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Christmas parties — they’re either an excuse to see your coworkers getting a little too tipsy in the name of the holiday spirit, or a boring snooze fest. But perhaps this year’s holiday party could be a little different, maybe even a great networking opportunity?

Are you finding that you’re not seeing the results you want from your team? Maybe it’s not them, maybe it’s you. Your leadership style could be damaging morale, leading to poor work, increased absences and bad results from your team overall. Here are five ways you could be messing up.

You have some great talent on your team, but you’re worried you’re not using them to their potential, and that maybe they’ll end up quitting or just stagnating, sitting in their office chair, doing the same thing day after day, never truly benefitting themselves or the company. You know who we’re talking about. You probably had someone in mind as soon as you read the title of this article.

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.