[February 16, 2019] The ability to lead a team is one of the most in-demand skills in the modern business marketplace. At the same time, though, leadership has changed drastically in recent years and today’s leaders find themselves dealing with new trends like remote working and the gig economy.
The good news is that help is on hand, and the best business leaders have certain similarities that we can learn from and apply to our own styles of leadership. They also use similar tools to get the job done, and that’s where this article comes in. Here are the six tools you’re going to need if you want to become a perfect leader.
MS Project
This organisation tool is an industry standard, and getting to know the ins and outs will set you up in good stead for the future. It makes it easier than ever before to keep an eye on complex workflows and to create a single, simplified repository listing all of the tasks that your team is working on. It’s also easy to set and change priorities and to chase employees for an update.
Slack
Slack is a real-time communications platform that supports everything from video and audio calls to text discussions and instant messaging. You can create public and private rooms for different clients and projects, and it’s also a great way to take the pulse of your organisation by seeing what people are saying to each other.
Assignment Holic
The Assignment Holic Service is similar to Grade Miners in that it’s a great way to source written content for your company without having to expand your team. That will come in handy if writing is your weak point, and it’s especially important because of how effective storytelling can be as a leadership tool.
Jira
Jira is best suited for software and web development companies because of its bug tracking software and its focus on agile development. That said, it also has some useful features when it comes to planning different product iterations, troubleshooting and reporting that make it well worth a mention.
Trello
Trello is another specialist project management system, allowing you to create different boards for different projects and to assign tasks to individual team members. It’s particularly useful when you’re managing teams across multiple locations or working with freelancers and employees who work from home.
Google Docs
The chances are that you’re already using Google Docs to a certain extent, but you’re missing a trick if you’re not using it for personal development. When you’re carrying out reviews of your employees, set up shared documents that the two of you can both work on to make it a more collaborative process and to get the most out of each employee.
Conclusion
Calling these tools “essential” is perhaps a little bit of a stretch, because the truth is that the very best leaders could get by without them if they had to. With that said, these tools will help you to get the job done faster and more efficiently than you could hope for without them. Not every tool works well for everyone, but you won’t know until you try them out and identify what works for you. Good luck.
I love to read informative posts and you are doing it excellently. google
Yes, keep publishing. It will make you free … although it doesn’t pay much these days. We here at General Satterfield’s blog are always on the look-out for good writers. Thanks.
Thanks for the blog post. Keep up the good works! BTW, nice Twitter page.
Personally, I like Trello; used it for a few months and despite the learning curve, it is easily adapted to most uses. Here is the official Trello website for those who would like to read more on it. https://trello.com/
Yes, thanks Nick. Nice software “tool” list. Like most folks here, I haven’t heard of all of them but would like to test a few out to see if they can make my life just a little easier.
Wow, nice! This is a list that has its value but only if others take the time to learn them and use them over time. In your conclusion you state that leaders can “get by” without them. Yes, that is true but leaders should use appropriate tools to make it easier for them while carrying out their leadership duties. In this leadership blog, there is a series on items that should be part of a “leadership toolbox.” Here is a sample one. I recommend you read it. At the end are about 20 more.
Max, thank you for pointing out my series labeled “leadership toolbox.” This is still a work-in-progress but has garnered a number of regular readers.
I like you work. Good read for the weekend. ?
It’s always a pleasure to read another Guest Article in Gen. Satterfield’s blog. We get another perspective on what is important for others in different commercial or public enterprises. Well done!
Yes, keeps the mind fresh (or something like that).
I’d never heard of some of these “tools” so thanks Mr. Hill for making us aware of them. I assume that by tools, you mean anything that can make our lives easier. Some tools as you show can be software. As an engineer, I am very familiar with MS Project. I will try some of the others. Thanks.
Good article, Peter. I like your work. I would also like to read some of your other writings. Keep up the great work!