The 5 Most Important Skills A Leader Needs

Before you can lead others, you need to lead yourself. Being a leader is all about self-development and investing in yourself. This involves taking the time to understand leadership theories, frameworks, tools, techniques and how to motivate others. A good leader possesses self-awareness, exhibits humility, has strong communication skills and has the ability to empathise.

At SPD we have created programmes that embody the essence of a leader and cultivates essential leadership qualities to help you become the leader you seek to be. We will equip you with the necessary skills and characteristics required to successfully lead a workforce or team, while setting a vision and executing a strategy that is expected from a leader today.

We interviewed John Palfreyman, one of our long-standing lecturers and a key leader in his own right, on what are the 5 most important skills a leader needs.

John explains:

Engender trust, rather than exercise control.
Inspire people, rather than control their activities.
Influence people, rather than rely on your power through status.
Focus on principles and guidelines (the ‘what’), rather than policies and procedures (the ‘how’).
Adopt a long term, holistic view and be constantly curious.

We at SPD believe continuing professional development is essential for individuals who aspire to become leaders as it allows them to stay current with the latest technologies, best practices in their field, and develop new skills and knowledge.

We offer a range of Leadership and Management programmes, non-accredited and accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and Digital Marketing Institute (DMI). View all available programmes here.

Overall, by investing time in yourself through professional development programmes, you can become better equipped to lead and manage others effectively, achieve organisational goals, and contribute to your company's or organisation's growth and success