How to Improve Leadership Skills at Work

To improve leadership skills at work, start with self-awareness, ask for honest feedback, and then deliberately practice one skill at a time: communication, decision-making, accountability, or presence. Leadership grows through repeated, reflective practice on real work, not through reading about it. The steps below show you how to do that without waiting for a promotion or a formal program.

How to improve leadership skills: 7 steps

Get clear on what “good leadership” means in your role. Define what your team, manager and organisation actually need from you.
Build self-awareness. Notice how you react under pressure and how others experience you.
Ask for specific feedback. Use targeted questions to uncover blind spots.
Sharpen your decision-making. Use a simple, repeatable process.
Take visible accountability. Own outcomes, including the ones that go wrong.
Develop leadership presence. Show up with calm, clarity and credibility.
Practise, review, repeat. Choose one behaviour, test it for 30 days, and reflect.

What do we mean by leadership skills?

Leadership skills are the behaviours that help you guide people toward a shared outcome: communicating clearly, making sound decisions, building trust, handling change and taking responsibility. They apply whether or not you have “manager” in your job title.

If you want the full picture of the core capabilities, read our guide to what makes a good leader first, then come back here for the practical steps.

Step 1: Get clear on what good leadership looks like in your role

Leadership looks different for a new team lead, a senior manager and a founder. Before you work on anything, answer three questions:

What does my team need from me that they are not getting right now?
What does my manager need me to be better at?
Where am I spending time on tasks I should be delegating or leading differently?

Write down your answers. This becomes your development brief and stops you from trying to “get better at leadership” in a vague, unmeasurable way.

Step 2: Build self-awareness

Self-awareness is the foundation of every other leadership skill. Leaders who do not see their own patterns tend to repeat them.

Try a short end-of-day reflection for two weeks:

When did I feel most confident today, and what was I doing?
When did I react rather than respond?
What would I do differently in one conversation if I could replay it?

Look for patterns, not one-off moments. You are looking for your default behaviours under stress: going quiet, taking over, avoiding conflict, or over-explaining.

Blind spots are the gaps between how you think you come across and how others actually experience you. You cannot see them alone, which is why feedback matters.

Generic questions like “Any feedback?” rarely produce useful answers. Ask specific ones instead:

“What is one thing I could do differently in meetings to make them more useful?”
“When do I make decisions in a way that is clear, and when does it feel unclear?”
“What should I start, stop or continue doing as a leader on this team?”

Then do two things most people skip: say thank you without defending yourself, and tell the person what you plan to change. That builds trust and makes people more willing to be honest next time.

Step 4: Improve your decision-making

Strong decision-making is not about always being right. It is about being clear, timely and transparent about how choices get made. A simple framework to try:

Question	What it helps you do
What decision needs to be made, and by when?	Remove ambiguity and set a deadline
Who needs to be consulted, and who decides?	Avoid decision-by-committee
What are the realistic options and risks?	Compare choices fairly
What will I do if I am wrong?	Build in a review point
How will I communicate the decision and the reasoning?	Gain buy-in

Explaining why you made a decision often matters as much as the decision itself, particularly when people disagree with it. Leaders who explain their reasoning tend to earn more trust, even when the outcome is unpopular.

Step 5: Take accountability, including when things go wrong

Accountability in leadership means owning outcomes, not just tasks. It shows up in small, visible behaviours:

Saying “that one was on me” when a plan misses the mark
Following through on commitments, or renegotiating them early
Setting clear expectations so others can be accountable too
Giving direct, kind feedback rather than letting issues build

Teams watch how leaders handle mistakes. When you model accountability, you give others permission to do the same, and problems surface sooner.

Step 6: Develop leadership presence

Leadership presence is how you show up: your composure, clarity and credibility in the room. It is closely related to executive presence, which is often described as the ability to inspire confidence in others, especially in senior or high-stakes settings.

Presence is not about being louder or more charismatic. It is built from habits you can practise:

Prepare your key message before important meetings. Aim for one sentence you want people to remember.
Slow down when you are under pressure. A pause reads as confidence.
Listen fully before responding. People notice when they have been heard.
Be consistent. Behave the same way in good weeks and difficult ones.

Confidence underpins all of this. If you notice self-doubt holding back how you speak up or lead, confidence coaching can help you work on it in a structured way.

Step 7: Practice one behavior at a time

Most leadership development stalls because people try to change everything at once. Pick one behaviour for 30 days. For example:

Start every one-to-one with the other person’s agenda
Share the reasoning behind every decision you communicate
Give one piece of specific, positive feedback per day

At the end of each week, ask: What worked? What got in the way? What will I adjust? This turns everyday work into leadership training.

A Coaching Perspective: What We See In Practice

Effective leadership starts with self-awareness, clear communication, and the ability to handle workplace challenges constructively. Leadership Coaching helps leaders recognize unhelpful patterns, improve decision-making, and build stronger working relationships. These changes can support better communication, greater accountability, and a more collaborative team environment.

Dr. Tom Moore is a life Coach, Consultant, and Mediator at Red Star Coaching. He helps employees, managers, and business owners strengthen leadership skills, improve communication, and resolve workplace conflict. His coaching and mediation experience informs his practical approach to building trust and improving team relationships.

Common Mistakes When Trying To Improve Leadership Skills

Waiting for a title. Leadership behaviours can be practised in your current role.
Only learning, never applying. Books and courses help, but behaviour change happens at work.
Avoiding feedback. Without it, blind spots stay hidden.
Copying someone else’s style. Authentic leadership builds on your strengths.
Ignoring change. Leading through change is a skill of its own. See our guide to leading teams through change for practical ideas.

Leadership Habits Worth Building

A weekly 15-minute reflection on what went well and what you would change
Regular, structured one-to-ones with your team
A clear decision log so you can review your choices
A trusted peer, mentor or coach to challenge your thinking

If you want to go deeper on the daily routines, our article on leadership habits that build trust is a good next read.

FAQ: Improving leadership skills

What is the fastest way to improve leadership skills?

The fastest route is to combine honest feedback with deliberate practice. Ask colleagues for specific feedback, choose one behavior to change, and apply it in real situations for 30 days. Working with a coach can speed this up by giving you an objective view and accountability.

Can leadership skills be learned?

Yes. Leadership is a set of behaviours and mindsets, such as communication, decision-making and accountability, that can be developed with practice, feedback and reflection.

What are the most important leadership skills?

Commonly cited core skills include communication, decision-making, accountability, emotional intelligence, the ability to lead through change, and leadership presence. Our guide to what makes a good leader covers these in more detail.

How do I improve leadership skills without a management title?

Lead by example. Take ownership of outcomes, help colleagues solve problems, communicate clearly and volunteer for cross-team work. These behaviours are noticed and often lead to formal opportunities.

How long does it take to improve leadership skills?

You can see small changes within weeks if you practise consistently, but lasting development usually takes months. The goal is steady, visible progress rather than a one-off transformation.

Is leadership coaching worth it?

Coaching can help if you want a confidential space to explore blind spots, build confidence and practise new approaches with support. Whether it is right for you depends on your goals, so a short conversation is a good way to find out.

Ready to take the next step?

If you would like support putting these steps into practice, Red Star Coaching offers leadership and confidence coaching tailored to your role and goals. You are welcome to book a Discovery Call to talk through where you are now and what you want to change. Contact us for life-changing coaching services.