A Guide to Improving Leadership and Management Skills in the Workplace

What’s the difference between leadership and management?

According to this definition from the University of Salford, Leadership is “inspiring and motivating people to achieve a collective vision, whereas management is about planning and executing tasks to attain specific goals”.

People often think of leaders as the figureheads of an organisation; those making the strategic decisions who represent the company on the big stage. In reality, every manager with a team is also a leader. They have a responsibility to lead and inspire their people to achieve personal and professional success.  

What is concerning is that leaders may have the necessary skills to manage day-to-day tasks, but not all managers are equipped to lead people.  

Failing to equip people with the skills to become an effective leader is the downfall of so many organisations. Managers are promoted to roles with direct reports without the proper support and development to understand how to lead them. We all need to do better to support our managers to be effective leaders.

In this guide we will explore the changing nature of leadership and management and consider:

• What good leadership and management looks like

• What it means to lead a team

• How to assess your strengths as a leader

• How the skills of a leader have changed over the last decade

• Internal and external factors shaping the future of leadership

• Ways to develop effective leaders in your organisation.

What is good leadership and management?

Our answer to this question a decade ago would be very different to our answer today. The management style that worked a decade ago is no longer effective or admired. We live in a rapidly changing world in which leaders have no choice but to adapt their management style to meet the challenges and requirements of the modern workplace. 

What are the qualities of a good leader?

As the future of work evolves, the skills and qualities needed for good leadership are evolving too. The external and internal environments in which we operate require a changing skillset and an ability to:

• Set and communicate clear goals

• Maintain productivity levels

• Prioritise and delegate tasks

• Consider the needs and feelings of a team

• Inspire and motivate a team

• Create a positive work environment

• Manage conflict and handle difficult conversations

• Progress and develop the careers of others

The true value of good leadership is seen when you can demonstrate the mix of skills required by your organisation and also represent what good leadership and management looks like to you personally. When there a mis-match between the two, leaders may be less effective. 

Good leadership and management starts with YOU

You can’t lead a team effectively if you are not adequately supporting yourself. For example, if you struggle to get comfortable with the concept of hybrid working, how can you support your team to adapt to this way of working? 

The most effective leaders start by focusing their own development before unlocking the potential of their team.

Assess your strengths and weaknesses

Look in the mirror and be honest with yourself. What are your strengths as a leader? Which areas of leadership and management do you struggle with? Don’t be shy! We all have them.

Take time to go through the process of self-reflection. Useful places to start your evaluation include feedback from peers and colleagues, thinking about good and bad experiences in the workplace and what you learned from them, and feedback from coaching conversations. The culture, strengths and weaknesses of your team may also be a reflection of your own abilities and mindset. You will find more tips at the end of this guide. 

Assessing yourself in this way should help you to identify the areas where you need to develop. Common themes include:

• Managing and supporting yourself and your team through change

• Communicating effectively with others

• Starting difficult and challenging conversations

• Giving and/or receiving timely feedback

• Enabling others to understand how they can improve.

What does it mean to lead a team?

Being a leader is a privilege, not a tool to control or manipulate others. Leadership is an opportunity to manage the minds and skills of people, and develop these for the benefit of the individual and the organisation. It’s a chance to shine a light on individuals with potential for growth and to support and encourage those who are struggling. This opportunity to create and influence career pathways for colleagues can be hugely rewarding. In developing others you can create your own succession plan, allowing you to move on to the next step in your career. 

While most leaders have direct reports, it is possible to be a leader without having a team. In a strategic leadership role it’s still important to have an awareness and oversight of people issues, such as engagement, motivation, performance, development, and succession planning.

Get to know your team

One thing you can do to improve yourself as a people manager is to make time to get to know the people in your team. When you understand who you are leading, you can support, encourage, and communicate more effectively with them.

• Who are they?

• What skills and knowledge do they have within the workplace?

• What motivates them?

• What hobbies and interests do they have outside of work?

Action: What does it mean to you to be a leader? What do you want your leadership legacy to look like?

How has a leader’s role changed?

Gone are the strict, controlling, autocratic leaders of the 80s and 90s (or so we thought!). Twenty first century organisations are recruiting empathetic, inclusive leaders who are as au fait with the latest technology as they are with developing and delivering a strategic plan. Over the last decade, leaders have adapted to managing hybrid and remote working teams, a multitude of legislation changes, and the influence of social media in the workplace.

You only need browse our recent blog themes to understand the demands on modern leaders: adaptive leadership, mindful leadership, humility, and flexible working are just a few of the terms that weren’t in our HR vocabulary a decade ago.

Emotional intelligence

Today successful leaders also want to be liked by, and have fun with, their teams - and this requires emotional intelligence. They need an ability to build intuitive relationships, inspire people with their ideas, and keep teams motivated, engaged, and focused on their goals. From an employee perspective, colleagues want leaders to empower them and help them to develop and flourish in their careers. 

