Leadership advice is everywhere, but the latest trends in executive management are useless unless you have solid fundamental skills.

In this guide, learn how to master four essential -- yet frequently overlooked -- building blocks for successful leadership:

"Trends in executive management"

Type this into any search engine, and you'll be inundated with advice.

But how much of it can you put to use without solid fundamental leadership skills?

The answer: Very little. Trends come and go, but the building blocks of a great leader remain.

Why Leadership Fundamentals Matter

Leaders are under more pressure than ever. Emerging trends, developing best practices, new technologies, generational sea changes: The world today moves faster than it ever has.

But while some things change, others remain the same. A strong leadership foundation allows leaders to tackle constant change by giving them an anchor. They can ride the waves of innovation and trend without being washed out to sea -- or washing out their team.

Four-Square Fundamentals

To maintain their own stability and their team's confidence, leaders need four primary skills:

• Listening
• Strategic Thinking
• Delegation
• Conflict Management

These skills haven't changed since ancient times, indicating they're hard-wired into the human understanding of both leadership and following. Generals like Alexander the Great and Attila the Hun used them to great effect. And Julius Caesar's demise can be traced directly to his failure to listen and manage conflict effectively.

Here's a "deep dive" into the four fundamentals and how to improve them.

#1: Listening

What happens when you get better at listening to your team?

• Your employees know you care -- and become more engaged, productive, and loyal.
• You know more, so you make fewer mistakes.
• You build an atmosphere of mutual trust.

But don't mistake "hearing" for "listening." Picking up your team's words isn't the same as processing them -- or as expressing that process.

How to Improve Your Listening Skills

To get better at listening, make these skills a daily habit:

Be here now. Put your phone away, take a deep breath, and focus on being present in the moment as others speak. Pay attention to their words, ask questions, and encourage them to elaborate. When you read messages from your team, do the same thing.

Listen actively. "Being present" for others' words requires you to put your own away for a while. Avoid formulating a response while someone else is speaking (which increases the urge to interrupt). Instead, start your reply by summarizing what the other person said, then give your perspective.

Don't be afraid to return to a conversation. Listening actively spurs deeper thinking, which means you may come to a realization or conclusion after the conversation has ended. Don't hesitate to restart that conversation when needed: "I was thinking about what you said, and I realized...." Doing so shows the other person's words matter.

#2: Strategic Thinking

"Be more strategic."

Every leader gets this advice at some point -- and every leader finds it frustrating. What does it mean? More importantly, how are you supposed to do it when you're already facing a mountain of work?

Strategic thinking benefits you and your team by:

• Keeping you focused on the big picture.
• Helping you spot potential problems before they become actual problems.
• Showing you ways to "get ahead" by implementing a solution that works in both the short and the long term.

How to Improve Strategic Thinking Skills

To get better at strategic thinking:

Practice pattern recognition. What problems come up again and again? When have you talked about an obstacle, only to have someone from another department say, "We have the same problem!" Identifying patterns can help you identify ways to address them.

Reach out. Make time to talk to leaders in other parts of the organization and within the industry. Their added perspectives will help you see the "bigger picture," and their advice will help you address it.

Know your worth. What do you contribute to the organization that no one else does? Why does your role -- and the role of your team -- matter to the company as a whole? Focus on your team's unique contribution to find ways to improve it.

#3: Delegation

No leader can do it all. Without strong delegation skills, however, you'll find yourself in a position where you're forced to -- again and again.

New leaders in particular have trouble delegating because they find themselves unable to let go of their own work. Their name goes on the team's efforts, so they feel they need to control those results.

But when you delegate:

• Engagement improves because your team does work that matters.
• Productivity improves because tasks are given to those best suited to do them efficiently.
• Skills improve because you and your team have the opportunity to work on what you most need to know.

How to Improve Delegation Skills

To get better at delegating:

Start small. If letting go is hard for you, start by delegating small tasks. Choose tasks in which the "how" doesn't matter, as long as completion is achieved. As your team adapts to the new tasks, work your way up by delegating larger and larger responsibilities.

Focus on priorities. Prioritize tasks into three tiers. The highest-skilled tasks stay on your own plate, the second-highest go to skilled senior team members, and the lowest-skilled go to less-experienced team members. High-effort, low-skill tasks are especially ripe for delegation.

Give and get feedback. Once you delegate, walk away -- but not before letting your staff know how they can reach you for questions. When the task is completed, review it. Provide any feedback you think staff need to improve their work, and ask them for their perspective. The information will help you delegate and your staff work more effectively on the next task.

#4: Conflict Management

Conflict is common, inevitable -- and even desirable. A well-managed conflict can point the way to a long-term resolution that solves not only the "flashpoint" issue, but related problems as well.

Leaders who excel at conflict management benefit themselves and their teams by:

• Creating an atmosphere of communication and trust.
• Empowering staff to address conflicts themselves with good resolution skills.
• Identifying solutions to both short- and long-term problems.

How to Improve Conflict Management Skills

To get better at addressing team conflict:

Give people space to tell their story. Many conflicts end once each participant feels heard and understood. Often, asking "So what happened?" and then listening carefully to the answer provides all the information and support a leader needs to find a solution.

Deliver a reality check. In a workplace conflict, the "last straw" is often no bigger than an actual straw. It's a minute point that isn't actually related to the big picture. Good leaders maintain that larger perspective in order to help feuding co-workers focus on fixing the issue, not fighting one another.

Get to the root. While listening to each side of a conflict, ask: What is keeping this person from agreeing to a solution? Resolving the root of the problem resolves the problem -- and keeps it from flowering again.

Where to Turn for Help

A strong mentor is a natural first choice for developing leaders. But did you know your staffing partner can help you build your leadership skills as well?

Staffing firms support growing leaders by:

• Partnering with you to think strategically about hiring.
• Recommending candidates to whom you can delegate with confidence.
• Improving candidates' cultural "fit" for better conflict management.
• Helping you find time to devote to professional development.

But don't take our word for it. Contact your staffing partner today!