becoming an effective leader essay ilm

ILM 507 Becoming An Effective Leader Level 5 Assignment Sample UK

ILM507 Becoming An Effective Leader course offers a comprehensive and effective foundation for learning the skills necessary to become a successful leader. This course dives deep into topics such as communication, the development of leadership styles, problem-solving through decisive planning, negotiating tactics, and influencing people with stories. It is designed to develop students’ ability to evaluate their own actions and provide valuable insight toward future successes. So whether you want to be a CEO or social change maker, this course will give you the skills and competencies to reach your goals!

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In this section, we offer several assignment briefs. These are:

ILM 507 Task 1: Evaluate your own ability to fulfill key responsibilities of the leadership role.

In my experience, I have been able to fulfill the key responsibilities of a leadership role effectively. I believe that communication is paramount for successful leadership and I strive to create an environment that provides clear direction and guidance. I aim to enable my team to achieve their goals and objectives through guidance, mentorship, advocacy and appropriate support. Furthermore, in order to be successful in a leadership role it is necessary to maintain a strong sense of integrity and ethical behavior which I set as a priority for myself. I am also conscious of the importance of recognition; acknowledging the good work accomplished by team members helps build morale, motivation and overall success.

AC1.1 Critically review own ability to fulfill the key responsibilities of the leadership role.

I’m able to fulfill most of the key responsibilities of the leadership role, and am continuously striving to develop my ability. Through taking proactive approaches, I can consistently self-assess my performance and gain useful feedback from peers and colleagues alike. In doing so I remain aware of my strengths and weaknesses, allowing me to further enhance the skills I need for success in this leadership position.

My current abilities have enabled me to develop a sound understanding of the challenges associated with managing staff at all levels, as well as conceptualizing effective long-term strategies for achieving overall team objectives. However, there is still room for improvement and I am committed to strengthening my problem solving acumen in order to navigate complex challenges even more effectively.

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AC1.2 Critically evaluate own ability to use a repertoire of leadership styles in different situations and with different people to fulfill the leadership role.

As a leader, it is important to be able to recognize when different styles of leadership are most appropriate. My ability in this area has been growing over time, as I’ve increased my knowledge of leadership skills and learned how to find tailored solutions for different situations. For instance, when working with a collaborative team, I have become adept at encouraging everyone’s input and giving clear direction to meet our common goals.

But when managing individuals, my preference is an authoritative style that sets expectations while still providing sufficient trust and autonomy for the person I’m leading to do their best work. With both styles of leadership and every variation in between, I strive to maintain respect for all people involved while upholding the highest standards of achievement. This has allowed me to successfully lead projects from start to finish with various teams and stakeholders.

ILM 507 Task 2: Evaluate own awareness of emotions in shaping performance.

Being conscious of my own emotions has been an invaluable asset in shaping my performance. Through actively monitoring my feelings and aiming to maintain a positive outlook, I am better able to take on the challenges that come with meeting objectives. I have found that understanding the impact of stress and anxiety on performance is key in maintaining motivation and remaining resilient when faced with challenging goals. By reflecting on my emotions prior to beginning work, I can ensure they are not impacting my ability to reach success.

AC2.1 Employ theories of emotional intelligence to review critically the effect of emotions on own and others’ performance.

Emotional intelligence is an important tool in critically reviewing the effect of emotions on our own and others’ performance. Emotional intelligence enables us to understand the nuances of emotions and its effects. By separating our thoughts from our feelings, we can better analyze the context and circumstances that contributed to producing a certain emotion, thereby helping us identify relevant solutions to address any issue that arises due to emotions.

Understanding how emotions shape and influence decisions is also beneficial as it allows us to anticipate potential consequences before taking action. Additionally, being aware of how our emotions affect those around us empowers us to make thoughtful decisions when presenting information or responding to criticism. All in all, effectively applying theories of emotional intelligence can be invaluable in exploring how our feelings and the feelings of others impact productivity.

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ILM 507 Task 3: Evaluate own ability to set direction and to gain the commitment of others.

After careful evaluation of my interpersonal abilities, I have come to the realization that I am strong in setting direction and stimulating commitment from others. When communicating complex ideas I am able to effectively break down key points for easy digestion by my peers and readily adapt any phrasing if needed. Additionally, I possess impressive listening skills which allow me to understand the views of those around me, thus encouraging fruitful conversations on difficult topics and promoting buy-in when a decision needs to be made.

AC3.1 Critically review own ability to set direction and communicate this to others.

When it comes to my ability to set direction and communicate this to others, I’m confident in my abilities. I understand that communicating clear goals and expectations is critical for managing a successful project or initiative. I take the time to ensure objectives are concisely written and can be easily understood by all participants. When introducing new ideas or processes, I use creativity to explain concepts through visuals, stories, or metaphors so the goal can be quickly grasped. My communication is tailored to fit a variety of audiences: professionals, industry experts, or novices alike. As a result, I have confidence that my direction setting is being effectively communicated throughout the team.

AC3.2 Critically review own ability to motivate, delegate and empower others.

After critically examining my own approach to motivating, delegating and empowering others, I believe I possess the required skills for actively involving both people I am teaching and colleagues who are assisting me with a project. Through carefully considering individual motivators, personality traits and objectives, I have been successful in creating an environment of collaboration and productivity.

With a well-constructed plan and recognition of individual roles, I have proven to be effective at delegating tasks to my peers while providing ongoing support throughout the process. Further, through empowerment strategies that involve autonomy and trust while challenging my team’s strengths and problem-solving capabilities,I have cultivated an environment of learning that allows individuals to grow independently allowing everyone involved to benefit.

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• ILM L5 Award - Ethical Leadership
• ILM L5 Cert. Public Sector Leadership
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ILM → ILM Level 5

Becoming an effective leader (522).

• Becoming an Effective Leader 1 - Getting Started
• Video - Nelson Mandela on Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Leader 2 - The Evolution of Leadership
• Video - What is Leadership?
• Becoming an Effective Leader 3 - Behavioral Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Leader 4 - Transformational Leadership
• Video - What is Transformational Leadership?
• Becoming an Effective Leader 5 - Situational Leadership
• Video - Situational Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Leader 6 - Action Centered Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Leader - Quiz 1
• Becoming an Effective Leader 7 - Emotional Intelligence
• Video - Emotional Intelligence and Leadership
• Becoming an Effective Leader 8 - 6 Leadership Styles
• Becoming an Effective Leader 9 - Applying the Leadership Styles
• Becoming an Effective Leader - Quiz 2
• Becoming an Effective Leader 10 - Creating the Vision
• Becoming an Effective Leader 11 - Motivation
• Becoming an Effective Leader 12 - Goal Setting and Motivation
• Becoming an Effective Leader 13 - Leadership Communication
• Video - Communication and Credibility
• Becoming an Effective Leader 14 - Wrapping-up
• Becoming an Effective Leader - Quiz 3
• Becoming an Effective Leader - Course Evaluation
• You must complete 90.00% of the content

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ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management

The ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management is designed for practising middle managers, helping them to develop their skills and experience, improve performance and prepare for senior management responsibilities.

This high-impact ILM Level 5 qualification is a multi-day programme focussed on successfully completing work-based assignments and includes being coached to reflect on your own practice.

