Self Management & Leadership   Lead & Motivate your Staff   Effective leadership is more than just management - leadership builds on managerial skills. A good leader offers direction to people, gets them to share his or her vision for the business, and aims to create the conditions for them to achieve great results.   Skills Needed to Develop Strong Leadership   You can show leadership to staff by: involving them in decision-making. providing personal encouragement. recognising and rewarding good performance. inspiring them with a vision for success. ensuring good two-way communication. Leadership skills can be grouped into five main areas: planning/strategic focus. customer focus. self-management/awareness. team management. change management. You will need to use different skills at different times - there's no "one size fits all" approach to leadership. In addition the right leadership style will depend on your business and your own character. A softer, mentoring style of leadership may be appropriate - or you may opt for a more charismatic leadership approach.   How to Acquire Leadership Skills   You can develop your leadership style by aiming for a recognised standard of competence. Competency frameworks use performance indicators to help you measure your progress. Two of the most widely used frameworks are; The National Occupational Standards (NOS) in Management and Leadership. The Investors in People (IiP) Leadership and Management Model. The IiP Standard is designed to improve a business's performance through its people. Leadership and Vision   The performance of a business is closely linked to that of its manager. You need to apply the same review and mentoring process to yourself as you do to the business: stand back and assess your current position objectively. identify your own key performance indicators. compare yourself to other leaders and managers. ask others (staff and customers) how well you are doing. set benchmarks against which you can measure your current and future performance. set performance targets to achieve, with time scales and deadlines. You can assess your own leadership and performance by using methods including self review or a 360 degree feedback in which you collect input from your peers, the people who report directly to you, and if appropriate your boss or main shareholder of the business. A similar method is collegiate or peer review where your colleagues provide feedback on your performance and leadership.   It may be that you could benefit from Leadership and Management Training such as NOMAD's 'Edge' Leadership Programme.   Do you, for example: Recognise high levels of performance among your staff? Routinely challenge existing methods by introducing creative and groundbreaking ideas? Follow up on good ideas, wherever they come from? Make effective decisions - short decision cycles can significantly reduce the time-to-action, improving your business productivity? Surround yourself with talented employees and/or advisers (successful companies are built around high performance teams, not just individuals)? Have a clear and unified vision of the future for your business? Welcome innovation and change? Please contact us (below) for further information on NOMAD's 'Edge' Leadership Programme.