5 topics to explore for developing successful leaders

In a culture that fosters leadership, everyone has the opportunity to adopt a leadership posture or develop leadership skills.

If you want to develop teams of leaders, here are 5 themes to consider in your skill development initiatives.

1 – Psychological safety

Psychological safety is, for example, when we feel that we can be vulnerable, imperfect, and authentic and that we can try new things without judgment. The ability to create this psychological safety is one of the essential soft skills of great leaders.

Indeed, when a climate of psychological safety is present, each member of the team feels free to express themselves, to express their doubts but also their ideas. This is the ground that allows them to challenge themselves, realign themselves, and excel together.

2 – Engagement

A leader is nothing without a team. The strength of a leader lies in their ability to mobilize and encourage their team members to move in a common direction.

To develop engagement, there is no need to be a magician. You need to act on 3 of the fundamental needs of human beings: the need for social affiliation, the need for autonomy, and the need for competence. This is the basis of mobilizing and inclusive leadership.

When you know how to activate the right levers and you understand what motivates or de-motivates a person, you can do great things!

3 – Kindness

How can we talk about leadership without talking about kindness? To be able to inspire and help people to be the best they can be, kindness is a much better technique than intimidation.

When faced with a person who means well, we are more likely to be involved and even surpass ourselves. In fact, it has been shown that the most successful teams are those that demonstrate kindness and goodwill.

A word of clarification: kindness does not mean “absence” of conflict. In fact, it means giving ourselves the chance to approach them with respect for the other person at the heart of our concerns.

By showing kindness, leaders set an example and encourage others to do the same, creating virtuous cycles within the organization.

4 – Courage in the workplace

Sometimes, in the life of an organization, situations arise that are not easy to live with or manage. Sometimes you have to stand up for your point of view even when it goes against the majority. This requires, from time to time, addressing a performance gap with a particularly valued team member. But it can also mean making a difficult (and unpopular) decision for your team.

These situations require courage, and courage is one of the essential qualities of excellent leadership.

5 – Unconscious biases

The best decisions are made by leaders who openly admit to having biases shaped by their experiences, perceptions, or beliefs.

In order to make informed decisions for ourselves, our team, and our organization, it is important to recognize that our view of reality is incomplete and that we need to take steps to correct it.

Thus, by becoming familiar with the unconscious biases that influence many of our actions and decisions, we can move toward much more intentional and inclusive leadership.

Giving people the chance to develop these five skills allows leaders who are not aware of their abilities to come out of the shadows and contribute to the success of your team and your organization. By focusing on the talents that are in place and giving them the opportunity to develop, you put all the chances on your side to have human and performing teams!