During the course, you will improve your ability to motivate your teams while developing your leadership capability and management skills. You’ll assess your skills, develop action plans, and create instant organisational change through work-based assignments and applying learning on the job.

Course Facts

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ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management Course Information

ILM Level 5 is designed for practising middle managers and aspiring middle/senior managers in any sector. It is a great qualification for career development and is used by many organisations to develop their management and leadership capabaility.

It is the perfect course for those looking to develop their skills in people and performance management.

When investing in ILM courses, you are faced with several choices.

The first choice is whether you wish to study an award (shortest qualification), certificate or diploma (longest qualification) . Once you have decided on this, you must find a training course with the necessary content.

Units in this qualification fall into seven broad areas, they are:

Our Public Courses (For individuals or small groups of learners)

TSW provides the ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management . This is the most accessible route to gaining the level 5 qualification, with just four days of learning delivery and two short assignments.

Our open programme courses are the courses we deliver in our venue or virtually throughout the UK. We have chosen these units as we feel the knowledge and skills they represent are the cornerstones of good leadership and management practice.

The units and content you will cover in our ILM 5 award course are:

Unit One – Becoming an Effective Leader

• The key responsibilities of the leadership role
• A range of leadership theories and different leadership styles these illustrate
• Dispersed Leadership
• How to evaluate the appropriateness of different leadership styles in the context of own responsibilities
• The importance of being able to use a repertoire of leadership styles in different situations and with different people
• The concept of emotional intelligence as developed by different theorists and how it applies to the leadership role
• The importance of understanding one’s own strengths and limitations
• Using and interpreting different techniques to identify their own characteristics, strengths and limitations
• The importance of continuous self-development and how to identify opportunities to develop oneself in the leadership role
• The importance of leaders displaying confidence and self-assurance and to do this by playing to own strengths and showing a readiness to take calculated risks
• Social awareness
• Relationship management
• The characteristics of self-leadership
• The role that effective communication plays in conveying overall vision and goals and how to win and maintain the commitment of teams and individuals to these
• communicating both directly and indirectly with teams and individuals
• negotiating
• How to select communication, persuasion and negotiation skills appropriate to different situations and people
• How to develop vision and goals for significant projects or programmes of work
• The importance of being aware of and analysing the internal and external environments in which the leader operates
• Spotting opportunities
• How to develop objectives and values that support overall strategy and vision
• Theories and principles of delegating responsibility and empowering others
• The critical importance of the leader gaining the motivation and commitment of others
• Critiques of the main theories of motivation
• Motivational factors that are available to the leader
• How to evaluate motivational factors and select those that are appropriate to different situations and people
• The leader’s role in protecting and mentoring team members
• Needs for mentoring and support that individuals may have and how to meet these
• The role of continuous development and its importance to the organisation and to individuals
• How to evaluate different methods of developing others, both directly and indirectly and how to choose methods most appropriate to the people involved

Unit Two – Developing and Leading Teams to Achieve Organisational Goals and Objectives

• Concepts of authority and power; responsibility and accountability
• Differences between managing in public, private and voluntary sectors
• Processes of delegation and empowerment
• Factors influencing behaviour at work; theories of motivation and their application to individuals, including incentives and rewards
• Strategies to encourage managed risk-taking and to learn from failure
• The characteristics and behaviours associated with initiative, leadership, creativity and innovation, and how to foster them
• Need for performance assessment, and provision of development and/or counselling where necessary
• Relationship between team performance and organisational goals and objectives
• The Balanced Scorecard
• Quality initiatives such as TQM
• Techniques to evaluate team performance
• Feedback, recognition and reward techniques to support, motivate and monitor
• Characteristics of groups and teams, team membership and leadership
• The importance of direction and values in creating effective teams
• Stages in team development, use of team roles for building a balanced team
• Teams in different contexts, e.g. operational, project, management, contractors, volunteers
• Inter-relationships between team and individual performance and development
• Factors influencing behaviour, theories of motivation and their application to teams, including reward systems, promotion, succession, and job rotation
• Techniques to review own performance, such as peer review and 360 0 feedback
• Management and leadership styles and qualities
• Methods to promote trust and respect within the team

You will achieve these key learning outcomes upon completing the ILM 5 Award course.

Becoming an Effective Leader

In this unit, you will develop knowledge and understanding of effective leadership as required by a practising or potential middle manager. 

During the unit, you shall:

• Evaluate your own ability to use a range of leadership styles, in different situations and with different types of people, to fulfil the leadership role
• Use theories of emotional intelligence to review the effect of emotions on your own and others’ performance
• Review your ability to set direction and communicate this to others
• Review your ability to motivate, delegate and empower others
• Produce a personal development plan to improve your ability to lead
• Developing and Leading Teams to Achieve Organisational Goals and Objectives

In this unit, you will develop an understanding and ability to develop and lead teams, as required by a practising or potential middle manager

• Assess the effectiveness of your own organisation in measuring team performance against organisational goals and objectives
• Evaluate the role of leadership in helping teams to achieve organisational goals and objectives
• Critically review your ability to develop and lead teams to achieve organisational goals and objectives
• Implement changes to own leadership style to more effectively develop and lead teams

Our In-house Courses (Exclusively for Your Organisation)

Are you representing an organisation and looking for an ILM Level 5 exclusively for your business?

If so, TSW can work with you to develop an ILM Level 5 course tailored to your requirements .

**Click to download the current ILM Unit list here**

We will support you in selecting ILM units that develop the knowledge, skills, and understanding your managers need.

Assessment On Our Public Courses

TSW Training’s ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management is assessed via two written work-based assignments of approximately 2000 words, to be completed in your own time. 

The two assignments to complete are on the units:

• Becoming an Effective Leader

At TSW, we understand that writing assignments can be daunting, especially if someone hasn’t written anything since school.

Whatever the level of experience, we provide appropriate support via tutorial sessions and open communication links with tutors to ensure the highest levels of support are given.

On our In-House Courses

The assessments for an in-house course depend on the units selected for your ILM 5 programme. Each unit has a specific assessment aligned to its content and learning outcomes.

Public Course Booking Options

This course is available on our open programme, with a calendar of virtual and classroom events.  You can book a place for yourself, for an employee or for a group of staff.

• Learn from anywhere in the world
• Eliminate wasted travel time and costs
• Expert face to face live tuition on MS Teams
• Learn in one of our public course venues
• Meet and learn with new people
• Get face to face with our expert trainers

In-House Delivery Exclusively For Your Organisation

This course can be delivered exclusively for your organisation, in any location or virtually through Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Read more on our in-house training services.

• Bring your people together online
• Face to face live tuition on MS Teams or Zoom
• Your place, ours, or a neutral venue
• Interactive face to face to learning
• World class trainers available globally

Our ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management Trainers

At TSW we pride ourselves on the expertise and quality of our trainers and consultants. Each is chosen for their working experience and hard-earned knowledge in this course subject.

Here are just some of our trainers for this course:

Our ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management Course Dates

Transform your workforce with in-house training.

