Have you set your career sights on landing a leadership role in a company or workplace? Are you unsatisfied with just working an entry-level position, and instead, you have dreams of being part of management? While it is fantastic to have career goals, in order to transition those goals to reality, you need to have an action plan. Sure, you may plan on getting a degree that will ensure your resume is looked at, but what else will you bring to the table?

There are a number of skills, expertise, and general knowledge that leading CEOs around the country and the world are now looking for as they hire leaders. So, how can you become a better leader? By arming yourself with these in-demand skills. Let’s take a closer look.

Figure Out and Embrace Your Leadership Style
The first thing you can do is give thought to what kind of leader you will be. What will your leadership style look like? Maybe you haven’t even thought about the different styles that exist and how you may apply them in the workplace.

It’s a good exercise to look back on various bosses and managers you’ve had over the years – which ones stand out and why? What were their good traits, and what were their bad? These are experiences and lessons you can learn from and then build upon in your own leadership style.

Educate Yourself Further with a Leadership Certificate
Perhaps you already have a degree and are under the impression that it’s good enough, that’s all you need. Remember, there are plenty of other people who also have degrees. How will that alone set you apart from the competition? As Kelley School of Business Executive Education suggests, you may want to consider something like a leadership certificate.

A leadership certificate addresses today’s issues, challenges, and trends within the business world, as well as how leaders can effectively manage them. It can help you to understand and communicate better with your employees, encourage innovation in the business, and ensure the organization you are leading is poised to be successful.

Learn to Be More Decisive
As a leader, you are the one that is making the decisions. People turn to you for guidance, advice, and decision-making skills. What that means is that you’ve got to tap into your decisive side and learn how to make an informed decision that you feel confident and comfortable with. This particular skill can take time and practice, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you find it tough at first.

Always Lead by Example
It’s also important that you are leading by example. If you expect your employees to act and work in a particular manner, then you need to portray those mannerisms yourself. You are essentially setting the tone for the workplace, your staff, and your department.

An On-Going Quest
Learning how to become a better leader in the workplace isn’t just a quick lesson; rather, it is an on-going quest to better yourself, and thereby improve the outcome around you.