Are you a Salesforce leader? Senior leader? Aspiring manager? If so, you’re in the right place.
In this article, we share research on what defines great leaders. Then we zoom in on the core leadership skills and management skills side of things. Why? Because regardless of your level, there are always new skills to learn and new behaviors to try out that can make you more successful as a leader.
Let’s get to it! People are at the heart of every business. And businesses cannot succeed without visionary leadership and good leaders.
What is Leadership?
Traditionally, leadership has been described as the ability of a leader to influence the behavior of subordinates and persuade people to willingly follow a desired course of action. The leader’s task is to unite all assigned personnel in an organization and coordinate them in an effort to achieve big results.
Whether running your own business or leading teams in an office setting, the best leaders require a strong set of leadership skills to help positively interact with their employees, team members, and clients.
Some agree that some people are born to be great leaders. Others believe that leaders are made.
The truth is, there’s no manual or guide that will give you all the tricks to become a great leader. But what’s for sure is that leadership involves great Leadership skills.
What is Leadership skills?
Leadership skills are the abilities leaders have to lead and deliver projects, encourage initiatives, build a sense of common purpose, and empower others. Leadership skills also include the abilities people have to steer employees toward the achievement of the vision of the future, inspire the team, drive change, and deliver results.
Behavioral theories suggest that leadership skills aren’t ingrained and can be taught – people can obtain leadership qualities through teaching and learning these skills over time.
So, why developing leadership skills is critical in the workplace?
Let’s dive in!
Why Leadership skills are important to Salesforce Leaders?
Effective leaders are needed in any organization. With strategic thinking skills, good leaders can help build strong teams within a business and ensure projects, initiatives or other work functions are performed successfully. Because the skills of a leader involve multiple interpersonal and communication skills, anyone can exercise and hone their leadership abilities.
Most people have seen the results of both effective and ineffective Salesforce leaders on the job. Good Salesforce leaders increase employee engagement, support a positive environment and help remove obstacles for their team. Good Salesforce leaders also inspire colleagues to apply positive Salesforce leadership traits in their own work.
Are business leaders the ones that inspire and motivate their teams? Are successful leaders the ones who can make complex ideas easy to understand for everyone? Or are effective leaders the ones that encourage employees to develop their creativity? Maybe great Salesforce leaders possess all these leadership skills, maybe they don’t. But they all have one thing in common: they know how to attract and grow top talent. They hire the right employees, inspire other leaders, and support their creativity and professional development. And it all starts with great leadership skills!
What are the top 5 Salesforce leadership skills In Business that make you a more effective leader?
It’s important for Salesforce leaders to gain the leadership strategies that will keep the Salesforce team on track with all of the right tools and support along the way. The following are 5 effective leadership skills to help any Salesforce leader meet their goals and build a vibrant, well-oiled sales organization.
Management
If you want to be a great Salesforce manager, you should know how to gain essential management skills. As a leader, you’ll want to allow your team to continue to use its discretion while trying to guide people toward the direction you would like them to go.
You should know the Salesforce business well, your own functional business, and your customer’s business. Becoming a great leader means you should be innovative and help people experiment and think about things differently. You should be able to keep your emotional intelligence on a high level to make sure your teams feel engaged and supported especially during times of change.
Communication
One of the most important skills of a great Salesforce leader is communication, and as a leader, you want to be a courageous communicator. It’s essential to deliver messages or orders effectively to diverse audiences because you always need to listen to understand first.
Without effective communication in the leadership skills training process, you are just figureheads. By focusing on the emotional intelligence and interpersonal interactions, you can reach individuals where they are and connect people together.
It’s important for leaders to gain the skills to help your subordinates feel more engaged in their work and can better align with company objectives and goals when a culture of good communication is established in your team.
Focus & Results Orientation
In a high-pressure leadership role, many events may occur simultaneously, so it is essential to develop the skills of focusing on what matters most and know what impact it has on your organization.
You should prioritize tasks so you can focus on the important leadership qualities first. What’s more, a highly effective Salesforce leader should be results-oriented. This is critical as a Salesforce leader needs to be able to envision the result he wants before starting work on it.
When you are able to focus and orient yourself to the goal you want to achieve, the path you will lead your people to get there will be much clearer.
Delegation
Delegation is an essential part of Salesforce effective leadership. Delegation does not mean offloading work so you can have less stress as a leader. Effective delegation means you are building the Salesforce leadership skills needed of people who have the potential to become future leaders.
Delegating tasks means that you trust your team members to do more than what is expected of them. More importantly, delegation is one of the most important leadership competencies because it allows you to focus on more pressing issues. Through delegation, you are essentially mentoring your Salesforce team members. It is a form of informal management skills training as they undertake tasks above their pay grade.
Succession Planning
People change jobs frequently these days, especially in contact centers. Workers are moving from employer to employer in an effort to get ahead or to find a better working environment. High performers and leaders will stay at the company if they see a path forward for themselves.
Developing a formalized succession strategy forces organizations to consider what competencies are required for critical positions. These models help to identify and develop the skills effective leaders need for success, ensuring that employees in the succession pipeline are better prepared for their roles.
As a Salesforce leader, it’s important to have a group of successful agents and managers to support growth and facilitate change. It’s your job as the leader to make sure that a succession plan is in place. Identify agents who are management material, and find Salesforce managers who would succeed as directors. Make those players part of the succession planning process in your leadership skills development path.
Conclusion
Leadership is a journey with no real destination. Great Salesforce leaders commit to continued growth and refinement through continued education, practical application of skills, and networking both internally and externally.
You are never done growing as a leader!