Developing Leadership

Leadership Skills

One of the skills you should be sure to develop in college is that of leadership. Leaders know how to bring together a team’s strengths to achieve an organizational goal. It's one of the key skills employers look for when they are recruiting. On your journey through college, work to develop the following leadership skills:

Communicate clearly (verbal and written)
Listen to understand and with empathy
Motivate others to achieve goals
Collaborate well with all kinds of people and their different skill sets
Make decisions based on goals, evidence, and team strengths
Share decision-making and accountability with your team
Focus on growth and bouncing back from unexpected challenges

You can develop your own leadership skills in the following ways:

Volunteer in the community (service learning)
Take classes related to leadership
Get involved on campus as a resident advisor, peer mentor, or a tutor
Join or start a campus club and eventually take on a leadership role
Use group projects or team-based learning projects to work on your leadership skills
Become an orientation leader or a campus guide
Do an informational interview with an established leader to learn from them
Need a tip to get started? Search for “leadership” in LinkedIn Learning and explore some of the courses. Or check out the course on leadership and initiative in Expand.