Unlocking your leadership potential and learning how to become a better leader are worthwhile goals worth working hard for when signing up for a leadership coaching program.
Taking up the right leadership and business coaching program allows you to sharpen your inherent leadership skills so you can motivate teams and work on achieving your personal and professional goals. It will also allow you to identify and enhance your leadership style.
Aside from helping you achieve your personal and professional goals, your new, better leadership skills should also let you help your company reach its organizational objectives.
However, learning and polishing your leadership skills are only the beginning of becoming the leader you want to be. Applying them in your workplace is also crucial in helping you achieve the goals you set when you signed up for a coaching program.
Practicing Your Leadership Skills in the Workplace
Below are the ten best ways to apply and hone your newly acquired leadership skills at work:
1. Speak up more
Improving your communication skills is one process involved in leadership coaching. Now that you have learned the right strategies and habits, you have to practice them in the workplace.
Start by speaking your mind more if you have any ideas for a new project, campaign, or strategy that can improve workplace processes, share those.
Don’t be afraid to speak up as long as you have studied and put careful thought into your ideas and are sure they will work.
Employers value workers who have well-thought-out and innovative ideas. Additionally, sharing them is a great way to build your reputation as a leader.
2. Ask questions
Aside from sharing your ideas, it would be best to start asking questions when you are confused about or do not understand something work-related.
Don’t feel embarrassed to ask questions about work. Keep in mind that some questions can lead to great ideas, contributing to organizational success.
Asking questions also shows your commitment to and interest in your work. If you want to prove you have leadership potential, ask relevant questions when you get the chance.
3. Be a good listener
Leadership coaching programs do not only train you to speak well; they also teach you to be a better listener.
Learn to listen actively to your customers, coworkers, supervisors, and anyone who speaks to you. Doing so allows you to have a better understanding of the situation or problem at hand.
Listening actively also helps you broaden your perspective and develop the most suitable solutions to current challenges.
Additionally, listening to others can help you open yourself to new ideas that you can use and share with others in the future.
4. Demonstrate your competency
The time and work you put into honing your leadership skills will waste if you are still not doing your job correctly.
No matter how much you motivate others, no one in your workplace will respect or like you if you keep turning in projects late or are always doing a messy job.
Continue doing your work on time and looking for ways to improve your efficiency and productivity. You won’t have difficulty doing this even as you climb the career ladder with your leadership training.
5. Take on more responsibilities at work
Another way you can apply your leadership skills at work and show that you are ready to take a higher position is to ask your superiors for additional roles and responsibilities.
Try to take up more duties in addition to what you already have. Aside from applying your new skills in the workplace, you will also get opportunities to assess how well you have mastered them and learn new ones.
The additional duties will also help you identify your weaknesses and know how to improve or fix them.
6. Be responsible
Whether you are doing your usual work or taking on new duties, taking responsibility for successful results and mistakes shows your leadership potential.
To be a good leader, be responsible for your contributions, even if they lead to undesirable or unexpected results.
When you show you can accept praise and criticism equally and work hard to correct your mistakes, you indicate your capability as a leader.
7. Become a thought leader in your workplace.
Since you are still honing your leadership skills, test the waters by becoming a thought leader in your department or company first.
Stay updated about the latest trends and developments in your industry and share them with your colleagues. If you are good at writing, consider writing articles and publishing them on the company’s website or add them to the monthly newsletter.
Also, look for speaking opportunities to share your learning and strategic vision to establish yourself as a thought leader. These can include intracompany training sessions, seminars, and meetings.
8. Support diversity
The best leaders understand that everyone contributes something to the company and makes the culture more productive and exciting regardless of their background.
To demonstrate your readiness to become a leader, know and accept the differences among all employees. Also, encourage sharing viewpoints among your peers during meetings to create breakthroughs and aha moments.
Keep in mind that it takes excellent leadership skills to foster diversity in the workplace. If you can do this, it is a good sign that you can be a great leader.
9. Always stay positive
Having an optimistic attitude is another quality that you should constantly work on and show in the workplace if you aspire to be a leader.
Thinking positively and being confident even if the situation is bleak can keep your team motivated to continue whatever they are doing.
Sometimes, positivity and self-motivation won’t come easily. But as a leader, keep in mind that demonstrating a few confident gestures during challenging times can make the people around you believe that you can help them with their problems.
10. Be a role model
When you have an optimistic outlook at work, are competent in your job, and volunteer or accept new responsibilities willingly, you can motivate your colleagues to do the same.
When you set an excellent example in the workplace, you can lead a more productive team towards a successful outcome.
Also, to be a true leader, aim to serve as a role model whether or not there are people around.
With these tips, you can maximize the benefits you get from your leadership coaching program. Moreover, you will become the leader you’ve always wanted to be.
AUTHOR BIO:
Salma El-Shurafa is an experienced Executive Coach and founder of The Pathway Project. She is a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach from The Coaches Training Institute (CTI), and a graduate of CTI’s Co-Active Leadership program.
