By Tony Jacowski

Those who are born with the natural skills to lead will still want to build on those talents, hone them down to a fine point, and sharpen them so that they can be useful in any and all situations.

Whether it is involving personal or business matters, there are two distinct qualities that all leaders should strive to master.   These simple qualities are the ability to listen and the ability to speak. You may say you were born with these abilities, but we are talking about something much more in depth than the natural abilities you may have been born with. You must be able to listen, not just to what the employees are saying, but what their words mean and how they mean them. You must be able to take into account many aspects – such as the situation being discussed, the employees knowledge about the situation, your own personal knowledge about the situation, and what some possible solutions might be. If you are hearing differing opinions from different employees on how the situation should be handled, you would need to decide what the best course of action will be.

All of this must be done while maintaining the respect and civility that all people deserve, again, in business or personal matters. There is a time and place for everything and the person of authority will be able to judge best if they are listening to absolutely everything and taking all aspects into account.

The second crucial quality that a leader must possess is the ability to speak with eloquence. As a leader, you will want to know the language that you and your employees share and be able to change what you are saying so that anyone who is confused gets some clarification. A leader will be able to and willing to answer any and all questions pertaining to the business at hand. By understanding the employee’s backgrounds and where they come from, managers and supervisors will notice that the diversity of their opinions opens up opportunities that would otherwise not have been seen. Cooperation among your team members is a must, and as the leader of any team, you can set a good example by keeping an open mind and being able to make yourself completely understood by everyone on the team. Keep the lines of communication open so that everyone knows you can be counted on and approachable in any situation.