Category Archives: Leadership Skills

If you’re concerned about whether you have the right skillset to navigate the business world throughout the coming years, you’re actually ahead of the pack. Facing change and uncertainty can feel scary, but your awareness of the oncoming changes will help you prepare to negotiate them with grace and skill.

Plenty of core competencies will remain essential skills for leaders in the future. Certain ones will become increasingly vital, while other skills valued in today’s workplace will diminish in importance. By developing the right mix of skills, you’ll have the confidence and assertiveness to thrive in a changing organizational environment.

Six Essential Skills for Future Leaders 1. Coaching ability.

Machines aren’t likely to begin effectively coaching employees any time in the foreseeable future, McKinsey’s research has confirmed. While AI applications can do a lot of things more efficiently than humans, like answering basic questions or guiding an employee through a … Continue reading 6 Essential Skills for Future Leaders →

According to the World Economic Forum, five years from now, over one-third of the skills that are important on the job today will have become irrelevant. That means some of your employees could find their jobs being phased out in the coming years.

Through active leadership, you can support your direct reports through these transitions. If you’ve realized that one of your employees has a job that will become obsolete in the foreseeable future, it’s time to take action. You need to proactively help him develop a strategy for remaining marketable and valuable, helping him define a viable pathway for his career. Recently I shared insights on which skills will be most critical for jobs of the future. By helping your employees develop those skills, you’ll help open new opportunities for them in the years to come.

Embarking on a new career pathway takes courage, especially if it’s substantially … Continue reading The 5 Most Important and Critical Skills for Jobs of the Future →

To become a great leader, you need to gain and maintain your employees’ respect. Without that, you may be the boss, but your leadership role will be short-lived. Growing the qualities of great leaders will bring you to success, not a job title or promotion.

7 Common Traits that Cause Leaders to Fail

The American Management Association conducted in-depth interviews with 41 executives and uncovered seven common traits that most often lead leaders to failure:

Insensitivity to co-workers. Aloofness and arrogance. Tendency to misuse information conveyed in confidence. Inability to control ambition. Inability to delegate assignments or promote teamwork. Inability to staff effectively. Inability to think strategically.

So how can those who lead maintain the difficult balance of managing the affairs of the company while maintaining the loyalty of their employees? What truly sets apart the mediocre, overbearing boss from a highly respected and effective leader?

The answer … Continue reading Five Skills of an Effective Leader →

Where have all the leaders gone? Perhaps some of them are just temporarily invisible.

While Sue, a client of mine, started her new role at Google, she suddenly saw before her the leader she aspired to become. Her passion and enthusiasm were contagious. She was capable, strong, confident and articulate.

Sue knew she was able to be herself with her own team, people below her, partners/clients and sometimes even with her boss. Her passive, introspective self came to life when she was around her superiors. When it came to working with the senior executives, she felt she didn’t know enough to contribute.

Even though she often knew as much (if not more) than her superiors, she surrendered her power and confidence to them. She let herself disappear. She was afraid she would say something wrong and be reprimanded so she minimized herself in their presence. She began to recreate … Continue reading 10 Powerful Leadership Tips
That All Great Leaders Do →

“Joel’s coaching helped me identify and implement new strategies that allowed me to take my career to a new level. Joel provides valuable guidance and perspective and his passion is evident in every session. I highly recommend Joel’s executive coaching services.”

Scott H., Sr. Merchant Product Manager, AMAZON 

What does a leader look like? Think of two leaders, famous or not, whom you admire and respect. What do they do that is so different? What traits do they have that help them excel at a high level?

Leadership is not a great mystery. Outstanding leaders have specific traits in common. These qualities of great leaders can be learned and developed—by you!

Qualities of a Great Leader Client Example

My client Dianne, a senior director at a major pharmaceutical firm , came to this realization when she decided she couldn’t settle for staying at the same level any … Continue reading What Great Leaders Do: 14 Essential Qualities to Master →

What qualities should you possess to be an effective leader? Good leaders have intuitive vision, are wise and charismatic, have integrity and confidence, project executive presence and command respect.

Although all of these qualities are vital to being a good leader, there are some qualities you might overlook that can make an incredible difference in how you are perceived and can help you grow both personally and professionally.

As an executive coach, here are five personality development techniques I share with top executives that you can use to become a better leader: Respect their time.

No matter where you are on the corporate ladder, everyone’s time is important and showing that you respect their time speaks volumes about you. Being late or not showing up for appointments makes you seem careless and disorganized. Set up reminders to prompt you in advance for a meeting you’re supposed to attend so that … Continue reading 5 Personality Development Techniques
Be a Better Leader! →