Being a good manager or leader isn't just about having a job title or being officially “in charge”.

You might manage a team at work, lead a department, organise a social group or community, coordinate a club or activity, or simply be the person who naturally takes the lead.

You might even find yourself temporarily put in charge of something — perhaps because someone is off, you're running a project, organising an event or suddenly find yourself responsible for getting a group of people from A to B.

Leadership can be official, unofficial, temporary or something you simply step into.

Whatever the situation, leading people is about people.

It's about how you communicate, how you respond when things get difficult, how you make decisions and, importantly, how you make the people around you feel.

You can learn management techniques, processes and organisational skills, but some of the most valuable leadership skills are actually personal skills.

They're the things that help you build trust, earn respect, handle difficult situations, communicate with confidence and bring out the best in the people around you.

And here's the really useful thing: you don't have to be a manager to benefit from these skills.

They're brilliant life skills to have in your assertiveness toolbox.

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