Key Business leadership skills
No matter what industry you work in, or what level you work at, leadership skills can be hugely beneficial. Whether you’re a manager of a team, or simply want to work with your colleagues more effectively, leadership skills are integral for just about everyone.
Without leadership, the working day would look very different. Hours would be wasted working on tasks in the wrong order, staff would be waiting around for emails and departments would misplace files – only leading to more time being wasted.
If businesses really want to succeed, they need to create a positive working environment, but with structure in place. And to create structure, you need a leader.
In today’s post, we’re going to discuss the four most important business leadership skills needed for a productive and efficient working environment.
THE 4 KEY BUSINESS LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Multitasking
Of course, being able to work on, or manage more than one thing at a time is a hugely important skill for the workplace. There are very few jobs that allow staff to focus solely on one task at a time. As such, being able to multitask comes in handy just about every day.
But what is multi-tasking? The multi-tasking definition is simply to work on more than one task at a time. But there’s more to multi-tasking than simply doing two things at once. The key to successful multitasking is to be able to ensure that the quality and accuracy of the work completed doesn’t falter due to a lack of focus.
There are some studies that suggest multitasking is actually bad for productivity, memory, and brain health. This is understandable, as focusing on one task at a time would get the job done better, and faster. However, we all still do it and need to do it.
What’s more, these studies don’t take into account the difference between having 1000 tabs open on your browser and flicking between them to get different things done, and having a structured practice for multitasking.
There are four key strategies for ensuring your multitasking is more than checking your emails while also working:
The first is to ensure that no matter what task you’re working on, it has your full attention – at least for a short period of time. Setting specific time frames for each task and a completion time, can improve this focus, and make multitasking a valuable skill.
You also need to train yourself to be effective at switching gears, so that you can work on similar tasks at the same time. Working on two jobs simultaneously that are completely different opens you up for a lot of inaccuracy and procrastination.
Prioritization is key too. Multi-tasking should be done to make time more efficient for high pay-off tasks.
Finally, having an organized calendar, to-do list, and breakdown of your workday can massively improve multitasking and productivity.
With Leverice, we combine all these factors to make multitasking easy and efficient. Productivity can be managed on both an individual and team level – ensuring everyone is working together. Tasks can be assigned to different people or groups, updates can be provided in real-time and workflow structures can be monitored.
Message boards can be set up to discuss single topics meaning information doesn’t get mixed within email threads and different conversations. Segmenting communication like this ensures focus can be achieved for each task and information can be found quickly and efficiently.
The tool can also help staff stay on top of their to-do lists, with clear and concise dashboards making getting straight into work mode much easier.
Planning & Organizing
Another key leadership skill is being able to stay organized – especially if you’re wanting to multitask efficiently. Whether you’re just responsible for managing your own workload, or are in charge of the whole team, being able to plan and organize is integral for productivity and success.
Without proper planning, businesses will struggle to see serious development, and may not be able to achieve their growth goals in the planned time. Similarly, without organization, plenty of time in the working day can be wasted on other menial tasks that tear away from the real project at hand.
Leverice’s one-stop-shop tool ensures everything you need is organized and readily available no matter where you find yourself. The cloud-based filing system centralizes the knowledge hub of the business, meaning everyone has access to everything they need. Simple folder breakdowns allow teams to find exactly what they’re looking for within seconds – meaning much less time is wasted tracking down documents.
This streamlined file sharing also allows staff to work on a single document all at the same time, rather than having to create duplicates and multiple edits. It’s this level of organization that keeps everything neat and tidy, ready to be accessed at any time.
With the tool’s workflow structures (which can be adapted to suit your latest projects), the staff knows exactly where they are, and what they need to be working on. Managers can monitor progress through a simple dashboard and can re-assign tasks if things seem to be falling behind.
If the team is working remotely, being organized can be even harder. But with video calling and integrated communication tools, staff can contact one another instantly, or plan their days with an initial call in the morning.
Effective communication
Leaders can only lead if they use effective business communication. Communicating effectively is to portray your message in the best way possible so that others can understand. In business situations, effective communication of the vision can help staff identify their individual role and purpose.
But the vision is only the starting point. Leaders need to ensure their communication is direct, but not dictating: There is a difference between leading and controlling. Effective business communication in the workplace starts with being able to empower and inspire others so that they work to the best of their abilities to reach a common goal.
To communicate effectively, you need to be clear, avoid jargon, be positive and actively listen to others. Leaders need to provide solutions and direction while taking into consideration the views and values of other people.
And the effects of good communication in business are endless. It creates a more flexible and positive working environment for everyone – ultimately leading to more positivity. With good communication, nobody is left behind through misunderstanding, and the workforce feels more supported and valued.
There are a huge number of ways to improve your communication skills, and plenty can be self-taught through online courses or research. But there are also tools that can help.
Leverice promotes, and offers, effective business communication channels for all levels of the workforce. Remote staff can hugely benefit from speaking to colleagues and managers via video call, rather than solely via email. As we all know, emails can easily be misunderstood, and the tone of voice can be misconstrued. Using Leverice’s integrated video conferencing, staff can ensure they effectively communicate their points, while others can read body language and remove any barriers of text-based communication.
For times when staff just need to ask a quick question or find out information about a particular task, message boards can be used for instant messaging – making communication much quicker and effective. No longer do staff need to wait for an email reply, meaning they can get back to work quicker.
Coordination & Collaboration
Teamwork makes the dream work, as the saying goes. Combining effective communication and organization, the best leaders will encourage collaboration, cooperation, and coordination within the workplace in order to boost productivity, get the creative juices flowing and tasks completed faster.
Even now, businesses across the world still have departments working in silos – making cross-department collaboration difficult. Without it, however, work can take a lot longer to complete, with different teams working in different ways on tasks at different times.
Leverice can be used by all departments to break down the barriers of silos, and promote collaboration. Effective communication by leaders can ensure everyone knows what they need to do, and who they need to speak to. Groups can be created for smaller tasks, with people from different departments coming together to discuss projects on message boards.
But as with any collaboration, there also needs to be coordination, so that everyone stays on track. Managers can use the Leverice tool to assign groups or individuals different tasks and switch jobs when someone needs a little extra support. That way, progress can continue without overwhelming the team.
There are so many other skills that leaders need to master in order to lead their staff to success. However, with these key four pillars, managers can see significant improvements immediately. But leaders are only as good as the tools and equipment they have available. That’s why Leverice is always looking for ways to ensure leaders in any industry have everything they need to effectively communicate, encourage collaboration, and successfully multitask.
With designated message boards, centralized filing, and to-do list assignments, staff at all levels can work together in the most effective and productive way.
