7 Ways to Display your Expertise in Leadership

Effective leaders:

Lead from the front, and energetically

Encourage others. They strive to be

Authentic, and they

Delegate and display

Expertise in their fields. Their relational

Rapport is strong, and they know the added value within

Synergy, meaning 1+1+1>3.

Happiness and balance are sought in their lives,

Integrity is valued, and they are

Perseverant as well as know how to let go.

Leadership expertise… what does it look like? Expertise is the 5th leadership attribute in my formula for success. In my previous blogs, I addressed four of the topics above, such as Leading from the Front, Encouragement, striving for Authenticity, and the diplomatic art of Delegation. In the next 5 blogs, look for me to finish the rest of that list… here we go!

1.  Life-long Learning:

Effective leaders are respected and admired because they know how much they don’t know.  Continuously striving for more knowledge, they amass a breadth and depth of experiences in their areas of individual expertise. They can demonstrate on short notice what they do well to any audience ranging from a tour group to a department head, while applying how their field of expertise affects a particular group.

2.  Pay Knowledge Forward:

Knowing a lot is one thing, and sharing for the good of the group is another. There is a myth that hoarding information gives you power. Effective leaders know the magic in teaching others how to find their own answers as well as teach them to think creatively and independently.

3.  Tell and Sell:

Effective leaders use supporting stories as learning tools. Historical organizational accounts are memorable ways to share what worked in the past and demonstrate how we got where we are today. Some things worked, some things didn’t, and an effective leader knows how to tell those stories to sell an idea to others to generate buy-in.

4.  Desire to Work With the Best:

Effective leaders want to be challenged to expand their own skillset.  They team with other experts who will challenge their ideas, pushing them to grow. They strive to be good role models to support and uplift their team members as well as recruit other experts into their organization. People that are the best want to work with the best and will motivate and inspire others to meet them there.

5.  Provide Seamless Service:

When service is nearly undetectable, it’s working. Good service feels like friends talking to friends. Effective leaders remember to acknowledge who is helping them along the way by calling them by their preferred name. They remember it is a pleasure to work where everyone is treated with respect and dignity.  Even when they are in a hurry they strive to use “people-first” language. There is a big difference between those who talk to you, those that talk with you, and those that talk AT you. Assess who you work well with. Do you know their names? Of course you do. Others know that too.

6.  Lean Toward Challenges:

Effective leaders market themselves expertly by leaning toward their problems. Walking toward them is an act of bravery. And when you can’t even take the first step? Lean in courageously. Progress is the new perfection.

7.  Mirror and Shepherd:

Effective leaders’ success is not possible without the success of their team. Acting as mirrors, leaders reflect the good qualities within their teams back and celebrate their strengths. The talents of the team are reflected in effective leaders who cannot do it alone. They utilize connecting skills to shepherd and strengthen their teams, keeping them together and poised to remain resilient so they can approach the next challenge from another angle.

Tary Paris is part of the GovLoop Featured Blogger program, where we feature blog posts by government voices from all across the country (and world!). To see more Featured Blogger posts, click here.