5 Tips to Increase Your Leadership Savviness

By: Kathy Kent Toney, President of Kent Business Solutions

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

Sav-vi-ness. I love how that word rolls off the tongue! And it’s a quality we would all do well to embrace. It means "shrewdness and practical knowledge; the ability to make good judgments." You combine that with "leadership," and that's a winning combo!

So, what does it take to increase your leadership savviness? Here are five tips for raising your quotient:

1. Read, Read, Read

We've all heard how important it is for business leaders to read regularly. Business icons like Mark Cuban read three hours a day, and Warren Buffet reads 500 pages per day!

There's always audiobooks, YouTube, and even online classes you can take for those who don't like to read. The point is this: it keeps important concepts top-of-mind. Not only that, here are few other benefits:

• Keeps you abreast of developments in your industry to fuel better decision making
• Cultivates creativity
• Increases analytical skills
• Decreases stress levels

And don’t we all need less stress in our lives!

2. Listen and Observe Intently

Become a student of leaders you admire through critical listening and observation. Doing so can teach you a wealth of information. This approach works well with excellent leaders you admire and with whom you're personally acquainted. Even informal conversations with them can give you many nuggets of wisdom you can use in your everyday work lives.

Also, observing how they lead can give you ideas of ways to emulate them.

3. Learn from Your Mistakes

Many wannabe leaders hate making mistakes and don't take risks, limiting their ability to step into more responsible roles. On the other hand, great leaders know that making mistakes and learning from them is part of the process. It's a part of their course of development, though certainly, not intentionally.

My advice to you is this: don't be afraid of making mistakes! Most managers are tolerant and understanding when you do, especially if you let them know you want to grow in taking risks.

4. Work with Mentors

Great leaders became that way through mentors passing on their knowledge to them. I say “mentors” because having more than one is better than just one.

If you don’t have any, start asking leaders you admire to mentor you, even if you think they might be too busy to do so. You may be pleasantly surprised when they say “yes”!

5. Practice What You’ve Learned

Put into action all that you’ve learned. If you’re working with a mentor, develop an action plan and review progress during your follow-on meetings. Continually update your plan based on achieving your goals and new areas you want to grow in.

And stick to it. Growing into a great leader requires due diligence and intentional effort.
 
These are just a few tips to increase your leadership savviness. The key is to be open to learning from everyday experiences and from leaders you admire.
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