At TSW, we recognise that each organisation has unique needs. That’s why our in-house training programmes aim to address your specific challenges and objectives. To do that we ensure that the training content is directly relevant to your team’s roles and responsibilities, making the learning experience more impactful and immediately applicable.

Customised Learning Experience

At TSW, we recognise that each organisation has unique needs. Our bespoke in-house training programmes are designed to address your specific challenges and objectives. This ensures that the training content is directly relevant to your team’s roles and responsibilities, making the learning experience more impactful and immediately applicable.

Cost-Effective Solutions

Training several employees via public courses can be both costly and logistically difficult. With TSW’s in-house training, you save on travel and accommodation expenses, and the overall cost per delegate is significantly lowered. This makes in-house training a cost-effective solution, particularly for larger groups.

Flexibility and Convenience

TSW’s in-house training sessions are arranged to fit your schedule, minimising operational disruptions. Whether you prefer weekdays, weekends, or evening sessions, we can accommodate your needs. Conducting training at your premises ensures your team remains in a familiar environment, enhancing the learning experience and reducing downtime.

Strengthened Team Dynamics

In-house training at TSW brings your team together, fostering better communication and collaboration. Employees can share experiences and build stronger working relationships. This not only boosts morale but also promotes a unified approach to problem-solving within your organisation.

Confidential and Focused

Public training sessions can pose risks when discussing company-specific issues. TSW’s in-house training guarantees confidentiality, allowing your team to freely address and resolve internal challenges. This level of discretion is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge and operational integrity.

Immediate Skill Application

By delivering training in the workplace, TSW ensures that employees can immediately apply what they’ve learned. This immediate integration of new skills helps in retaining knowledge and enhances overall productivity.

Independent ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management Reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

In this section you will find all of the questions we are frequently asked about this course. Still can’t find the information you are looking for? Send us an enquiry and we’ll get back to you.

What is the ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management course, and why is it important for our business?

The ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management course is designed for middle managers looking to enhance their leadership capabilities. It covers essential skills such as strategic thinking, effective decision-making, and change management.

This course is vital for businesses aiming to improve managerial performance and drive organisational success through skilled leadership

Who should attend an ILM level 5 course within our organisation?

This course is ideal for your current middle managers, project managers, and department heads.

It is also suitable for individuals preparing for senior management roles and those who you need to enhance their leadership skills to lead teams better and manage projects

How is the course delivered, and what are the assessment methods?

The course can be delivered online (via Teams) or in person.

Assessment methods typically include practical work-based assignments, reflective reviews, and written projects. These assessments ensure that participants can apply their learning directly to their workplace

What are the entry requirements for an ILM 5 course?

There are no formal prerequisites for the ILM Level 5 course, but we recommend that individuals have some experience in management or leadership roles. Participants should ideally be in a position to influence and lead teams within their organisation

How long does it take to complete the ILM Level 5 in Leadership and Management course?

It depends on whether you select an Award, Certificate or Diploma qualification.

• Award – a minimum of four days of guided learning
• Certificate – a minimum of seven days of guided learning
• Diploma – a minimum of fourteen days of guided learning

Our Public ILM Level 5 Award

In our open programme, we run the ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management, which is delivered over four days in a classroom or online.

Our In-House ILM Level 5 (Award, Certificate or Diploma)

If you are looking for an in-house ILM Level 5, run exclusively for your business, then the number of days can vary significantly depending on the units and content you wish to cover. 

We will work with you to understand your organisational objectives and develop an ILM 5 programme to meet your needs.

What are the benefits of enrolling our managers on an ILM Level 5 course?

Enrolling managers in this course will enhance their leadership skills, improve team performance, and prepare them for senior management roles.

Your managers will be equipped with the latest management techniques and best practices, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and effective leadership within the organisation

How can we measure the effectiveness of the training provided by this course?

Effectiveness can be measured through the completion of assignments, observed improvements in management practices, feedback from team members, and overall performance enhancements within the team.

Regular reviews and performance assessments can also help in tracking progress and identifying areas for further development

Can the course content be customised to meet our specific business needs?

Yes, TSW offers a high level of customisation for the ILM Level 5 course.

This can include tailoring the content to focus on specific skills or challenges relevant to your organisation, ensuring that the training is directly applicable to your business environment​

What support is available to participants during the ILM 5 course?

At TSW, we pride ourselves on the high levels of support provided to learners.

Participants receive extensive support, including access to online learning materials, tutor support via email, and resources such as the ILM’s electronic magazine and career development services.

Every ILM qualification includes tutorial time, built in to the course delivery, that is used for assessment guidance.

This support ensures learners can effectively engage with the course content and complete their assessments​.

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• ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management

The ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management qualification helps department heads, practicing middle managers and project managers improve performance and prepare for senior management responsibilities. The ILM is the UK’s leading provider of specialist leadership qualifications and qualifies over 70,000 leaders and managers every year. 88% of employers say their business was immediately positively impacted by ILM training programmes.

Take a look at all management & leadership topics

Training Course

It's more than just a course., this is a learning journey, suitable for individuals and teams..

On-demand digital learning playlist

Live session delivered virtually or in-person

Digital learning playlists | Coaching session (optional)

For our learning journeys we use our proven excite, engage, embed method to ensure the learning experience is engaging and the learning is sustained. The full details of the programme are shown below.

Course Code: OV-ILA

3 x half-day live session delivered virtually or in-person | 6-8 hrs on-demand learning | 30-minute coaching session (optional extra for teams)

This is available for individuals only

Part of our Extended Offering

Course overview

The ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management has been designed to give practicing or aspiring middle managers a solid foundation for their formal development in this role. This is a concise qualification, made up of two units and delivered over three sessions. In the first unit, 'Becoming an Effective Leader‘, you will explore the nature of the middle management role and both evaluate and develop your ability to set direction, communicate, delegate and motivate. You will also learn the basic theory of emotional intelligence and the effect of emotions on your performance and the performance of your team. In the second unit, ‘Managing Stress and Conflict in the Workplace‘, you will explore techniques for identifying, preventing and resolving conflicts within your team. This module also focuses on stress management within the organisation and requires you to assess your ability - and your organisation‘s ability - to recognise and manage stress effectively.

Is it right for me?

Suitable for either practicing or aspiring middle managers looking to gain a professionally recognised qualification. Benefits of attending: Gain a recognised national qualification for managers ILM ‘Learner Membership‘ status giving access to a range of benefits Participate in practical and interactive workshops Expert support in preparing your written assessment for submission

What will I learn?

By the end of this course you will be able to:

• Evaluate your ability to use a range of leadership styles, in different situations and with different types of people
• Use theories of emotional intelligence to review the effect of emotions on own and others‘ performance
• Review and develop your ability to set direction and communicate this to others
• Review and develop your ability to motivate, delegate and empower others
• Produce a personal development plan to improve your leadership capability
• Evaluate how effective your organisation is in recognising workplace stress and conflict, and providing the necessary support mechanisms
• Plan improvements to how you identify and deal with workplace stress and conflict

Assessments: After the course, you will complete two assignments. Upon successful completion of these assignments, you will obtain the ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management. In the first assignment, ‘Becoming an Effective Leader‘, you will be asked to assess and review your current leadership style and identify your strengths and development areas. This will result in a detailed action plan that enables you to further develop your leadership capability. The second assignment will cover evaluating the effectiveness of your organisation in recognising workplace stress and conflict and the necessary support mechanisms. In addition, you will critically evaluate your own ability to identify and deal with workplace stress and conflict. As part of this award, you will be offered 3 hours of tutorial support. All learners gain free studying membership of ILM for one year. Designed to help candidates get the most from their course and advance their management career, studying membership gives access to a wide range of specialist support and development materials and services. Once registered, candidates can activate their ILM studying membership online at i-l-m.com/activate. At any time candidates can upgrade to become a full ILM professional member - giving an additional range of membership services and the use of post-nominal letters (e.g. AInstLM).

