity of sustainability topics – there is plenty of data showing many people struggle to process the threat of climate change to humanity.

4. Understand your natural leadership style and judge if it is right for the change required: Some leaders are more consultative or put the needs of the team first, others are more visionary and lead from the front. Taking the time to understand your natural style, and the impact that it has on others in your team, will help you to understand if your style is right for the situation in hand, or if you need to develop new skills. For example, a team navigating a major change will likely need a leader that paints a picture of a transformed organisation, rather than one that consults on the way forward. However, if you are looking to co-create sustainability solutions with a cross-section of employees, a more collaborative type of leadership is required.

5. Take on new projects: Seek opportunities to develop leadership skills by taking on additional responsibilities, or new projects beyond your core role. Volunteering to be a sustainability champion offers a range of opportunities to practise different skills and techniques, for example to focus on communication skills or how to influence others.

6. Look outside: There are a plethora of opportunities to develop leadership abilities outside of work. Many clubs, societies and charities are keen for support, particularly at a management level, allowing the chance to work on your communication skills or strategic abilities. They may also be more forgiving of those just developing their skills because they are keen for support.

7. Identify leaders you admire: Take time to consider those around you and what makes them good leaders. Are their specific behaviours that they adopt and that you can replicate?

8. Find a mentor: It is often difficult to objectively assess our strengths and weaknesses. A coach or mentor can help you to assess your development priorities and progress towards your goals. They can also advise you on the tactics that helped them in their leadership journey.

9. Embrace continuous learning: Effective leaders are always learning and honing their skills. Starting out, you may focus on broad leadership topics like strategy or communication skills. As you progress, you may want to narrow in to explore more niche technical skills, such as negotiation, or understanding industry trends, such as the changing world of work, that are going to affect your organisation in the future.

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