A flatter hierarchy

The distance between leader and team has reduced, leaving flatter team structures where leaders find themselves on a peer level with their direct reports. This means leaders have to be careful not to fall into the friend zone. Finding the right balance between being approachable and respected, consistent and fair, decisive and clear, is a must. 

Pressure on decision making

With advances in technology providing data and analytics in abundance, there’s added pressure on leaders to make speedy decisions. The ability to understand and analyse information quickly is now an essential skill.

Health and wellbeing

Wellbeing at work is a priority for every organisation. Leaders need to tune in to the physical, mental and financial pressures on their team and be able to identify when someone might need help. Good communication skills, empathy and understanding are important to start the conversation and support colleagues through personal challenges.

The external factors shaping the future of leadership

The global pandemic

Since 2020, our ways of working have changed. Home working, remote and hybrid working are now the norm and all require flexibility of management. Keeping teams together when working at distance requires excellent communication skills and the ability to continuously inspire, engage and motivate others.

A squeezed economy

Financial pressures are not letting up following the economic downturn. Organisations require leaders to do more with less. Budgets are reducing and teams are getting smaller, while workloads continue to grow. Leaders are being challenged to be resilient and come up with new, innovative ways to meet the resourcing challenge.

Digital transformation

Balancing the challenges and opportunities of technology is a key leadership role. Mobile and tablet devices mean we carry our offices in our pockets. Cloud computing and collaboration tools mean we don’t have to be with our teams in person to communicate or lead them effectively, though it also means pressure to make immediate decisions or responses. Artificial intelligence presents opportunities for efficiencies as well as risks to data security. Social media channels have to be carefully managed to get the most out of them safely. 

Employee expectations

Generational change in the workplace means managers must work hard to understand and deliver on the needs and expectations of their people. There is less loyalty in the workplace than in previous decades. Engagement and providing a quality employee experience is a focus as managers battle to recruit and retain top talent. Employees are continuously questioning what’s in it for me, looking for flexibility, benefits and rewards from their employer.     

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Managers need to lead by example in creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where every individual feels psychologically safe and able to achieve their full potential. Leaders must be properly equipped to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, opportunities are equal, and people feel treated fairly.

The internal factors shaping the future of leadership

Workforce structure

Demographic change in the workplace means the structure of our workforce is changing. Leaders must adapt to managing multi-generational teams with flatter hierarchies. Whether you’re a new or more experienced leader you’ll need flexibility, patience and emotional intelligence to adapt to managing the needs of different generations.

A focus on culture

With external factors influencing an organisation’s ability to recruit and retain top talent, getting the employee experience right is vital. Leaders have a key role to play in building a culture of trust, encouraging collaboration, keeping teams motivated, satisfied and engaged with their work.

Burnout

Burnout is a word we didn’t use that frequently ten years ago. Often a direct result of the squeeze on resources, declining employee wellbeing is appearing as stress, anxiety and increasing sickness levels. Wellbeing at work is an important factor in individual happiness and productivity. Leaders must learn to prioritise their own health and wellbeing as well as that of their team.  

Productivity

Maintaining productivity whilst managing costs and navigating continuous change is not easy. Leaders require strong analytical skills and a good understanding of AI and other technologies to make informed decisions in line with business strategy.

Developing leadership and management skills

How do your colleagues view you as a manager and leader? If you’ve never considered this before, a good starting point is to carry out a 360° review. Ask your manager, team and peers for honest feedback on your strengths and weaknesses as a leader. Their responses should help you to build a picture of where you need to develop your skills and behaviours. For help facilitating manager 360° reviews contact us here. Sample reports are available on request.

Insights Discovery

Another way to step back and assess yourself is to use a personal development tool like Insights Discovery. This online questionnaire can help build self-awareness, aid understanding, help teams connect, and build a more innovative, creative and productive workplace. More about Insights Discovery. 

Events for leaders and managers

Throughout the year, we deliver learning events on a range of topics relating to leadership and management. Browse our events calendar and subscribe to our monthly newsletter to be the first to know about these learning opportunities. 

Browse our e-learning modules

We offer a choice of 100 CPD certified online courses to develop and upskill leaders via our e-learning portal. It’s a convenient, flexible and cost-effective way to acquire new skills and knowledge, and crucially become more confident to use these in the workplace.

The focus for 2025

In 2025, being a ‘good’ manager isn't good enough. Organisations need to do better to support managers to be effective, and put an end to creating leaders without giving them the skills to become one.

To be an effective, efficient and inspiring leader we must prioritise developing ourselves and our people. There are many external and internal challenges for managers to be aware of and adapt to. If you strive to become a better leader and manager, to inspire, motivate and develop others, your time is now. Give yourself, your people and your organisation permission to improve and get fit for the future of work. 

If you would like to discuss any of the issues covered in this ebook, or would like to know more about learning and development support, get in touch with our team. We’re here to help. Call us on 0161 941 2426 or email p3advice@p3pm.co.uk