What will it cover?

• Understanding the Management Role
• The role of the middle manager and your part in achieving organisational goals
• Defining the key responsibilities of the middle manager
• Action-centred leadership - finding the balance
• Leadership Styles and Approaches
• The emotionally intelligent leader - assessing your style
• Perspectives on leadership: Servant and Host
• Situational leadership
• Emotional Intelligence
• Background to emotional intelligence
• Self-awareness: understanding your strengths and limitations, and continuously developing yourself as a leader
• Self-management: controlling your emotional response, displaying confidence and self-assurance, being resilient
• Social awareness: demonstrating empathy and awareness of organisational politics
• Relationship management: inspiring and influencing
• Effective Communication
• The importance of effective communication
• Influencing, persuading and negotiating techniques
• The power of networks
• Motivation and Delegation
• Introduction to motivational theories
• Evaluating motivational factors and selecting the appropriate approach for different situations and people
• Using delegation as a motivational and development tool
• Five steps to effective delegation
• Managing Workplace Stress
• How to spot the signs of stress at work: the causes and symptoms
• Management responsibilities and methods for managing work-related stress
• Sources of support and techniques to help manage and reduce stress
• Workload management: agreeing objectives and priorities
• Managing and Resolving Conflict
• Causes of conflict and interpersonal friction
• Resolving conflict: selecting the right approach
• The legal and organisational perspective: when to escalate

Further courses to consider

You may also like: Leading Remote Teams Emotional Intelligence Better Communication Skills Managing a Matrix Team Building Resilience in Self and Others

Accreditation

ILM accredited

This course/programme is accredited by ILM

For groups & teams

Live session delivered virtually or in-person. Up to 15 people per programme.

From £7,500 to £13,500 (+VAT)

For individuals

Upcoming dates (select date for price info).

£ 1,595.00 (+ VAT)

Build a customised programme

Use our building blocks approach to create a customised programme to suit your specific needs and context, at the pace you need.  talk to us about what you want to achieve..

Choose the core blocks you want (from our content library)

Consider what blocks you want to customise (to make it your own)

Review any additional technology and support services we can help you with (to bring the truly bring the learning experience to life)

We’ll create the optimum journey for your learners

Want to co-create?

The building blocks menu of options.

To help achieve the pace and agility you need, we encourage you to make use of what we already have (our core library) and make it your own. There’s no need to ‘recreate the wheel’ - build from what we have ‘ready to go’ and then customise what you need to.

1. Core (off-the-shelf) content library

Choose from across our range of 100+ core topic areas.

Online self-study:

• Infographics (standard and HTML)
• Thrive in Five
• Videos/animations
• Quizzes & assessments
• Digital flip cards
• HTML microsites
• Digital adventures
• Applying what you have learned - action learning prompts/exercises
• All assets under a topic/collection

Live expert-led:

• Pre-built team experience (learning journey)
• Live workshops - virtual or in-person training (1 x half-day live session in a day; 2 x half-day live session in a day)
• Bitesize (1 x 90-min bite-size session in a day; 2 x 90-min bite-size session in a day; 3 x 90-min bite-size session in a day)
• Run-it-yourself
• Coaching – per hour (Follow-up; Learning programme; Transitioning together; Team effectiveness; Career coaching; Leadership & executive; Skills performance coaching)
• Group facilitation sessions (1 x 3hr in a day; 2 x 3hr in a day
• Leadership lab session (1 x 3hr in a day; 2 x 3hr in a day)
• Virtual delivery platform licence

2. Content customisation & personalisation options

Personalisation for live events:.

• Add your logo
• Fully customised

Bespoke content creation:

• Podcasts with bespoke or your content
• Digital badges/certificates
• Live expert-led bite-size or workshop session

Bespoke printed communication/learning assets:

• Zappar AR for Z-card
• Action learning prompts/exercises

3. Technology

• Bespoke Hub annual subscription fee (per user)
• Hub implementation
• Subscription (open) hub
• Booker portal

4. Support Services

• Delivery – Virtual or in-person facilitator; virtual producer
• Faculty management
• Delegate management
• Instructional design
• Specialist instructional design
• Learning journey curation
• Logistics support
• Project management
• Customer success management
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Essays About Effective Leadership: Top 6 Examples and Prompts

Effective leadership is an essential trait that all people should strive to develop; here are 6 examples and topic ideas essays about effective leadership .

Many qualities make an inspiring and effective leader, such as vision, focus, and motivation. Like other skills, effective leadership can be innate or learned and practiced. When writing about leadership, include the strengths of an effective leader and how these qualities positively impact their team. You can also discuss weaknesses that can make a poor leader and how to combat these issues.

Here are 6 examples and 10 essay prompts to get you started on your next essay.

1. What Makes an Effective Leader? by Tony Gill

2. a guide to becoming an effective leader by yashi srivastava , 3. leadership: 5 practices of effective leaders by yvette gyles, 4. 6 characteristics of an effective leader by lauren landry, 5. six leadership lessons by order of the peaky blinders by andrew denton mbe, 6. leadership and the quest for certainty by keith grint,  1. what is effective leadership, 2. what does effective leadership look like in the corporate industry, 3. what to avoid to become an effective leader, 4. habits of an effective leader, 5. studying the mindsets of effective leaders, 6. effective leadership and its benefits to an organization, 7. indicators of strong and effective leadership, 8. poor leadership vs. effective leadership, 9. real-life examples of effective leadership, 10. how perception creates effective leadership.

“Work at using leadership styles that do not come naturally, styles that you find difficult. By becoming a well-rounded leader, it is easier to adapt your leadership technique for different situations.”

Gill uses a research-based approach to answer the central question of his essay. He looks at various sources that tackle the topic of effective leadership and stitch them together to make a comprehensive guide to effective leadership.

“Leadership is not a mystical quality, and anyone can become a more effective leader by developing some important skills.”

The author, Yashi Srivastava, defines what differentiates leaders from managers first. Then, she provides some dos and don’ts of an effective leader and how people could apply them in different situations. 

“Whereas as leaders, we need to be concerned about creativity and innovation, making positive changes, and seeking to challenge and push boundaries.”

Gyles specializes in leadership training for companies, so her approach to the essay is geared more toward company leaders. Nevertheless, it’s highly educational for all those interested in learning effective leadership meant for dealing with various people and guiding people to a direction or goal.

“Effective leaders don’t avoid the hard truths. Instead, they take responsibility for their decisions, maintain optimism, and focus on charting a new course of action.”

