The 5 Skills of a Leader

By Doug Franklin October 24, 2011

Most people understand the importance of leadership; they are surrounded by both good and bad examples.  What they often struggle most with, however, is how to “do” leadership.  Where does a leader start?  What is the first step?  Understanding there are two sides to leadership, doing and being, LeaderTreks developed the 5 Skills and the 5 Traits of a Leader to help address this need of leaders. Today, I will take you through the 5 Skills and tomorrow I will share with you the 5 Traits of a leader.

The 5 Skills of a Leader describe the leadership process.  They provide a step-by-step guide to leading a team toward the completion of a project.  Whenever a leader gets stuck, he or she can return to this list of tasks and determine what to do next. The 5 skills are:

Determine the scope and goals of the project.
One of the greatest challenges of being a leader is seeing the future. Leaders must be able to set the boundaries of a project and determine goals to ensure the project will be completed with excellence.

Calculate the people and resources needed to complete the project.
Leaders must put the right people in the right positions in order for a team to perform at maximum potential. Leaders must also provide the resources to complete projects whether that includes money, materials, or other necessities.

Cast the vision.
A clearly communicated vision can change everything. If leaders are able to articulate the vision powerfully, no obstacle will stand in the way of their mission.

Navigate the obstacles.
Leaders need to think about what is coming next and deal with problems before those issues sabotage a project. Leaders also need to establish healthy environments and deal with conflict between personalities.

Evaluate the performance.
Leaders need to ask, “How can we do this better?” Consistent, honest evaluation is the leader’s tool to bring about growth in followers and to ensure excellence in all that his or her team does.

Help your students learn to plan events and grow as leaders with this free download.

Using “Helping Students Plan,” you can teach your students what it takes to plan and lead an event from beginning to end. You’ll show them where to start, what to do when they get stuck, and how to communicate what’s happening along the way.

In “Helping Students Plan”, you’ll find:

• An Explanation of LeaderTreks 5 Tasks of a Leader
• A Student Guide which prompts students to think critically and create specific action steps
• A Facilitator’s Guide which gives you insights into potential teachable moments with students