Articles / Leadership Skills to Develop: Essential Development Guide
Development, Training & CoachingDiscover the leadership skills to develop for career advancement. Learn which capabilities to prioritise and how to build them effectively over time.
Written by Laura Bouttell • Fri 9th January 2026
Leadership skills to develop represent the capabilities that will most significantly enhance your leadership effectiveness and career progression. Understanding which skills to prioritise—and how to develop them—transforms aspirational leadership into practical capability. This matters because development resources are limited and not all skills contribute equally to leadership success. Strategic selection of development priorities produces better results than unfocused effort across too many areas.
What makes skill selection challenging is that different contexts require different capabilities. The skills that matter most for a first-time manager differ from those needed by a senior executive. Similarly, technical environments demand different emphasis than people-intensive roles. Effective development planning starts with understanding which skills will make the biggest difference in your specific situation, then pursuing them systematically.
Certain skills provide foundation for all leadership.
Everyone should develop foundational leadership skills including: communication (conveying information and influence), self-awareness (understanding your impact), emotional intelligence (managing relationships effectively), decision-making (sound judgement under uncertainty), active listening (understanding before acting), delegation (working through others), and feedback (giving and receiving input). These skills apply across all leadership contexts and enable effectiveness regardless of role or level.
Foundational skills:
| Skill | Why Foundational | Development Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | Everything depends on it | Clarity, persuasion, adaptation |
| Self-awareness | Enables growth | Feedback, reflection |
| Emotional intelligence | Relationships matter | Self-management, empathy |
| Decision-making | Leaders must decide | Analysis, judgement, courage |
| Active listening | Understanding enables action | Attention, patience, comprehension |
| Delegation | Leadership works through others | Trust, assignment, accountability |
| Feedback | Growth requires input | Giving, receiving, acting |
Develop communication first because all other leadership activities depend on it—you cannot lead without communicating effectively. After communication, prioritise self-awareness (enabling all other development) and emotional intelligence (enabling relationship effectiveness). Decision-making follows as leadership requires action. Build these foundations before pursuing advanced skills.
Development sequence:
Different stages require different development focus.
Emerging leaders should develop: peer influence (persuading without authority), initiative (acting without being asked), collaboration (working effectively in teams), task management (delivering personal responsibilities), professional communication (clear, appropriate interaction), problem-solving (finding solutions), and learning agility (growing from experience). Focus on demonstrating leadership potential through influence and results rather than positional authority.
Emerging leader skills:
| Skill | Application | Development Route |
|---|---|---|
| Peer influence | Convincing colleagues | Practice, feedback |
| Initiative | Acting proactively | Taking on challenges |
| Collaboration | Working with others | Team project participation |
| Task management | Delivering responsibilities | Organisation, follow-through |
| Communication | Professional interaction | Practice, training |
| Problem-solving | Finding solutions | Taking on problems |
| Learning agility | Growing from experience | Reflection, openness |
Mid-level leaders should develop: team leadership (guiding and developing others), performance management (driving and assessing results), stakeholder management (building relationships across boundaries), change management (leading through transition), coaching (developing team members), conflict resolution (managing disagreements), and strategic contribution (connecting work to wider direction). Focus on leading teams effectively whilst beginning to think beyond immediate responsibilities.
Mid-level leader skills:
Senior leaders should develop: strategic thinking (long-term perspective), organisational influence (shaping beyond direct reports), executive presence (senior stakeholder credibility), change leadership (driving transformation), talent development (building organisational capability), external engagement (representing organisation), and governance understanding (board and regulatory awareness). Focus on strategic impact and organisational-level influence.
Senior leader skills:
| Skill | Application | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Strategic thinking | Direction setting | Organisation focus |
| Organisational influence | Beyond direct team | Wider impact |
| Executive presence | Senior credibility | Authority |
| Change leadership | Transformation | Organisation change |
| Talent development | Building capability | Succession |
| External engagement | Representation | Profile |
| Governance | Board awareness | Accountability |
Different contexts require different skills.
Technical environments require leadership skills including: technical credibility (expertise that earns respect), knowledge transfer (sharing expertise effectively), technical decision-making (sound judgement on technical matters), translating complexity (making technical concepts accessible), balancing technical and commercial (connecting expertise to value), and developing technical talent (growing specialist capability). Technical leaders must combine domain expertise with leadership capability.
Technical leadership skills:
People-intensive environments require: relationship building (connecting with many stakeholders), empathy (understanding others' perspectives), communication (high-frequency, high-quality), conflict navigation (managing frequent disagreements), emotional labour (managing own emotions whilst supporting others), motivation (sustaining engagement), and culture shaping (influencing group norms). People-intensive leadership demands exceptional interpersonal capability.
People-intensive skills:
| Skill | Application | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship building | Many connections | Central to role |
| Empathy | Understanding others | Constant requirement |
| Communication | Frequent, quality | Core activity |
| Conflict navigation | Managing disagreements | Regular occurrence |
| Emotional labour | Managing affect | Sustainability |
| Motivation | Sustaining engagement | Ongoing need |
| Culture shaping | Group norms | Long-term impact |
Different methods develop different skills.
