Simple Skills—Strong Leadership
Paul Thornton is generously giving away 20 electronic versions of his latest book, Leadership Skills: Boost Your Effectiveness.
This post provides a small sample of the practical skills Paul shares.
Leave a comment to become eligible for your copy.
Deadline for eligibility: 11/09/25
7 Simple Skills
Leadership isn’t magic. It’s a set of simple skills practiced well.
You don’t need a title to lead because leadership is a way of living.
#1. Ask Better Questions
Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell’s, turned a struggling company around by asking, “What’s getting in the way of you doing your best work?”
Great leaders aren’t know-it-alls; they’re ask-it-alls.
#2. Listen Quietly
Terry Gross (NPR’s Fresh Air) listens between the lines. She says silence works like a magnet that draws out truth.
When you stop talking, people start trusting.
#3. Communicate Simply
Ronald Reagan earned the title “The Great Communicator” because he made complex things simple.
Know the goal of your words before you open your mouth.
#4. Coach for Growth
Bill Gates said, “Everyone needs a coach… that’s how we improve.”
Coaching isn’t fixing people; it’s helping people craft a path forward.
#5. Delegate to Aspiration
When you keep every task, you steal growth from others.
Delegation says, “I trust you to carry this.”
#6. Manage Time Like Your Life Depends on It
Warren Buffett said, “The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.”
Think of a “no” as a “yes” to something more important.
#7. Lead Yourself
Paul Thornton wrote, “Leadership development occurs in real life, not just on paper.”
Simple skills, practiced daily, multiply your impact.
Ask. Listen. Communicate. Coach. Delegate. Focus. Lead yourself.
Leadership doesn’t get easier — you get better.
Which leadership skill is most relevant to you today?
Saying no to almost everything is my favorite one. First, because it surprises me. But, second because it enables leaders to stay laser focused on the essential priorities. That’s hard to do in the whirlwind.
Hi .. í want my book 😅
I will ask question #1 to everyone on my team. I’ll report back on what I hear. I would also like the book please.
Listening is the critical skill for me. In particular listening to hear what is being said, rather than listening to respond, defend or counter
Too true
I also love saying No to almost everything but I like the reframe even better. I have to say No this because x will have a bigger impact.
Using Ask it all (wish I heard this 25 yrs ago) opens the silences wider…
Would love to read more in his book!
people stopping talking (& listening) and its connection with people trusting was a revelation. Thanks Paul & Dan.
I meant leaders stopping talking..
Ask better questions. This is so true, and not always natural. We tend to jump to solutions and advice. This list is great!
Know when to say NO. Leaders know when they and their teams are at their limits.
#6 Manage Time Like Your Life Depends on It – resonates with me today. For me, the most challenging leadership skill connected to this idea is setting clear boundaries around time and attention. It can feel counterintuitive to decline requests or step back from tasks, especially when they support others or seem urgent. Saying “no” isn’t about avoidance—it’s about making intentional choices that protect time for what matters most. Every “no” becomes a “yes” to priorities that align with our purpose and long-term goals.
I learned to say no to those things that weren’t important quite some time ago and found I did, in fact, have time for the things most important to me. It’s always good to have a reminder lest we fall back into our old habits. Thanks.
Communicating simply also applies at organisational level. Mission and vision statements should be written such that they are easily understood by the intended audience rather than sounding just impressive.
Saying no to new things is great. I think it is also important to have a “stop doing meeting” quarterly. In that session, we ask, “What are we doing that one time made sense, that we need to stop doing so we can focus on our next opportunity.” It takes a lot of listening to what isn’t being said to make this work.
This Is a great list of skills ,I call them capacities, I so agree leadership begins with an inside outside ongoing journey of personal development .Warren Bennis often said becoming a leader is like becoming a person. It is precisely that simple and precisely that difficult
They are all very good, but I think the most important one is #7 lead yourself first. If you don’t do this, then the other skills don’t matter.
Great article on leadership Dan! #4 especially speaks to me, always love seeing my team winning.
Thank you for sharing these tips. “Communicate simply” speaks to me.
Thank you for this article. Number 4 speaks to me as well. #4. Coach for Growth
Bill Gates said, “Everyone needs a coach… that’s how we improve.”
Coaching isn’t fixing people; it’s helping people craft a path forward. We are always learning as leaders. Having a coach or network helps in improving ourselves.
Thanks for your daily sharing. Much appreciated.
I would love a book if possible.
Thank you for the reminder to stop and listen to build trust. We often forget to really hear people and just try to respond.
I like the ‘Ask Better Questions’ but sometimes it’s tough to think of the best question(s) to ask. But sometimes I ask, ‘What are you hoping to get as results from this task/project?’
