Leadership Skill

Leadership skills are one of important tools for effective leader to motivate people in organization. Skills approach is different with trait approach (personality of leader) even though it plays an important role in leadership. However, there are many ways to do for managers to improve their knowledge and develop their skills through training and practice. Leadership skills can be learned like any other skills.

According to Katz, there are three skills approach: technical skill, human skill and conceptual skill. Effective leadership depends on those three skills. As a leader, his or her skills have to match with their management level. For instance, at lower management levels, technical and human skills are important. For middle managers, the three skills are important. Then, conceptual and human skills are most important at upper management levels (Northouse, P.G, 2007).

Furthermore, being an effective leader means that he or she can diagnose the situation and then choose appropriate leadership style. In this approach, skill is importantly needed by them to practice their technical, human and conceptual skills to make right decision that aligned with company’s objective. For instance, as team leader must know and understand their bottom line (followers) so they can support and encourage them to do their job effective and efficiently.

Other model of leadership skills that develop by Mumford and colleagues were important for the role of leadership performance. The model emphasizes in career experience (e.g. problem solving skills, social judgment skills) and environmental influence illustrated the leader’s skill to solve organization problems (Northouse, P.G, 2007).

Eventually, leadership is not magic, and it’s not that someone people’s have and others don’t. (F.John Reh, 2008). Leadership skills help leader to identify his or her strength and weaknesses in regard to these technical, human and conceptual skills.

References:
Northouse, P.G. (2007), Leadership Theory and Practice, 4th edition, Sage Publication.

F.John Reh, (2008). The Manager As Leader. Retrieved 2008-11-6, from http://management.about.com/cs/generalmanagement/a/MgrPlanPt4.htm