- Communication.
- Integrity.
- Accountability.
- Empathy.
- Humility.
- Resilience.
- Vision.
- Influence.
- Positivity.
- Delegation.
- Confidence.
1. Interaction.
If you’re in a leadership position or role, one of the most important leadership qualities is good communication skills. But, unfortunately, language is really all we have as humans to perform one-on-one communication.
Yes, there are nonverbal cues, but the ability to express yourself openly and develop empathy with others is the foundation of effective leadership. And what is the most crucial aspect of communication?
Listening.
A good leader listens and pays attention to their followers, employees, and every individual they lead. Good and even great leaders are not born; they are created.
The only way to get people to follow you is to make them feel heard, right up there with empathy.
“Talk to someone about themselves, and they’ll listen for hours,” says Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends and Influence People.
This is completely correct. People will be magnetically drawn to you and passionately speak about their lives if you make genuine eye contact and show genuine interest in their lives. They will be inspired, will feel heard, and will begin to know, like, and trust you.
Alternatively, if you show no interest, make no eye contact, and act as if you don’t care about other people’s personal stories, they will automatically shut down, stop sharing as much, and become self-conscious about their own interests.
One of the most important qualities of a good leader is communication. If you want your followers to trust you fully, you must be an excellent communicator.
2. Sincerity.
“Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is looking,” said C.S. Lewis.
If there is no integrity, there will be no real success. You can’t expect your followers to be honest if you’re not honest yourself. Honest and great leaders succeed when they keep their promises, live their core values, set a good example, and follow-through.
All other leadership qualities are built on integrity.
There are numerous characteristics to look for in people of integrity, including:
- Making amends for errors
highlighting their employees’ efforts while downplaying their own - When circumstances are unclear, give the benefit of the doubt.
- Being considerate of other people’s time
3. Accountability
Great leaders must follow Arnold Glasow’s advice when it comes to accountability:
“A good leader accepts no more than his fair share of the blame and no less than his fair share of the credit.”
Strong and effective leaders hold their teams accountable for their outcomes, whether they are positive or negative. In addition, they hold themselves and their employees accountable for their actions, which fosters a sense of team responsibility.
They give credit where credit is due and accept responsibility for mistakes when they occur. Building trust with their team is one of the quickest ways to become good leaders by being accountable and leading by example.
Being accountable for the actions and behaviours of those around you is critical to developing leadership qualities such as accountability.
4. Compassion. and Empathy
True great leaders are open-minded enough to understand their followers’ motivations, hopes, dreams, and problems to establish a deep personal connection with them.
Empathy is synonymous with comprehension. Therefore, one of the most important characteristics of a leader is empathy. Being empathetic is more than just being a nice person.
It’s a way of thinking that allows leaders to:
- Make more accurate predictions.
- Enhance work strategies
Motivate their teams to be loyal to them - Improve their negotiating strategies
- Boost your creativity.
Understanding where people are coming from allows for a more human environment where team members can be more productive, and leaders thrive.
Cultivating the leadership quality of emotional intelligence is one of the most valuable leadership qualities you can have. Unfortunately, few leaders understand the distinction between “kindness” and “emotional intelligence.” Only an effective leader understands the importance of empathising with those they lead.
For example, if an employee is consistently 15 minutes late, good leaders will not immediately assign blame, and even better leaders will address the why questions. Why are they running late?
Perhaps they are dealing with a personal conflict at home, health issues, or car problems. True leaders empathise with their teams and have a thorough understanding of their motivations.
After all, what is more, important than understanding others in human communication?
5. Being humble.
When it comes to developing leadership qualities, it can be easy to become enamoured with a new title or status rather than putting in the effort to become a good leader with humility.
Great leadership styles, on the other hand, prioritise problem-solving and team dynamics over self-promotion. A good leader will never be effective if they are concerned with their own well-being rather than the well-being of their team. As Thomas Merton put it,
“Pride makes us artificial, whereas humility makes us genuine.”
A leader who is humble and vulnerable with their team members will be much more relatable and effective.
6. Tenacity and Resilience
The true grit of a good leader is demonstrated not by how well they perform in good times but by how well they roll up their sleeves and produce when things get tough.
Great leaders with positive attitudes lead by example and rally their teams regardless of the situation. This inherent positivity allows you to respond to situations calmly, collected manner, focusing on solutions rather than problems.
Resilience is one of the qualities of a leader that can only be gained through experience.
7. Vision / Observation.
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion,” said Jack Welch, a great business leader of our time.
Furthermore, according to John C. Maxwell, “people buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”
A company’s vision is only as powerful as its leader’s influence over others. A good leader clearly defines the organisational direction and is decisive. Decision-making is critical for new ideas, ensuring team members understand the bottom line and the goals and mission in front of them.
True leaders inspire loyalty, enthusiasm, and commitment, serve as a reminder of the big picture, and challenge others to go above and beyond.
People believe that vision is one of the leadership qualities that you are born with.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Every great leader had to cultivate the leadership qualities of vision and foresight; they were not given. Instead, they honed their ability to become world-class visionaries for their organisation and the people they lead.
Sharing this vision and persuading others to act is a hidden characteristic of successful leaders.
8. White Hat Influence.
Some leaders believe that once they achieve a certain level of leadership status, the leadership qualities we’ve discussed are owed to them. This is not true.
Leadership and influence are not interchangeable, and respect must be earned rather than bestowed.
Here are some actions leaders can take to increase their influence:
- First, making it clear what you want.
- Emotionally connect with others.
- Make others feel valued.
Be vulnerable and charismatic while working towards common goals. - Solicit suggestions and feedback.
- Create genuine, long-lasting relationships.
- Using social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn professionally.
- Having a sense of self-awareness.
9. Positive thinking.
Leaders inspire their teams, not through their own goals or outcomes but their demonstrated behaviour, outlook on life, and attitude in any given situation.
Employees and direct reports are often said to mirror their managers’ behaviour – and good leaders must always lead by example while mirroring how they want their team to act.
It all boils down to positivity. Even the calmest workplaces can become stressful at times; what matters is how leaders respond to this stress with a positive attitude rather than becoming flustered and blaming others.
Positivity is not one of those leadership qualities that should be overlooked or dismissed. Being positive in the face of adversity or stress is a sign of inner strength. It is a sign that you can keep your cool and lead your people even when things aren’t going as planned.
10. Delegation.
For many leaders, the transition from doing to leading is a difficult one.
Many new leaders are accustomed to doing all of the work themselves and find it difficult to delegate responsibilities to others. Great leaders must elevate their teams – they must become more important while becoming less involved.
This necessitates leaders shaping the thoughts and ideas of others towards a common goal. They provide their team with everything they require for success and then step back, not directing their path but setting clear expectations and explaining where the finish line is.
They are not afraid of or threatened by the success of their subordinates. Delegating tasks and elevating their team is one of the most important leadership qualities of good leaders. Teams shine due to this delegation and elevation because they can contribute in the most meaningful way.
11. Self-assurance.
Roll up your sleeves and take charge if you want to be an effective leader. This includes being self-assured enough to lead, knowing that your plans and vision are feasible for the team and the best decision possible.
One of the leadership qualities you must cultivate is confidence in all situations. Truly great leaders can remain confident in any situation, even when they are fearful or uncomfortable.
People will notice if you lack self-confidence in a leadership role. “Make it ’til you make it,” they say about self-confidence – and they are completely correct. the greater the