Landry’s essay focuses on her six top characteristics of an effective leader. Some of these characteristics are what you’d expect to see in an essay like this. Entries like transparency are less common but equally important in practicing effective leadership.

“Rolling your sleeves up with everyone else not only sets an example, it makes people want to follow you.”

Fiction mirrors life, and it’s one of the best sources to learn lessons that are otherwise too complex or vague to see in real life. Despite his penchant for crime and violence, Thomas Shelby is undeniably one of the most influential leaders on TV. This essay details the leadership skills used by a 1920s gangster character and how you can use them in modern life to become an effective and inspiring leader.

“Leadership is often associated with certainty; indeed, it is sometimes reduced to the decision-making process such that anything which smacks of uncertainty is categorized as weakness or a failure of leadership.”  

Grint’s essay on leadership explores the factors around leaders’ certainty or confidence. Of course, not all leaders have a clear answer to a problem, which is fine. The important thing is that they have a mindset to look for solutions and a modicum of honesty about their lack of uncertainty.

10 Essay Prompts on Effective Leadership

It’s your turn to express and explore your view of effective leadership. Use these prompts to work out your approach or steps to effective leadership. Here are ten prompts about effective leadership to help you get started on your essay.

Defining effective leadership is one way to explore your understanding of the idea. Remember that your definition of effective leadership could vastly differ from the other essays you’ve read. It’s also a great starting point for new people who want to warm up to the habit of writing essays about leadership.

Essay writing tip: If you’re new to writing essays, consider simplifying your essay. Try shortening it down to a five-paragraph essay .

You can find many leaders in the corporate industry, but some are more effective than others. Use this prompt to work out how you envision effective leadership in the corporate world. You can also apply the same idea to other fields, like at school, among friends or peer groups, or in the family. Consider carefully the field or organization you’d like to use for the essay.

You may have personal experience with a person who could have been an effective leader if not for their bad habits. You might have been that person and realized how your bad habits had held you back from practicing effective leadership. This is your chance to write about your experience, whether via observing someone else or through personal growth.

Practicing effective leadership goes beyond having direction and a vision for the organization. Becoming an effective leader also takes time and patience. Use this prompt to discuss the habits of great leaders and how these habits make them effective in their leadership.

Get into the mind of a leader and explore how such a person might become more effective in their leadership. This topic may involve discussing various people, whether real-life persons or fictional characters. Research how they think, handle their role and manage the people they lead.

Understanding the benefits of effective leadership is one of the best ways to drive someone to practice and adopt it. Use this prompt to detail how an effective leader boosts morale, productivity, motivation, communication quality, and confidence in the people they lead. It applies to all organizations, like businesses, teams, and networks.

How do you know whether a person’s leadership style and approach are effective or not? Use this essay topic to discover the different methods of measuring effective leadership. Read about the different measurements and indicators of leadership used in corporations and organizations.

Leaders can be good, mediocre, or bad in their leadership approaches and styles. This essay prompt will push you to compare bad leadership and effective leadership. You can also add methods of improving one’s leadership style to become more effective.

You can find a lot of excellent leaders throughout history. This idea focuses on discussing different leaders, their leadership styles, and levels of effectiveness.

Interpersonal skills are vital to great leadership. Perception of others’ feelings and thoughts can help you become an even better and more effective leader. Discuss how intuitiveness positively affects one’s leadership style. 

Check out our list of great essay writing topics for students for more topics to improve your writing.

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8316 – 507 Becoming an Effective Leader

• August 20, 2022
• Posted by: admin
• Category: ILM Level 6

When it comes to fulfilling the prerequisites for earning a degree from the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), this Unit is a critical step. The unit focuses on gaining knowledge and understanding of team development and leadership as required of a practising or prospective middle manager. The unit is intended to increase learners’ understanding of the role and importance of evaluating the appropriateness of various leadership styles in the context of their responsibilities. After completing the course, the learner will have gained self-leadership characteristics such as flexibility, taking personal responsibility for significant challenges, and viewing setbacks as opportunities rather than threats, among many others.

Learning Objectives

This course has been designed to provide current and future upper-level managers with a solid foundation in the development of knowledge and understanding of team management and leadership, as expected of a current or aspiring midlevel manager. This course will also teach learners the key responsibilities of a leader, such as taking responsibility, directing significant programmes or projects, supporting and developing programmes, projects, teams, and individuals, and protecting the team and its members, among other things. This will lead to a better understanding of what responsible and sustainable actions are to increase both your personal and professional value. Furthermore, students will gain an understanding of how to determine whether or not certain leadership styles are appropriate in the context of their responsibilities. Learners will then be able to compile and implement best practices in the process of developing policies and strategies, giving their organisation a long-term advantage over competitors in the industry. This training also emphasises the importance of ongoing personal development and teaches participants how to recognise opportunities for personal growth while serving in a leadership role. As a result, the learner will have a better understanding of how they can progress in their leadership development, continue to develop skills in a variety of areas that can help build a stronger culture, and have a better understanding of strategies for engaging with various stakeholders. Furthermore, the learner will have gained an understanding of how to build a stronger culture. As a result, the student will be able to make a compelling case for implementing new tactics that can aid in the development of a stronger culture.

The unit is suited to individuals who are

This unit is designed for newly promoted senior managers as well as middle managers who want to advance their careers. It is also appropriate for students pursuing senior management positions who want to improve their critical thinking and self-reflection skills. Earners who want to progress from Level 5 to Level 7 can do so with the help of this stepping stone because credits can be transferred. Students can transfer 12 credits for the ILM Level 7 Certificate or Diploma in Executive Management, for example, and 6 credits for the ILM Level 7 Certificate or Diploma in Strategic Leadership. It’s ideal for anyone looking to gain insight into what it takes to be in senior management, as well as those looking to assess their performance. This is useful for companies that want to prepare their top executives for future roles and give aspiring top-level managers a means of self-evaluation in addition to helping employees.

Outcomes of learning

Learners will be able to meet the three main learning outcomes listed below after completing this unit. These outcomes are further subdivided into several categories. They will be able to evaluate the following learning outcomes:

• Ability to carry out key leadership responsibilities (Learning outcome 1).
• Own emotional awareness in shaping performance (Learning outcome 2).
• Ability to set direction and gain others’ commitment (Learning outcome 3).

What are the Entry Requirements?

This credential is available as a brief Award, a more detailed Certificate, or a comprehensive Diploma. This certification is made up of several units, each of which is designed to teach a specific set of skills and knowledge. ILM is divided into six stages, and students gain skills and knowledge at each stage, making them better prepared for the next. Before being admitted to level 6, the learner is expected to have accumulated several credits across a variety of level 5 certification types. To receive an award, for example, candidates must complete 6 of the 12 required credits, as well as at least 1 hour of orientation and 3 hours of tutorial support. Students must complete 13% of the required 36 credits to earn a certificate, which includes a mandatory introductory session and tutorials totalling at least 3 contact hours. Finally, to receive a diploma, students must earn a total of 37 credits, attend at least two hours of orientation, and complete at least seven hours of tutorial support. Some of these level 5 credits are transferable to level 6. However, legislative frameworks establish these qualification requirements. They can be thought of as roughly corresponding to management ranks. They also serve to emphasise the level of difficulty associated with a particular certification. As a result, even though most ILM qualifications are vocational and the levels correspond to some educational training, if you want to advance in your academic career, you may need to either skip a level or start at a lower level than you are now. For example, even though level 6 is equivalent to the third year of an undergraduate degree, someone with a degree in economics but no experience managing a project or leading a team will require a lower-level vocational certificate.

