Four Leadership Skills Employed by Successful CEOs

If there’s one thing all CEOs can agree on, it’s this: change is inevitable, responsibilities shift, and expectations rise. The most successful CEOs are those who learn to improve their flexibility and expand their leadership skills. From communication to the delegation of duties, an impressive leader is one who continuously seeks to grow.

Consider these four leadership skills employed by successful CEOs to improve your performance and prestige within your organization.

1. Active Listening

All too often, in professional and personal settings, we passively listen. We hear a speaker without fully understanding or retaining their message. Instead, we listen solely to respond — waiting for a moment to interject or share our personal take on the subject matter.

Active listening is a far different technique. When we practice active listening, we focus entirely on the speaker. We understand their message, comprehend the information, and wait until the speaker is fully finished to respond.

Of all leadership skills, the ability to actively listen is paramount. This highly-valued communication skill allows you to engage with a speaker thoughtfully, and later recall specific conversation or meeting details without asking for a follow-up call or email. When successful leaders practice active listening, it shows individuals within the organization, their ideas are worthwhile and appreciated.

How to Practice Active Listening

Active listening combines some of the most empathetic leadership traits. Successful CEOs, such as Warren Buffett, who employ active listening, utilize verbal and non-verbal techniques to display their attention to the speaker. They refrain from speaking while the other individual is speaking. As the speaker shares their thoughts, they maintain eye contact and utilize facial expressions or head nods to display interest.

Before following up with personal anecdotes or opinions, they respond with a question or comment for the speaker. For example, “How did that make you feel?” “Am I understanding that correctly?” or “Are there other details you’d like to share?” all validate the speaker and allows them to respond further if need be. Instead of thinking about and mentally planning what to reply once the speaker is finished, active listeners carefully consider the speaker’s words and emotions to guide the conversation.

2. Clear Communication

Another massive component of strong leadership is clear communication skills. Beyond how a leader absorbs information from employees within the organization, a leader must effectively disseminate information to employees. Clear communication skills allow leaders to share complex ideas simply and keep all team members on the same page.

To encourage the most successful results from their teams, leaders must easily define their goals and expectations. A successful leader ensures each employee understands their role in their organization and how their work impacts overall end goals. They also clearly define expectations for each role. Not only can this eliminate hiccups and time wasted due to miscommunication, but clear goals and expectations can also keep employees engaged and motivated.

Tips for Improving Communication Skills

“Communication is at the very core of our society. That’s what makes us human,” explains Jan Koum, co-founder and CEO of WhatsApp messaging platform. As you can imagine, the communication platform creator is an avid advocate for streamlined communication among teams. Effective communication is not just a leadership trait but a talent that can truly bring out the best in your employees.

When explaining deliverables or team projects, include as much detail as possible. Avoid vague explanations, such as, “Give me anything” or “Gather the data.” Be sure to provide the background for the task or goal: what purpose it holds or why the task is valuable. The more an employee understands the “why” behind a task, the more they can tailor their output to meet your needs.

There’s an old adage, “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.” Be courteous and respectful when speaking with team members. Not even the head of an organization is too big to say please and thank you — and your acknowledgment of employees will reflect in their end product.

3. Build Trust

The healthiest organizations are ones that are built on a foundation of trust. Leadership traits such as active listening and strong communication skills lay the groundwork for a trusting relationship. However, for employees to fully believe in the head of an organization, there also must be two additional factors: transparency and feedback.

Organic Methods of Incorporating Transparency and Feedback

Jeffrey Bartel of Miami real estate investment and advisory firm, Hamptons Group, is a massive proponent of trust-building on teams. According to Jeff Bartel, trust begins when individuals in a company actively share their thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. More often than not, CEOs and founders feel they must hold their emotions privately. However, revealing a bit of empathy and emotion shows your employees that you’re human.

From setbacks and hurdles to team-wide wins, being more transparent in meetings encourages team members to speak out about their own successes and failures. It also opens the door to feedback, which Jeff Bartel believes is key to keeping team members aligned. A culture of feedback ensures each member of the organization has their feelings heard and is actively part of the team — two factors that solidify trust.

4. Proper Delegation

Lastly, proper delegation is key to remaining on track as a leader. “If you find people who can take on tasks you aren’t good at, it frees you up to plan for the future,” explains business magnate Sir Richard Branson. And by “plan for the future,” Branson doesn’t necessarily mean two or five years down the line. Learning to delegate tasks to managers and other stakeholders within the organization allows leaders to plan for this month successfully, this week, or even this afternoon.

Sharing specific leadership responsibilities with other employees allows them to polish their leadership skills. Proper delegation allows all stakeholders in the organization to play a role in overall success, which is vital for overall team morale and productivity. Less on a leader’s plate means more time to actively engage with employees and make headway in upcoming company goals.

Strong Leadership Begins Here

Leadership skills like strong communication and listening all take time to practice. Begin incorporating these four leadership traits into your business today. You’d be surprised how much your organization may benefit.