Do you aspire to become a leader? Is it a dream of yours to lead a team or even be the boss of your own business?
Statistics show that women still trail a long way behind in leadership roles world wide. Senior roles for women average out at between 25% and 35% less than the Boys. And still we are a long way from an equal share of decision making, creating new laws and rules. Call it the glass ceiling or bamboo floor, the Boys still rule the top layers!  In this blog, I want to emphasise The Five Skills Of Leadership, top skills that will boost your mindset to move on up ladders, ceilings and floors!

-The only way to get through the glass ceiling is to break down the walls that hold it up – Georgia Varjas

I spent many years in the entertainment industry from playwright to musician, MC and speaker (and many more roles in between) having to be twice as good only to be seen (and paid) as half as good.
Far too often, my opinion, my point of view was ignored or discarded, even my experience, my training and my professional attitude was challenged and questioned. I found it insulting to say the least.
Sometimes it made me angry and aggressive in my response. I felt I had to be assertive and “pushy” a lot of the time. Quite honestly, it was distracting and tiring! I wanted to find another way.

– Don’t think you don’t have power because you don’t sit in a position of power – Anon

You could say, I learned about The Five Skills Of Leadership the hard way! As they say, sometimes that is the best way to learn something – from your own mistakes. The trick for me was to not repeat the same errors!
So let me share my top five skills of leadership.

• The art of listening, my motto is: two ears one mouth. All great leaders know the importance of listening with your ears, eyes and some fine gestures thrown in too.
• Paying attention is actually a form of communication. To show respect, emotional intelligence and an emphasis on team work and collaborative projects.
• Confidence to ask, enquire and question. Confidence to stand your ground and own your power.
• Courage to decide and act. Making smart decisions and acting upon them takes a spoonful or two of courage.
• Allowing your unique Creative style, ability and energy to flourish, to keep you going, allowing you to find solutions and discover innovations.

Taking on a leadership role means trusting in yourself and having self belief too. Letting your personality shine but not overwhelm – either yourself or your team!
You don’t have to be a people pleaser but you need to listen, pay attention with confidence, courage and creativity.

I have written about these topics extensively in both my books, The Rule Breakers Guide To Step Up & Stand Out  And out on 16th March Rule It! How To Step Up & Stand Out On Video Stage & Page.

In the end, I believe it comes down to having the Three Big Cs of:
Confidence to ask for what You want.
Courage to act upon that decision.
Creativity to keep going.
And that old but reliable formula of rinse and repeat with a touch of re-invention!

If you want to unlock your Three Big Cs and really hone in on The Five Top Skills Of Leadership check out my coaching packages Here.