Here are seven key qualities and skills you’ll be able to use in order to climb the corporate ladder or be an effective leader in the boardroom.

• The ability to adapt: When you’re a leader, being adaptable means being able to respond effectively to changing circumstances. Challenges are everywhere, but good leaders are able to resolve those challenges in a careful and efficient way. If there’s just one trait a business leader requires, this is it. If adaptability isn’t one of your strong suits, sharpen your skills by learning to accept challenges and differences at face value. If you are adaptable, you’ll be a more effective leader and you’ll be the go-to person in the event of a crisis.
   
• Good people skills: They’re really four different skill sets- the ability to observe and gain insight, effective communication, the ability to motivate others, and the abovementioned adaptability. Honing your people skills, especially in the above areas, will help you get ahead faster by connecting well with others and developing productive business relationships.
   
• Being self-aware: Those who are aware of how others perceive them, or how they affect others are more likely to be successful. Most of us overestimate our abilities, and assume that others can read our minds, but that can mean disaster in the business world and in real life. To avoid miscommunications, practice self awareness by identifying your strengths and weaknesses, then doing everything you can to overcome them.
   
• Being decisive: It shouldn’t be confused with unwillingness to compromise, and most of the time, a decisive nature is conspicuous-meaning that leaders sometimes find it hard to comfortably enforce their decisions. We’re all afraid of being held liable for a decision that doesn’t turn out well, but failing to make a timely decision can be just as disastrous.
   
• Being purposeful: Every business needs executive coaching, and a good leader can follow that direction in order to be successful. Business rule books of years gone by list vision and purposefulness as a resource, but to get ahead in today’s boardroom, having vision may not be enough. Strong leaders also need to convey that vision to co-workers in order to inspire them.
   
• Collaborating with others: Technology has made it easier than ever to communicate and work with others, and collaborating can mean bigger profits if you can build a system where everyone is able to offer their own ideas and exchange them freely
  
  To be a great leader both in the boardroom and out, you should strive to be the person others turn to when they have a new idea. Leadership developmentmeans knowing that you aren’t solely responsible for coming up with new ideas, but that you are responsible for fostering that innovative spirit in those with whom you work.

 
Guest article written on behalf of executive coaching and leadership development experts, Performance1. Visit performance-1.co.uk or the Performance1 Facebook page to find out more.