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Why You Should Want to Become a Better Leader

Want to become a better leader? Wherever you live, there are most likely a handful oforganizations that offer leadership development classes. It’s a trend that has become the norm asthe modern workplace continues to change and companies try out different approaches to increaseproductivity, engage its employees, and plan strategically.

A recent McKinsey & Company study opens with a rather powerful statement – over 90 percent ofCEOs have plans to increase investment in leadership development because they view it as themost important human-capital issue their organization faces.

Through research, McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm that leadsbusinesses, governments, non-governmental organizations and not-for profits, found that a smallsubset of leadership skills creates leadership success. This is especially true when youremployee(s) with leadership potential want to become a better leader.

In their study, they used their experience andsearched relevant academic materials to create alist of 20 leadership traits. Then, the firm surveyed189,000 people in 81 diverse organizationsglobally to analyze how frequently distinct kinds ofleadership behavior are applied within theirorganizations.

Finally, they divided the group into organizationsthat showed strong leadership performance andthose that had weak leadership performance.

According to McKinsey & Company, “What wefound was that leaders in organizations with high-quality leadership teams typically displayed 4 ofthe 20 possible types of behavior; these 4, indeed,explained 89 percent of the variance between strong and weak organizations in terms of leadershipeffectiveness.”

4 Leadership Traits You Need to Become a Better Leader

Here are the four top leadership behaviors identified by McKinsey & Company and why they areimportant to start implementing now to become a better leader:

1. Solve problems effectively

Solving problems effectively allows you to make the best decisions you can for your business.Problem solving involves gathering necessary information, analyzing it, and considering it.

Solving problems effectively is the most important trait on this list because you don’t want to leadyour team in the wrong direction. This skill will be used everyday whether you are resolvingconflicts within the office or trying to find a solution for a strategic matter. Want to become abetter leader? Become a problem solver.

1. Be supportive

Leaders need emotional intelligence to be successful. Emotional intelligence is the ability tomonitor your own and other’s emotions. Supporting your employees builds trust and when youremployees trust you, influencing or leading them is smooth sailing!

Leadership is defined as the act of guiding ordirecting a group. You can guide a group whosefeelings you are not in tune with. Be supportive.Don’t be afraid to step into a division’s group workand promote efficiency. Be the positive energythat promotes a healthy business culture, too.Want to become a better leader? Besupportive.

Learn more about the importance of havingemotional intelligence in a recent blog post.

1. Operate with a strong results-orientation

Leaders “do.” They are results-oriented andproductive. To be the most productive you can be,it’s important to prioritize the highest-value work.

Developing and communicating a vision for your company leads you nowhere if you don’t followthrough on the objectives outlined in your plan. Be the one that takes charge and creates successas seen by results. Want to become a better leader? Focus on results.

1. Seek different perspectives

Making decisions based only on your perspective is a huge risk. You should surround yourself withpeople who have different perspectives. They will help you shed light on an issue that you mayhave not seen previously.

Also, leaders have mentors or coaches. They seek the advice of others, which helps them grow asa leader. Want to become a better leader? Keep an open mind.

Prioritizing these four leadership traits is the first step in investing in leadership development. And,while it’s been said that different leadership traits work better for different companies, these fourbehaviors cross over many industries in helping build strong, successful leaders.