Leaders exist at every stage of the management spectrum, from new managers to those leading an organisation. Central to their role is the ability to inspire and motivate people to follow them. If you want to pursue a leadership role, then you need to be recognised as such, and so the journey of honing leadership skills commences.

Leadership is a crucial attribute that many managers lack, despite their job title. There is a set of key leadership skills that apply to all leaders, but as you progress through the management structure, additional and differentiating skills are required. In this article, we will focus on the key leadership skills for new managers, although experienced managers could use this for self-reflection.

What leadership skills should you focus on? A new manager must accept that they have much to learn. Self-awareness – the ability to reflect and learn from every situation – is the true sign of a leader.

A strong desire and passion to learn is the starting point. Effective leaders do not need to learn all skills. They should be confident enough to recognise their weaknesses and develop their team to address those weak links.

“All leaders are clear that they succeeded by building on their strengths. Everyone has weaknesses –building on weaknesses is not a recipe for success. We need to build on our strengths and work around the weaknesses” Jo Owen.¹