Asking questions to understand is key but also sometimes very challenging. Often we are listening to respond instead of listening to learn. When we listen to learn this makes asking questions to understand a more natural process. I would love to read your book. Leadership faces many challenges and as we educate ourselves to be better leaders, we are more effective. Servant leadership requires continual learning, asking what your people need and sacrifice but servant leadership results in many blessings.
I truly believe that as a leader it is my job to create other leaders.
But…In order for me to help others to become great leaders I need to continually improve my own leadership skills.
This book is exactly what I need to keep improving and sharpening my leadership skills.
When it comes to listening, one of the better quotes that I remember hearing and giving a hmmm to was, we have one mouth and two ears and should listen twice as much as we speak.
I agree that listening is key to effective leadership.
The skill that’s most relevant to me today is managing time “like your life depends on it.” I lead multiple projects in county government, and it often feels like everything is urgent and everything is important. Warren Buffett’s line about very successful people saying no to almost everything was a needed jolt.
I’m working on saying “no” more often so I can say a better “yes” to strategic work, staff development, and my own growth as a leader. I’d be grateful for a copy of the book to help me translate these simple skills into daily habits.
Listen Quietly! Love it.
Thank you for this at this time. I recently was promoted and after a lot of shifting in staff, I need simplicity.
Know the goal of your words before you open your mouth. I love this!! I can think of many times as a leader that I have said words that were meaningless.
A timely follow up to yesterday’s post. Why is it so challenging to lead oneself? It SEEMS like that should be the easiest of all, but I find it to be the most difficult.
Skill #4 -Coaching isn’t fixing people; it’s helping people craft a path forward –
This is the most brilliant definition of “coaching” I’ve ever read. It proves the wisdom in #3 – making complex things simple.
Thank you for this.
I want to make this a poster for my office! Great reminders and guides for leadership. I will be forwarding this to my supervisors.
Wow, Paul too seems like a great communicator! Taking leadership and boiling it down to the essentials. Thanks for sharing!
I’d love to look more into this topic- common sense and simple! The way everything in life should be!
The “saying no” is hitting me in a way – coming from a position where providing service and going above and beyond is encouraged and now to a leadership position where I have to protect my time and my team’s time has been a struggle. What has helped significantly is recognizing when to say “no” in favor of something that is bringing more value.
Those are great nuggets… I really like, “Ask better questions.” I also appreciate listening more and letting silence lead, something I could definitely do better. Thank you for another great share.
Delegate to Aspiration resonated with me. It is frustrating when a task is handed to you, micromanaged, given back, and then accountability rests on your shoulders. Leaders should focus on the things only they can do, then delegate other tasks with good communication and trust.
All of these are great tools not only for work, but also for life! I’d love to receive a copy of thebook.
Learning to delegate, growing in questions and time management are all things which have greatly helped me grow. Would love to be considered for a book.
I really need to practice #1 – I think that will help my team prepare for the day I retire.
Interesting it assigned me an alias 🙂
#5 resonates with me. I am an educational leader. Delegating is not only important in leadership, but also with teachers to students. If teachers don’t give students the opportunity to answer a question, or struggle through a problem students miss out on the learning. We, as leadership are always saying, “Don’t steal their learning”. Responsible, contributing adults need those learning opportunities as well. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dan, great post! I especially appreciated your comments about listening and appreciated silence. My best to you and yours!
John Butts
When you stop talking, people start trusting. Perfect.
Point 2 about listening quietly is profound – one of my many mentors really helped me with not jumping to fill the quiet pauses of a conversation or presentation. Thank you for sharing.
Not only is it important to ask “why” but also important to have higher-ups receptive to staff members who ask “why”.
I work for a federated association where there’s a national and an association in every state. Just yesterday I went to our executive director and asked “why can’t we offer an expedited rush fee on XYZ product?” He was receptive to my question and told me to reach out to other state associations to see how if they charge a fee on this product (that we all offer) so we can create a policy to take to our Board for approval – it could be a non-dues revenue stream that creates very little extra work for staff.
I would like to read more on this.
Leadership development begins from the inside out. Leading yourself – building your skills and knowledge so you can help others. Impact.
#7 Lead yourself is most relevant for me today. This for me begins with receiving love, the unconditional love of God for me. He tells me I am enough and from this place I can lead others, live into the other principles 1-6.
Leadership doesn’t get easier – leaders get better. Great stuff!
Manage Time Like Your Life Depends on It resonates with me. The challenge of saying “no” goes against my passion of being a people pleaser and wanting to be involved in all aspects for fear of being left out. In all actuality, it would be best for myself and those I’m supporting for me to prioritize and align my efforts to be more impactful leading others.
“You don’t need a title to lead, because leadership is a way of living.”
