What are the top qualities that a lot of leaders have in common?
This is a good question to think about, especially if you want to become a better leader whether it’s for work, family, relationship, hobbies, etc.
I’ve analyzed a lot of leaders in my life from afar and up close. I can tell you from my perspective what I believe the top qualities a true leader possesses.
Vision
Leaders have the ability to not only think of excellent ideas, but also the ability to forecast the effects that their idea(s) will have on their surroundings such as the industry they work in, the company they work for, the employees of that company, and future implications of enacting such ideas.
Leaders are great at taking calculated risks and steering the direction of the company or organization they are responsible for, into a more productive and successful entity. They are also good at quickly adapting to changes in the environment whether it’s the economy, industry, competitors, or internal organizational changes.
Passion
Loving what you do day in and day out is one of the most critical qualities to have as a leader. Leaders have to be motivated, determined, focused, and love most of what their job/position requires of them.
Waking up early in the morning, energetic, prepared, and a ready-to-work attitude, is a must have for all great leaders. Just thinking about work excites these individuals. They love solving complex problems and they truly enjoy putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.
Not only do leaders do what they need to in order to get the job done, but they always manage to go above and beyond, naturally, because they love the heck out of what they do every day.
Firm Belief
Leaders also firmly believe in themselves, their ideas, and they believe in the people that get the job done and the people they surround themselves with. This firm belief is what keeps them going even when times get tough, even if everyone and everything may be working against them.
They believe in their ideas 150% and will not compromise if they know it’s an excellent idea. Instead of caving into other people’s criticisms, they influence others’ opinions, and pull them into their ideas favorably. They encourage others to help support them and their ideas. They move people towards achieving a common goal, and push progress and productivity to record heights.
Respect
Leaders always respect themselves, their peers, their subordinates, their friends, their family, and everyone else that’s part of their life. Most importantly, they respect themselves, which other people are aware, which causes others to respect their leader as well.
If a leader makes a mistake or screws up really badly, they minimize the spotlight on them and move forward trying to fix the problem(s) that come up.
Leaders make an effort to try and remember the name of each person they come across. They pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues, and they are excellent at reading others. Great leaders genuinely care for others and they motivate others to do the right thing. Always.
Trust
Amazing leaders trust their ideas, trust their people, and trust that the company will go in the direction that it needs/desires to go.
Most of all, they trust that their employees will do what is required of them and help the leader along with the company to become more successful. This success can be measured in more revenue, profits, stock value, sales, customer satisfaction, etc.
Successful leaders create love in between themselves and the people they interact with. They are charismatic, positive, nurturing, and listen extremely well.
Great leaders are transparent with their peers and subordinates. They keep everyone in the loop about the latest corporate news and business intelligence. Leaders gain respect for this.
Decisiveness
The ability to make smart decisions quickly and effectively is a fundamental characteristic of all good leaders. They are excellent at looking at various types of data and reorganizing it so that it forms a clearer picture of what they seek. They then use this to predict and prepare for future events.
Good leaders have a sense of urgency. They know that the sooner they push new ideas out, the sooner those ideas will be in production. Quick decision-making skills lead enable innovation, which is very important to the success of a corporation.
Leaders analyze their surroundings, situation, people, and information with efficiency and they make intelligent decisions, but they do not do it alone. They have help from the entire team.
Assertiveness
Lastly, the ability to say “no” to things when they don’t feel like it’s the appropriate thing to do, is what great leaders are excellent at.
They quickly know when they’re getting proposed the shorter end of the deal. Once they realize this, they know how to sway the negotiation to a more balanced state, because good leaders are fair.
They make intelligent deals, and they always have a win-win scenario in the back of their mind.
These are the top qualities that I personally believe that great leaders possess. You might think differently. Just thought I’d share a new perspective.
I hope you all enjoyed today’s post and hope you will join me on the journey to self-confidence mastery.
Cheers!
– Steve Daniels
P.S. I would love to hear what you have to say about this post. Feel free to comment below!
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