What we can do for you

ILM coursework can be difficult and time-consuming, taking over your social life as well as your other academic interests. If you require assistance with an ILM task or assignment, you can count on us to connect you with skilled expert writers who are well-versed in the subject matter. They will make certain that you understand everything necessary to obtain the grades you desire. We will handle the work so you can concentrate on other things. Our primary goal is to provide individuals with useful resources that will help them achieve their academic and professional goals. Our experts go above and beyond to conduct in-depth research for your leadership and management assignments, ensuring that you receive the grades you deserve. Furthermore, we provide the necessary study materials for you to comprehend ILM’s fundamental concepts through our ILM assignment help. Occasionally, the task at hand may appear to be too difficult for you to complete. This indicates that you are still not completely familiar with some aspects of ILM. Do not be concerned about your grades because we are here to help you. You can entrust us with any ILM project, knowing that it will be completed by experts with years of experience and a thorough understanding of every concept.

Furthermore, we guarantee that our service will save you hundreds of dollars in retakes because we guarantee that you will pass. We have writers who are familiar with the ILM curriculum and can handle your assignments so that you pass the course on your first attempt. Furthermore, we ensure that the entire project is completed on time. In addition, we tailor each student’s schedule to their specific needs. No penalties will be imposed for late delivery, regardless of how close the deadline is. And rest assured that even if we receive a last-minute request, the quality of your work will not suffer. Additionally, we have a strict anti-plagiarism policy and always strive to provide our clients with 100 per cent original content. We guarantee that before releasing any assignments, our ILM assignment help experts run them through a variety of plagiarism detection tools. Our primary goal is to provide a platform that aids in the academic advancement of students. As a result, you can be confident that your assignment/task will be meticulously compiled, as we only hire people with extensive ILM curriculum experience. Our experts will use their extensive experience and in-depth knowledge of the subject to create work that more than meets the criteria and requirements of any ILM examination, no matter how difficult. This will be useful when attempting to create original works. Students frequently have limited financial resources for obvious reasons. As a result, we offer a variety of payment options to accommodate a wide range of budgets. We have kept our ILM assignment help fees as low as possible because we want our services to be accessible to students of all financial backgrounds. If our valued client is dissatisfied with the final product, our ILM assignment help experts will revise it for free. We also provide proofreading and editing services and would gladly double-check your assignments. If you have any questions, please contact us by phone or email. Our support staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist you with your management and leadership responsibilities. We are here to assist you.

There are several publications available for students who want to pursue this unit. The following are a few that are widely used by institutions worldwide.

Barling, J., Slater, F., & Kelloway, E. K. (2000). Transformational leadership and emotional intelligence: An exploratory study.  Leadership & Organization Development Journal .

Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A., & Dennison, P. (2003). A review of leadership theory and competency frameworks.

Erven, B. L. (2001). Becoming an effective leader through situational leadership.  Executive Order ,  13166 , 2000.

George, J. M. (2000). Emotions and leadership: The role of emotional intelligence.  Human relations ,  53 (8), 1027-1055.

Jogulu, U. D. (2010). Culturally‐linked leadership styles.  Leadership & Organization Development Journal .

Lay-Dopyera, M., & Dopyera, J. E. (1985). Administrative leadership: Styles, competencies, repertoire.  Topics in Early Childhood Special Education ,  5 (1), 15-23.

Locke, E. A. (1999).  The essence of leadership: The four keys to leading successfully . Lexington Books.

Perkins, V. J. (1992). A model for selecting leadership styles.  Occupational Therapy in Health Care ,  8 (2-3), 225-237.

Reichard, R. J., & Johnson, S. K. (2011). Leader self-development as organizational strategy.  The leadership quarterly ,  22 (1), 33-42.

Sessa, V. I., & London, M. (2015).  Continuous learning in organizations: Individual, group, and organizational perspectives . Psychology Press.

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Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors Essay

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Effective leadership is usually associated with various traits and behaviors identified in a person. There are many theories on leadership suggesting different traits, but one of the most popular of them, The Five Practices model, identifies the following significant components: modeling the way, inspiring a shared vision, challenging the process, enabling others to act, and encouraging the heart (Caza & Posner, 2018). Thus, to model the way means to engage in the behavior a leader wants from their followers. Inspiring a shared vision stands for being future-oriented, emotionally engaging followers to achieve a clear vision that has been articulated beforehand. Then, challenging the process means that “leaders are more successful when they are able to embrace and promote change” (Caza & Posner, 2018, p. 127). Finally, enabling others to act means building followers’ competence and confidence, fostering collaborative relationships, and encouraging the heart means recognizing the socio-emotional needs of one’s followers. A person with all the traits described above can become an effective leader.

Identifying such a person, however, can be a challenging task. There is a vast number of leadership perspectives, and all of them provide a different viewpoint on what a true leader should look like (Mango, 2018). Furthermore, even a single theory may contain controversies or describe several separate approaches. Researchers have identified a leader prototype as an “abstract conception of the most representative member or most widely shared features of a given cognitive category” (as cited in Jiang et al., 2019, p. 674). Therefore, when hiring a leadership talent, one should establish what leadership traits they want to see in their future employee and conduct a practical evaluation of each candidate to analyze their potential to become an effective leader.

Caza, A., & Posner, B. Z. (2018). How and when does grit influence leaders’ behavior? Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40 (1), 124-134. Web.

Mango, E. (2018). Rethinking leadership theories. Open Journal of Leadership , 7 (1), 57-88. Web.

Jiang, X., Xu, S., Houghton, J. D., & Manz, C. C. (2019). Shades of grey in implicit effective leadership: Searching for clarity in the midst of paradox. Leadership , 15 (6), 673-695. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2023, October 20). Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-leadership-traits-and-behaviors/

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IvyPanda . 2023. "Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors." October 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-leadership-traits-and-behaviors/.

1. IvyPanda . "Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors." October 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-leadership-traits-and-behaviors/.

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IvyPanda . "Effective Leadership: Traits and Behaviors." October 20, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/effective-leadership-traits-and-behaviors/.

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A guide to becoming an effective leader

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Are effective leaders born or made?

Differentiating managers from leaders, what makes an effective leader, 4 signs that you are not an effective leader, tips to become a more effective leader at work, be the first to know.

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If you’ve ever worked with a leader who wasn’t very effective, you know that poor leadership comes at a cost.

Working with an ineffective leader can be demotivating or demoralizing, which may hamper your productivity and ability to reach your goals. This, in turn, can adversely impact business results. 

Effective leadership , on the other hand, results in increased employee happiness, engagement, and retention rates. But that’s not all. An engaged workforce leads to 17% higher productivity, a 10% increase in customer ratings, a 20% increase in sales, and 21% greater profitability.