Too often people wait for a title before they decide to start leading — as if leadership begins the moment a nameplate changes. But the truth is, those who eventually earn the titles they’re striving for are already leading long before they receive them. Leadership shows itself in actions, attitude, and the way someone lifts up others. The title simply makes what was already true official.
Part of my job is talking with high school students about their career aspirations. I’ve always struggled with silence, but in this new role I realize that silence is even more important. I’ve found students (and many adults) have a hard time identifying their strengths and what they love. I sometimes physically bite my tongue to prevent myself from filling in the quiet spaces of conversation. I really admire people who can sit with silence. I’m a work in progress.
Need to learn how to say No
Set the example, Have a VISION, keep high values, Believe in your people
Saying “no” ca be difficult as a school leader. Looking forward to this text to help me grow as a leader!
Some great tips for growing not only yourself, but others, into better leaders!
Such a good reminder to refocus on being a coach to my folks instead of steering so hard into my fixer tendency. 🙂
The reframing of the no/yes dynamic was very simple, but powerful
Would love a copy of the book. Leadership is our 2026 initiative with our culture ambassadors. Thank you.
communicate simply, know the goal of your words. Easily stated, but difficult to practice.
The most important leadership effort, whether you’re the CEO of a huge corporation, retired as I am, or someone in between, is to lead yourself! If you can’t effectively lead yourself, you will never lead others no matter how many direct reports one has.
Listening quietly is an excellent leadership strategy. I would love a book!
Saying NO is easy, but only if you at least LISTEN first! Don’t just wait your turn to speak to say NO.
Coach for growth resonates with me. I would love the book!
#6 really hit home! What a great way to look at it!
What a great collection of many of the skills that I need to continuously work on! One that is often tough, especially under pressure to produce results, is the Delegate to Aspiration. A good reminder to always play the long game, which may require you to take some heat on the odd sub-optimal results in the short term (you reports may not have the skills / experience YET to produce what you could with your skills and experience), while investing in your people for better results in the long term (improved quality AND quantity of work product). Bonus – I love when I help people get that “ah ha” moment when they learn something new.
#6. Manage Time Like Your Life Depends on It
and
#7. Lead Yourself
I need to have myself settled before I can lead others successfully
I really appreciate these insights, especially the final thoughts of “leadership doesn’t get easier — you get better”. Thanks for always helping us navigate our leadership journey.
I love all of these leadership strategies- the quotes, the one liners, the mantras…
I would LOVE to observe a full on conversation using them start to finish in a conversation to see how they all work together.
Which leadership skill is most relevant to you today?
– Delegate to Aspiration: “I trust you to take this”
Then accountability: getting better at rewarding accomplishment and manage expectations for follow through.
I would love a book. Thank you!
All are very cogent to leadership, yet, #3 reminds me of a quote I heard a long time ago, and which is attributed to Einstein, namely: “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Beyond a quote, it is a way of thinking, and a reminder to keep the fundamentals of any matter in mind when communicating about whatever is the subject, and, ultimately, when dealing with the subject at hand. That concept has always helped me as a leader to stay focused, and not get sidetracked.
I’m excited about a free resource. Yes!
“Know the goal of your words before you open your mouth.” Often, we listen to answer. Everyone wants to be heard, but the impact of stopping and thinking what are my goals could have a huge impact on every conversation.
I will practice asking better questions!
This rings so true to me “Simple skills, practiced daily, multiply your impact”. Leadership skills are called into practice daily.
I love how the greatest leaders make the complex simple. Easy to do and easy not to do.
The most important skill I think I have been learning over the years is the listening skill. There is a clear distinction between “hearing” and “listening”.
Simple skills on theory! There is a lot of work to be done. Craft the way you are going to acquire these skills —practical, in real life! Test them and then revise!
I see leadership simply as life’s good work. Paul contributes comments here that resonate with the content. It’s clear you each respect the other. Thank you for your good work.
I h
I printed this one out an hung it on my wall. Thanks for the great post and I’m looking forward to reading Paul’s book!
When I consider the seven simple leadership skills, the one that stands out as most relevant to me right now is “Coach for Growth.” In my role as a Sr. LXD, I’m focused on helping others develop their skills and find their own path forward. Coaching isn’t about fixing people; it’s about supporting them to grow and improve, which is exactly the approach I take when facilitating workshops and guiding teams. By prioritizing coaching, I can have a greater impact, empowering others to achieve their best and fostering a culture of continuous learning and development.
Hi Dan, I would like to be eligible for a copy if possible. Thanks. -DG
Greetings Dan:
Keep up the work on leadership development and education.
Wayne T.
Always a good reminder to lead ourselves first, whirlwind is a daily fight, would say almost “wear your mask first” before helping others. Thanks for sharing daily about leadership.
I like this. no tricks here. just life skills that can be constantly improved.