How English Can Enhance Your LeadershipP Skills?

According to Cambridge Dictionary, ‘leader’ is a person who manages or controls other people, especially because of his or her ability or position. When we hear the word ‘leader’, we visualize the images in our minds of those people who are in positions of power, of people who have left a lasting effect in their field of work, or maybe those who are renowned and acclaimed.
Great leaders are in demand now like never before. With organizations diversifying and turning their sides to international borders, working over multiple time zones, languages and cultures, and bringing in results in one breadth is a new type of leader.
However, what type of leader is required in this new world?
“Leaders become great, not because of their power, but because of their ability to empower others” – John Maxwell
Undoubtedly, you will have heard the phrase global leader, - a leader comfortable working with various nationalities, communication styles and inspirations?
Whether it is to inspire, to motivate, to lead, to brainstorm, to delegate, or to collaborate, leader uses his ability to communicate and bring transformation. And can this ability be affected by his language skills?
Did you realize that speaking English can enhance your global leadership skills and help you to turn into a global leader?
Skills and aptitudes that would have served leaders well in a domestic market are essentially not, at this point enough. Global leaders need an upgraded range of skills to deal with the diverse needs of global team members, employees and other business partners whose business directions and motivations might be totally different to those back home.
English language skills are just one of the skills that the global leader must possess to become a true global leader.
Let us take a look at how English language skills can increase your global leadership skills.
1.ENGLISH LANGUAGE AUGMENTS LEADERSHIP SKILLS
Many organizations realize that working together and doing business in a common language is a good policy for reducing misunderstandings. However, fewer organizations realize that global leadership skills reach far beyond a leader’s ability to communicate in that language. Communicating in more than one language improves leadership skills by growing the manner in which individuals communicate and the manner in which they are perceived by their audience.
2.DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS
There are various ways that communicating in another language gives the speaker a more extensive world perspective. Communication is significantly more than content or what people say. It is additionally about context, or how people talk. The way in which you portray any event or express your feelings may have an influence on how to engage people through facts or feelings.
People think in different ways. A recent article published by Forbes recognized the challenges and difficulties faced by people due to their limited English communication skills and how this can impact their global leadership abilities.
3.DEALING WITH UNCERTAINITY
English language skill not only helps you to set your context right but also enables you to deal with directness or ambiguity. This skill comes from both the words accessible in English language as well as how they are used.
In English language where a word has more than one meaning, the expertise of being able to see things from more than one viewpoint become essential.
So does the ability to work things out in context. Fluent English speakers might get frustrated and disappointed when the other speaker is ambiguous in their communication style. The ambiguous speaker may believe the fluent speaker to be too direct or inconsiderate or judges that they can’t see their point in context.
Good leadership, especially with English communication skills, would profit by understanding the origin of why these communication styles differ and can clarify these differences from more than one viewpoint.
4.ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING
Leadership skills in a global business also require a deep understanding of diverse cultures. Being able to speak the foreign language of English is an excellent way to learn not only new words but also to learn about new cultures. The more leaders learn various approaches to communicate, the more they also figure out how to empathize and get the most out of their very valuable multilingual and multicultural teams. They become prepared and equipped to be global leaders.
5.BETTER DECISION MAKER
Everyone looks up to the leader when it is time to make a decision. From picking the right colors for the company’s website to whether to adopt new strategies to improve production, as a leader you will need to say something about it.
The good news here is that learning English can assist you with settling on rational choices. When thinking in English, being a foreign language, you depend more on analytical processes, leaving emotions behind. This can help you understand and analyze a situation from an objective angle and settle on better choices. It might require some investment of time to experience such a complex process, yet in the end your decisions will be wise ones.
Due to these skills, you’ll find new ways to analyze problems, and have a higher possibility of finding innovative solutions for any challenges and difficulties. This is a basic quality of a good leader.
As a leader, your command over your words is important for communicating with one another. English communication is a significant instrument for your interactions. It can help you to express your thoughts and ideas effectively through better conversational abilities. Well refined spoken English skills will help you get a step closer to becoming a good leader.
As Bill Gates once said, “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
And to empower others, empower oneself with the chance and choice of improving your English language competencies today!