By Rita Pagan

Many organizations spend thousands of dollars on professional development for their employees to master skills they think employees can immediately apply to their job and affect the bottom line. But do they truly understand the benefits of investing in leadership skills? And for more than just leaders? According to the Harvard Business Review, studies show companies with outstanding leadership teams outperform other organizations by 19 percent.

Here are a few leadership skills that can immediately benefit any organization:

Teamwork makes the dream work! Learning how to effectively manage a team and drive teamwork is a skill that immediate benefits any organization. Sounds cheesy but when you have an effective team, anything can be accomplished. Investing in teaching employees how to work as a team can benefit everyone at any level, especially with many organizations implementing work-from-home policies.

Develop your self-awareness. Self-awareness allows leaders to identify the gaps in their management skills and uncover the areas in which they are most effective and those where they need a little help. Chances are, your coworkers are better at rating some parts of your personality than you are. Attending leadership events or workshops might make you have one of those ah-ha moments! I’ve had at least one of those at every leadership conference I’ve been to recently–one where I have to stop myself from yelling “OMG, that’s me!” out loud. In a room full of 100 other people.

Trust & Transparency. When an organization is more transparent with their employees, it tends to be more successful. This type of environment leaves employees feeling valued. They are encouraged to be creative and share their input. When an organization is not fostering trust, this can lead to misinformation, employee turnover and role confusion.

What are some results you’ve experienced from attending a leadership conference?

Rita Pagan is IPMI’s sales and exhibits coordinator and a lead planner for IPMI’s own professional development leadership event coming next fall in Pittsburgh, Pa.