While few would argue with the importance of effective leadership, it can often seem like an elusive idea. What is effective leadership? What are the most important leadership qualities?  Can anyone learn how to become an effective leader and, if so, how?

This article will dive into these questions, and more.

Let’s begin by addressing this commonly asked question about whether it makes sense to invest one’s time and energy in trying to become a more effective leader. Because if leaders are born with inherent qualities that can’t be developed, why waste time in fighting a battle that’s already been lost? 

Fortunately, research indicates that leaders are “mostly made.” This means that while there are aspects of leadership that come more naturally to some people than to others, a majority of leadership qualities can be developed . In other words, anyone can learn how to be an effective leader. It requires commitment and hard work, but it is possible.

This is also good news because the most critical skills for leaders have changed over time.

What comes to mind when you hear the words “manager” and “leader”? Would you say they mean the same thing? If not, what is the important difference between leader versus manager ? While these words are sometimes used interchangeably, they point to different functions a person might perform. 

It was once believed that effectively managing an organization was mainly a matter of managing its structures and processes. In 1977, Harvard Business School professor Abraham Zaleznik challenged this view, arguing that there was another aspect to management. That is, the one concerned with vision, inspiration, and the human side of things. 

Building on Zaleznik’s work, John P. Kotter argued that effectively managing organizations required a balance between management and leadership , which are two different things. 

Here are some of the key differences between a manager and an effective leader: 

Managers follow processes and prioritize stability and control. Leaders are more willing to challenge the status quo and tend to be more patient with chaos and a lack of structure. 

Managers are focused on specific processes, including planning, budgeting, organizing, and staffing. Leaders are concerned with creating a vision and effectively guiding people through change .

Managers usually have positional authority in organizational hierarchy. Leaders may have authority, but it’s not a necessary condition for demonstrating leadership. People at any level in the organization can be great leaders .

Managers exercise control to get their teams to deliver the desired results. Leaders encourage autonomy so that team members are self-motivated to do what is needed.

It is important to note that these differences don't make one approach better than the other. Organizations need strong managers as well as effective leaders. However, it has been argued that many organizations today are over-managed and under-led . This makes it important for more people to develop effective leadership skills.

There isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach to effective leadership. Research suggests that leading from one’s unique strengths yields better results than trying to emulate other leaders. 

This makes sense, as effective leaders come in diverse forms, and fit the needs of diverse organizations. Retired general Colin Powell’s leadership style was undoubtedly very different from wellness advocate Arianna Huffington’s style. Each is effective because they know and embrace their strengths, while also acknowledging and managing their weaknesses, within a culture that suits them.

In its quest to find what makes the most effective leaders, Gallup analyzed decades of data gathered from thousands of leaders as well as their “followers.” They found that the most effective leaders exhibit three key qualities : 

• Focusing on strengths. The most effective leaders consistently focus on the strengths of their team members. This can help each team member feel empowered to do their best work and contribute to achieving the team’s goals. In turn, focusing on strengths usually leads to higher employee engagement and well-being, and gains in the organization’s bottom line.
• Forming well-rounded teams. Effective leaders recognize that they can’t excel at everything. To overcome this challenge, they surround themselves with people who have complementary strengths, qualities, and skill sets. This results in well-rounded, high-performing teams.
• Understanding their followers’ needs. Effective leaders understand and honor four basic needs that followers have: trust, compassion, stability, and hope. People are motivated to work with leaders they can depend on, and who genuinely care about them, provide a solid and reliable foundation, and inspire hope for the future.

A combination of these qualities, along with self-awareness, are important factors that make an effective leader. 

Some other traits effective leaders have in common include:

• Excellent communication skills. An effective leader can clearly communicate their vision, provide constructive feedback to team members, and negotiate with other company leaders for things their team needs.
• High emotional intelligence. Great leaders develop their emotional regulation skills . They must be able to identify, control, and express their emotions in a productive manner, and guide their team members toward doing the same.
• Empathy. The best leaders are able to empathize, or understand and share feelings, with their team members.
• Integrity. Effective leaders live by strong values that guide their decisions and behaviors. They know right from wrong, are honest in their interactions with others, and practice ethical leadership .
• Creativity. Effective leaders think outside the box to come up with innovative solutions to business problems and creative ways to reach business goals. They know that creativity is for everyone .

Every leader always has room for improvement, though some may need more development than others. Some signs that you may not be an effective leader include:

• Your team members are disengaged. If your team is simply going through the motions, completing their assigned tasks, and nothing more, you may have a disengaged team on your hands. This could be a sign that you’re not properly inspiring, motivating, and enabling them to do their best work.
• Your team is consistently failing to meet goals. It’s normal not to meet all of your goals, all of the time, but it is a problem when it happens consistently. This could be a sign that you need to communicate better with company leaders around more attainable goals or additional resources you need. Or, it could be a signal that your team is disengaged and that you need to lead them more effectively.
• Nobody speaks up with feedback during meetings. Effective leaders encourage team members to share their opinions and ideas. If your team holds back during meetings, they might not feel comfortable doing so. This can hinder your team’s ability to solve business problems in a more efficient, productive way.
• Your team has a low promotion rate. Great leaders develop their team members, help them build career paths, and sponsor them for promotions when the time is right. If your team has a low promotion rate, high time to promotion, or a high turnover rate due to lack of career progression, you may need to work on employee development.

Leadership skills and traits can — and should — be learned and developed. The skills needed to be an effective leader adapt with the times. BetterUp research has shown that being an inclusive leader has a positive ripple effect on the entire team . Hybrid work has changed how leaders lead inclusively across a hybrid team . Here are some areas you may want to work on:

• Know thyself. One of the most important steps you can take to be an effective leader is to become more aware of your strengths, weaknesses, values, behaviors, and the impact you have on other people. Self-reflection is a good place to start becoming more self-aware, but it’s not enough. Actively seeking feedback from your team and your colleagues is also an important aspect of self-awareness . Many organizations use 360 assessments, which can be a great tool to have at your disposal. 
• Demonstrate honesty and integrity. Trustworthiness is an important quality in leaders. It’s crucial that you maintain the highest levels of integrity and remain open and honest in your interactions with your team. Can you think of leaders you find easy to trust? What makes them trustworthy? What can you learn from them?
• Invest time in coaching and developing others. Effective leaders take a genuine interest in the growth and development of the people they work with. Take interest in learning about the goals and aspirations of your team members and play an active role in helping them grow and develop. This will help you better understand their needs and support them more effectively. 
• Develop and demonstrate emotional intelligence. Being able to effectively manage your own emotions—and those of the people around you—is an important skill known as emotional intelligence . This is a necessary skill if you want to offer stability and hope to your team, especially during challenging times. If you feel you are not particularly good at emotional intelligence, it might be worthwhile to invest time in developing this skill.
• Learn how to have difficult conversations. As a leader, you will inevitably find yourself in situations where you need to share unpleasant news with someone or where you need to disagree with someone without offending them. Being able to have difficult conversations while maintaining—and even building—trust is an important aspect of effective leadership.
• Focus on the whole person. People like to work for leaders who care about them as human beings—not just as human resources. Spend time getting to know your team members on a personal level and build relationships with them. If you are compassionate and care for their overall well-being, they are more likely to go above and beyond for what you ask of them.