Develop leadership skills through: challenging experiences (70% of development), relationships (20% of development), formal training (10% of development), feedback integration (learning from input), reflection (processing experience for insight), deliberate practice (focused repetition), and coaching (guided development). Research consistently shows experience as the primary development mechanism—training alone produces limited skill growth.
Development methods:
| Method | Contribution | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Challenging experiences | 70% | Stretch assignments |
| Relationships | 20% | Mentors, coaches, peers |
| Formal training | 10% | Courses, programmes |
| Feedback | Variable | Seeking, receiving, acting |
| Reflection | Variable | Processing experience |
| Deliberate practice | Variable | Focused repetition |
| Coaching | Variable | Guided development |
Experiences are developmental when they include: stretch (beyond current capability), novelty (something new), challenge (difficulty requiring growth), visibility (consequences for performance), feedback (information about impact), support (resources for success), and reflection (processing for learning). Experiences without these elements produce familiarity without growth.
Developmental experience characteristics:
Systematic planning improves results.
Create a development plan by: assessing current capability (where are you now?), identifying target requirements (what does your goal require?), analysing gaps (where are the differences?), prioritising (which gaps matter most?), selecting methods (how will you develop?), setting goals (specific, measurable targets), scheduling activities (when will development happen?), and establishing accountability (how will you track progress?). Plans without accountability rarely produce results.
Development planning process:
| Step | Activity | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Assess | Evaluate current capability | Skill inventory |
| Target | Define goal requirements | Target profile |
| Analyse | Identify gaps | Priority areas |
| Prioritise | Select focus areas | 2-3 key skills |
| Select | Choose development methods | Activity list |
| Set goals | Define measurable targets | Clear objectives |
| Schedule | Plan timing | Calendar entries |
| Accountability | Establish tracking | Review process |
Prioritise development areas based on: role requirements (what does your job need?), career goals (what does your future require?), gap significance (how big is the gap?), development feasibility (can you realistically develop this?), impact potential (how much difference will it make?), and opportunity availability (are development experiences accessible?). Focus on 2-3 areas at once—more creates diffusion without depth.
Prioritisation criteria:
Common obstacles require navigation.
Barriers preventing development include: time constraints (too busy to develop), opportunity scarcity (limited developmental experiences), feedback absence (not knowing what to improve), support lack (no guidance or resources), mindset limitations (believing you can't change), comfort preference (avoiding stretch), and accountability gaps (no follow-through on plans). Awareness of barriers enables proactive navigation.
Development barriers:
| Barrier | Nature | Navigation |
|---|---|---|
| Time | No capacity | Protect development time |
| Opportunity | Limited experiences | Create, seek out |
| Feedback | Not knowing | Actively request |
| Support | No guidance | Find mentors, coaches |
| Mindset | Belief limits | Growth orientation |
| Comfort | Avoiding stretch | Embrace discomfort |
| Accountability | No follow-through | Build structures |
Find development opportunities by: volunteering (offering for challenges), proposing (suggesting initiatives), networking (connecting with opportunity-holders), creating (making opportunities where none exist), leveraging current role (finding stretch within responsibilities), looking outside work (volunteer, community roles), and being visible (ensuring others know your development goals). Opportunities rarely arrive without active seeking.
Finding opportunities:
Develop foundational skills first: communication, self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and decision-making. These enable all other leadership activities and apply across contexts. Once foundations are established, develop context-specific skills based on your role and career goals.
Significant skill improvement typically takes months to years, not days or weeks. Communication and emotional intelligence evolve over years of deliberate practice. Specific technical skills may develop faster. Research suggests developing expertise in any complex domain requires approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice.
Communication consistently predicts advancement. Strategic thinking, executive presence, and change leadership matter increasingly at senior levels. The specific skills that drive advancement depend on your context—research what distinguishes successful leaders in your field.
Yes, though development approaches may differ. Younger leaders may benefit from more formal training; experienced leaders often develop through challenging experiences and coaching. The brain remains plastic throughout life—leadership skill development is possible at any age with appropriate effort.
Prioritise based on role requirements (what does your job need?), career goals (what does your future require?), feedback (what do others say?), and gap significance (where are the biggest differences?). Focus on 2-3 areas at once for sufficient depth.
Research shows challenging experiences contribute most to development (approximately 70%), followed by relationships (20%) and formal training (10%). Seek stretch assignments, find mentors, and supplement with training. Integrate feedback and reflection throughout.
Develop through project leadership, peer influence, volunteer roles, mentoring others, initiative-taking, and collaborative leadership. Formal authority isn't required for leadership development—influence and impact opportunities exist in any role.
Leadership skills to develop should be strategically selected based on your current situation, career goals, and the gaps that matter most. Not all skills deserve equal development attention—focus on capabilities that will make the biggest difference in your specific context, then pursue them systematically through experience, relationships, and targeted training.
Begin by assessing your current capability honestly. Seek feedback from others, reflect on your performance, and compare against role requirements and career aspirations. Identify 2-3 priority areas where development would make the biggest difference. Create a plan that emphasises challenging experiences supported by relationships and learning.
Remember that leadership development is a career-long journey. Skills that matter today may be foundational for skills that matter tomorrow. Build systematically, starting with fundamentals and progressing to advanced capabilities as your career evolves. The leaders who continue developing are those who continue growing—make development a permanent commitment rather than a temporary project.