Speak Up and Actually Stand Out: 10 Proven Leadership Skills to Foster

The two most important people for your career are your manager and their manager (your two-up manager).   Both people are making talent-related decisions every day. Who gets the project role, the speaking gig, the agenda item, the pay rise, the bonus, or the promotion?

You want it to be you because you feel like you have potential. You consistently come up with innovative ideas and share valuable insights, you’re a great team player and ready to take on greater responsibilities. However, you feel like you're not being given the opportunities you deserve, and you’re just not (well enough) on the radar of these two managers who hold your next big move in their hands.

So, how do you get noticed by your boss and your boss’s boss without being an over-the-top show-off?

The first critical step is to pay attention to developing AND demonstrating your leadership skills.

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“Your career success depends on your proven and perceived leadership skills.” – Susan Colantuono.

Melissa Raffoni has worked with CEOs to help them be more effective. She and two of her CEO clients have created a framework for people who want to be noticed for all the right reasons.  They define these people as:

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“Hard workers with the drive to make a difference — not only in the company’s success but also in the success of those around them. They go above and beyond their job titles and get noticed because they demonstrate the potential to do great work on a more advanced level.”

So, how do you go above and beyond by demonstrating your leadership skills? Firstly, you must understand the skills and competencies associated with leadership.

The Advancing Women Formula

This is my Advancing Women Formula, and it is a comprehensive guide to the leadership skills most in demand by CEOs and executives. The Advancing Women Formula comprises Business Intelligence (BQ),Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Social Intelligence (SQ) all critical leadership skills to ensure you have a soaring career.

Business Intelligence in leadership is the leader that gets results and rests on the competencies associated with business, strategic and financial acumen. You must know, and be known for, how to lead for outcomes that will contribute to the business meeting its strategic and financial goals.

Emotional Intelligence in leadership is the leader that understands and manages their own emotions and navigates the emotions of those around them to build successful teams and organisations. "You must lead yourself before you can lead others." – Dr Daniel Goleman.

Social Intelligence in leadership is the leader who possesses empathy, curiosity and social skills. They use these skills to build and leverage strategic relationships, which fuels the organisation’s growth. They are respected for their ethical approach to business and are seen as a trustworthy person to do business with. In a crowded and noisy world, they intentionally build and nurture their professional brand and focus on building and leveraging strategic networks.

Secondly, you must understand that women known for their combined EQ, BQ and SQ leadership skills will be the most sought-after leaders in the 21st-century organisation.  

11 Steps to Be a Woman Who Is Known for Her Leadership Skills.

I have created eleven steps aligned with my Advancing Women Formula so you can be recognised for your leadership skills and considered for advancement by executives.

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I hope you'll find this useful to accelerate towards your career goals. ICYMI, I am the co-host of Lead to Soar, a multi-platform network for women serious about leadership. Lead to Soar is an online network, a podcast and in-person leadership summits for women across the globe. We provide women with critical leadership skill development experiences that they may be unable to access in their workplace.

You can find even more of these valuable and actionable insights by connecting with us. You can do that in 3 ways:

The Lead to Soar Podcast (free)

The Lead to Soar Network (annual or monthly paid membership)

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The Lead to Soar Summit (annually in the US and Australia)

Our platform is for ambitious, driven women and goes way beyond confidence building, assertiveness, and the typical career advice given to women. We are serious about enabling and empowering women to advance their careers, salaries, networks, and influence. Come join us!

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