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So you’ve stepped up your game at the office, huh? You’re getting out there, you’re making yourself heard, you’ve started participating in meetings and going to networking events. You may have even made a few friends in the workplace. But are you becoming a great leader…or just a good one? Separate yourself from the rest by developing these three critical qualities that your boss will look for the next time a big promotion is on the line.

You’re great at your job, you just happen to be a little on the shy side. No problem, right? Your boss probably recognises how hard you work and the effort you put in — all those long nights and the spreadsheets, and you practically reinvented how your job is done.

There are many hurdles introverts have to overcome in order to reach their success. Here are two of the biggest hurdles I see get in the way of introverts developing their leadership skills.

There are many different leadership styles and theories out there, but my personal favourite is the Hersey-Blanchard Situational Leadership Theory. This theory states that a good, situational leader isn’t just one kind of leader, all the time. Instead, a situational leader looks at the situation — the people, the task at hand and more — and allows this to dictate how they lead.

So you think you want to become a leader within your company. But leaders have to wear many hats, including that of mentor and coach. But, you ask, aren’t mentors and coaches basically the same thing? Not quite. The two are pretty different.

Some say that leaders are born, but I don’t believe that’s necessarily always the case. While some do instinctively have leadership abilities, it’s also possible to develop the skills you need to become a leader in the workplace. Not sure where to start? Here are three skills I feel are necessary to your development and path toward becoming an Engaging Executive.

Remember my previous post on recommended ways to build rapport? Let’s continue the conversation with even more tips on making this crucial skill a breeze. Business publication Inc. gives six additional tips that fit right along with the spirit of becoming an Engaging Executive.

While Natalie Davis’ article on building rapport is intended to help those in sales roles increase their inbound efforts, rapport building is a helpful skill for anyone in the corporate world and especially for those aiming at becoming Engaging Executives. How did Davis’ advice fit into the Engaging Executive Programme and lifestyle? Let’s take a look.

You likely could rattle off a list of your strengths and weaknesses. After all, you’ve been asked this question in every job interview and likely know it by heart. You’re good at maths, budgets, analysis, project management, etc. Your development needs may be around people management, client communication and so on.

For some people, there’s nothing worse than those first five minutes of an interaction with a new person. What do you say? What do you do? Especially if you’re not in a business setting, where you at least have a business purpose in common, you can come up with a loss for words. You’ll never make a great impression that way!