[WI] 7 Characteristics Of Great Leaders

Being a leader is no easy task. It is unnerving with many philosophies and other people’s ideas of the best way to lead the pack. However, irrespective of the model used, there are many traits that outstanding leaders have in common. With the right mix of attributes, anyone should be able to thrive within any leadership system. And if you don’t have these characteristics, it is quite possible to develop them by means of study and effort.

To come up with an idea, is easy. The challenge is the execution of that idea. Bigger ideas require more people to bring them into reality. Being a leader is about convincing everyone to be in the same frame of mind, then getting all of them to move together ‒ all in the same direction.

How to improve your leadership abilities:

1. Be confident. People with lots of self confidence inspire confidence in others. If you are confident, the people working with you feel and experience your confidence, and believe that you are clear about where you are going and how you are getting there. Being confident is infectious and pushes up the morale. No-one else will feel confident if their leader is not.

• Deal with setbacks in a confident manner to keep up the morale.

2. Be trustworthy. Character is one of the most important attributes of any great leader. You have to earn trust before someone will follow you. This can be accomplished by means of integrity ‒ being honest, walking the talk, and showing respect. Stick to your guns and follow through.

• It might be a challenge too steep to expect a team to accomplish what is expected of them without trust.

3. Be enthusiastic. Be passionate about the job at hand, the work you do, your position, and the opportunity to show the way. No-one can be expected to be more enthusiastic than you are. Live the type of enthusiasm you would like to see in your team. Make everyone aware that you have a passion, that you are on a mission and that it is important to you.

• Take a break every now and then ‒ taking a breather is very much in order. Anyone’s enthusiasm can take a back-seat under a never-ending workload

4. Be steady. Every day will bring challenges ‒ new obstacles, the unexpected and a certain degree of uncertainty. Outstanding leaders can rise above these conditions and present the steadiness needed to keep everyone focused. That is what leaders are for, and these are the times your team will look up to you in earnest. You have to be positive and assured ‒ solid like a rock.

• Everybody has doubts. But don’t share them. When in doubt and you need to talk about it, go to your spouse or buy your best friend a beer. Don’t be negative at the workplace.

5. Be focused. Become distracted is extremely easy ‒ especially when things are not always going the way they are supposed to. Learn to stick your head out the window ‒ ignore the noise and focus on the facts. Don’t look too far ahead. Handle the current situation and get it out the way to ensure you maintain your commitment.

• Anyone’s focus can start creeping when things drag on for too long. Get back to the basics – take a regular look at your mission statement and keep a sharp focus.

6. Be flexible. Basically anyone can aim in the right direction, but it takes a great leader to change course without hitting an iceberg. Keep an open mind to be able find the elegant solution to whatever challenges may jump up. Correcting the course a few times would rather be the rule than the exception.

• Don’t confuse steadfastness with stubbornness. It is utterly important to know when it is time to make a few changes.

7. You have to effectively communicate your vision to everyone in your group. But you also have to be willing to listen to new ideas. Supply others the information they need to do their best. Communication skills are paramount to any leader. If you are out to improve just one skill, the art of communication is the place to start.

Irrespective of what leadership strategy your company is using, these seven attributes will serve you well. Outstanding leaders share some or all of these. Learning to demonstrate these characteristics will always improve your leadership skills and increase your power and influence in your working environment.

Leadership skills cannot be learned and developed in just one or two days. To bring any idea into the marketplace, takes someone with good leadership skills. Make yourself the obvious choice.