The year gone by was a rollercoaster ride. From new beginnings to new projects, mishaps to detours, and in-office friendship to frenemies, it was a wild ride. The year coming on has a crucial impact on new objectives, goals, and accomplishments as the new year is the best time to take up new avenues. But every year comes with a glimmer of hope and optimism. A solid New Year’s resolution should merge business growth and personal development. “Live the present intensely and fully, do not let the past be a burden, and let the future be an incentive. Each person forges his or her own destiny.” Carlos Slim Helú, Amrica Móvil.

Effective leadership skills involve a wide range of competencies for inspiring others and making sound decisions. Understanding leadership skills required to be a change leader can increase your value in your organization. Anyone can be placed in a leadership role, but to be good and thrive in that position requires solid leadership skills.

Leading through the past year might have been challenging, exhausting, and sometimes terribly sad. Most executives are entering 2023 with a fortified tool kit of experiences, starting with the ability to measure, and increase their organization’s capacity to change. Good Leadership skills may refer to the ability to create and promote a vision for change, inspire others to take part in the vision and guide them through the changes that take place. It's a management style that helps an organization adapt to changes in the business landscape and fosters growth and adaptability among its employees. 

Some skills and characteristics that are essential to be an effective leader and to make changes to the organisation in 2023;

Collaboration

The act of working with others toward a common goal.  When it comes to organizational change, which requires everyone to aim for the same objective, the ability to collaborate and inspire collaboration in your employees can help to create a stronger, more productive team. A team that collaborates well can optimize the strengths of the members and fill in the gaps in their deficiencies. Collaboration can also facilitate the voicing of new perspectives, as the members of the team feel more comfortable contributing new ideas.

Commitment

Commitment means dedication to and engagement with something. Leaders can help organizational change to succeed by devoting their energy to it, actively taking measures that can improve its chances. This might mean putting in more of their time to support the change process, researching or devising methods to drive the process or willingly accepting challenges that could hinder the process.

Coaching

The ability to guide others to improve. Rather than just direct employees to carry out activities, a leader with strong coaching skills can empower them to help themselves. In this way, a leader can improve employee engagement and accountability, inspiring an active interest in working through periods of change in the workplace.

Emotional intelligence

It is the ability to perceive the emotions of others. This is an important skill in leadership because emotions are a varied and common component of organizational change. With high emotional intelligence, you can assess how members of your organization are reacting to the change process, even if they don't voice any concerns. Seeing indifference or a lack of confidence, you can take measures to help others see the value of the change.

Project management

As a skill, project management refers to the ability to plan and carry out projects. With regard to facilitating change, project management skills can help you execute organizational change efforts systematically, on schedule and within budget. Effective project managers are capable of optimizing their resources and identifying skilled individuals to assist in realizing a plan. Then, at the end of a project, they can examine the results and determine whether further efforts are necessary.

Forward thinking

A forward thinker is someone who has a vision for the future and how present steps can carry them to that goal. They're better capable of staying committed to a change initiative because they see the advantages that can arise from it. The ability to think progressively about their organization also allows them to imagine new ways in which it can grow, leading to new initiatives that can benefit the organization in other ways.