Skill Development

As of lately, I have been spending a lot of time thinking about my leadership skills and how I want to continue to further grow and develop them. Upon thinking of the skills that I hold, I also learned about the skills that I need to work on. A few of the skills that I need to work on as a leader are creativity, time-management, and delegation.

Creativity in community outreach

One thing that can be difficult for me is to be creative. I feel that a creative leader can brainstorm new and innovative ideas that can inspire their team. I believe that I do this, but can always improve.

I have been in the field for awhile now and have tried many different creative approaches to getting community members referred to HIV testing and linked to HIV medical care. It is great that I am now in a position to build a new team who can help me with the creation of new safe spaces and how to better reach the community we serve.

It is always good to have your team be a part of the planning process - sharing ideas and creating alongside you. By providing employees a space to speak their mind and be creative, you can also get your own creative juices flowing.

Setting S-M-A-R-T goals

One skill that I need to work on is time-management. Now that I oversee several programs, I need to manage my time better by making sure that all reports are completed, reviewed, and submitted on time.

I want to start by creating a to-do list on my white board that I have on the wall in front of my desk. I will make sure to prioritize each task and set attainable goals for myself.

One way I will do this is by setting SMART goals which is an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound. SMART goals outline a strategy on how to effectively reach a goal or objective. I would like to create biweekly or monthly SMART goal with my team to further develop their own skillset. By doing this, I hope to all achieve the goals we set, and help one another get to that point.

Delegating versus being "bossy"

In this new role I understand that I may need to take a step back at times and delegate tasks to my team. In the past, I have been used to doing a lot of things on my own and I want that to change.

I believe a great leader knows the strengths of their team and can delegate tasks and responsibilities accordingly. By doing this, the leader can create relationship building within their team and an environment where the employees feel respected and valued.

Delegation is not about bossing other around, but rather taking initiative to get the ball rolling on objectives and tasks.

Making progress

Moving forward I want to manage my time more effectively and by doing this I can work on delegating more tasks to my team which can provide me with more time to find creative and innovative ways to engage community.