Final thoughts on how to be an effective leader

Leadership is not a mystical quality and anyone can become a more effective leader by developing some important skills. Managing managers can also be more complex and complicated. But with coaching, you can develop thriving leaders that lead to a thriving workforce. 

Understand Yourself Better:

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Yashi Srivastava, MAPP, CPCC

Yashi Srivastava is a BetterUp Coach. She helps people find calm, clarity, and courage amidst the chaos, uncertainty, and stresses of everyday life. She is at her best when she is helping people grow — as professionals, but also as human beings. After spending most of her life in India and a few years in the US, Yashi currently lives in Canada with her wonderfully geeky husband and two delightful daughters. Yashi's latest aspiration in life is to find a sense of calm balance between cherishing the joys and challenges of motherhood while continuing to live her life’s calling to help others flourish.

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How to Be an Effective Leader at Any Career Stage

• 31 Aug 2018

The word “leader” tends to conjure images of that C-suite executive with a corner office and growing team of direct reports. But the truth is, leaders exist at all levels of an organization. You, yourself, can be a leader—no matter the stage of your career.

In a recent Facebook Live session with Ethan Bernstein, an associate professor of leadership and organizational behavior at Harvard Business School, Kirstin Lynde, founder and principal at leadership development firm Catalyze Associates, offers her advice to those looking to become leaders.

What Is Leadership?

Leadership "is all about influencing people,” Lynde said. “Leadership is something that you don’t actually have to wait until you’re a formal leader with five or 10 direct reports to practice.”

Anyone can exercise influence at work. According to Lynde, you can display leadership by being:

• The go-to person on a certain subject within your organization
• Someone who thinks creatively and frequently shares ideas in meetings
• An active listener and consensus builder
• The colleague who’s good at making everyone feel included and valued on the team
• A person who’s effective at articulating how he or she thinks the organization should move forward

If you aspire to become a leader at work, here are some qualities of effective leaders to consider developing, and a step-by-step framework to become an effective leader.

Access your free e-book today.

Qualities of Effective Leaders

It’s true that anyone can be a leader, but there are certain characteristics that are common among successful leaders. Consider developing these relevant leadership skills and abilities.

1. Communication Skills

Successful leaders almost always have exceptional communication skills. By developing your leadership communication skills , you’ll be able to better articulate your vision and foster a more collaborative environment. You should also keep an open line of communication with your team to remain transparent about what you’re doing and what needs to be done.

2. An Innovative Mindset

Simply put, innovation in business refers to generating new ideas and approaches to solve existing business problems and meet organizational objectives. Great leaders foster innovation in the workplace and are always looking for new and improved ways to do things that will help the business overcome organizational change .

3. Decision-Making Capabilities

Effective leaders need to make strategic business decisions under pressure with a limited amount of information, both individually and with their teams . Following a specific decision-making process will help you guide your decisions and act in the best interest of your company.

4. Emotional Intelligence

To be an influential leader, you need to possess emotional intelligence , which is the ability to understand your own emotions and influence others'. Emotionally intelligent leaders also master empathy. Research shows that empathetic leaders perform more than 40 percent higher in coaching, engaging others, and decision-making.

To help develop these leadership capabilities and become an effective leader, follow the leadership self-development model below.

How to Be an Effective Leader

If you want to become an effective leader, you first need to evaluate who you are as a communicator and collaborator, and be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses.

“We all have our behavioral styles and typical approaches that have been baked into us since we were young,” Lynde said. “Some of those styles and approaches work well when you become a leader, and some of them can hold you back.”

Once you’ve assessed your work style, it’s easier to determine which goals to set in order to grow as a leader. Perhaps it’s that you need to improve how you provide feedback , or that you want to become better at spotting business opportunities. Whatever your objective, it should directly relate to how you influence others. In turn, your boss and colleagues should be incorporated into the goal-setting process.

Bernstein and Lynde have created a unique leadership self-development model, called PACE . Each letter in PACE stands for steps you can take to become more effective in your organization—Pick, Apprise, Collect, and Elicit—and are outlined below.

1. Pick a Goal

It’s easier to pick one goal than trying to fix multiple areas at once. If you’re not sure where to start, turn to your colleagues for guidance. It could be as simple as telling your boss, “I have aspirations of advancing into manager-level roles. Can you tell me what you think are the two or three biggest skill sets I need to develop to get there?” Or, “I want to get better at my role and improve as a teammate. How do you think I could have a more positive impact?”

“If the goal of leaders is to influence others more effectively, you need to have conversations with other people about how you can do better at contributing to the group and interacting with others,” Lynde said. “You shouldn’t have to wait until someone signs you up for a leadership development program.”

2. Apprise Others of Your Goal

Once you’ve settled on a goal, share it with those you work most closely with whom you trust. Not only will the process hold you more accountable to achieving your goals, but it can elevate your professional relationships.

Research by Harvard Business School Professors Alison Wood Brooks and Francesca Gino shows that asking for advice makes a good impression. And the more candid you are about your goals, the more others feel comfortable asking for feedback in return—leading to mutually beneficial relationships that can grow your network.

By enlisting others in your professional development, it’s also more likely that your colleagues will recognize and publicly acknowledge the positive changes you make.

“It’s often hard to change other people’s perception of us,” Lynde said. “In order to break through and change perceptions, you often can benefit greatly by letting other people know what you’re doing, so that when you do it, they see it.”

3. Collect Ideas

Simply sharing your goal isn’t enough. You also want to collect ideas on how you can improve. If your colleague is strong in the area you’re trying to grow in, Lynde encourages telling him or her that and asking, “By next week, I’d love feedback. Can you tell me two ideas on how I can do better in this specific area?”

What you want to avoid is putting your co-workers on the spot. Give them time to formulate ideas. You should also avoid asking, “How can I improve?” Not only is the question too broad, but your peers might shy away from providing honest, actionable feedback out of fear they could unintentionally insult you by highlighting an unknown weakness.

4. Elicit Feedback

Once you’ve collected ideas and started working toward your goal, ask for feedback on how you’re doing. You should give yourself enough time to actually make some headway—rather, don’t ask for feedback within the first week. Regularly check in with those you shared your goal with, though, and chart your progress.

Remember: It’s an Iterative Process

As you work through each step of the PACE framework, what’s important to remember is that this is an iterative and continuous process. You can’t take one workshop and say you’ve now learned how to influence others; every leader is a work in progress. What’s important is that you start developing yourself as a leader early in your career.

“It’s gotten harder to develop leadership abilities the longer I’ve waited,” Bernstein said. “Once you’re in the role, it’s much harder to admit the shortcomings than to admit them before you’re there.”

So start with that honest self-assessment and work from there.

“It’s all about building up your own self-awareness of who you are and how you come across,” Lynde said. “And then it’s about taking very real, tangible steps in your day-to-day life—starting immediately.”

Do you want to enhance your leadership skills? Download our free leadership e-book and explore our online course Leadership Principles to discover how you can become a more effective leader and unleash the potential in yourself and others.

This post was updated on May 13, 2021. It was originally published on August 31, 2018.

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