Part 3 – What Qualities Are Shared by Great Leaders?

All leaders have unique qualities, skills, and personalities. Outstanding leaders also share qualities that are common among great leaders. By incorporating these qualities into your leadership style, you will be well on your way to becoming the leader you want to be.

Qualities shared by great leaders:

1. Leaders are effective communicators. It’s important to be able to effectively communicate. Effective communication ensures that everyone is on the same page and working synergistically toward the same outcome. Without that, you can’t inspire, give clear directions, or lead effectively. As a leader, it is also important to communicate obstacles you’ve overcome, your personal success story, to allow your direct reports to see you as authentic. Effective communication is the most important quality of any great leader.
2. Leaders delegate. Leaders that delegate knows their time is better spent on looking ahead, keeping an eye on the horizon and what might be coming, rather than micromanaging their direct reports. Know what and when you can delegate. It is important to understand the capabilities of everyone on your team to assign tasks to each member that is appropriate to their skills.
3. Leaders are transparent. Sharing information with your team allows them to know what is going on and adjust based on that information. It helps your team build trust in you, that you have their back and are supporting them. When you hide information, you are setting your team up to fail.
4. Leaders have integrity. All relationships require a foundation of trust to ensure success. Leaders are clear on their values and are willing to share them freely. A leader that fails to instill trust in their followers is ineffective.
5. Leaders have conviction. Big projects inevitably have many bumps, twists, and turns along the road to completion. Leaders are committed in every way. They’re committed to getting the job done, whatever it takes. That conviction gets your team on board to have the same attitude.
6. Leaders are confident. It’s important to be confident without arrogance. Being confident in the vision helps others believe in it as well. This allows others to trust you and deliver on your vision.
7. Leaders are flexible. It’s not possible to predict every hiccup that will occur over the course of a project. Leaders trust their team to come up with solutions. Listen to what is being said and decide which one will work best. Then empower your team to implement that solution.
8. Leaders are decisive. Successful leaders make a decision and hold themselves accountable. Consensus building can only go so far. Listen, do your research, trust your team, then make the decision. Your employees are looking to you to make the decision that they can then implement.

How many of these qualities do you possess? Where could you seek improvement? Are there any additional qualities you believe a great leader must possess?

A Davis Associates study done in 2017, shows that 43% of participants trust their managers, while 57% stated categorically that they didn’t. That is a failure of leadership and shows a lack of training. Don’t be that leader.

Develop these qualities to take your leadership to a higher level. Be the good example that others will want to follow. Great leaders inspire their teams to accomplish amazing things.

Stay tuned, as I continue to explore all the components involved that you can use on your path to becoming the leader you want to be in this six-part series on “Becoming the Leader You Know You Want to Be.”

Part 4 in this series looks at how leaders contribute to others.

Download my free worksheet to help you clarify where you are and where you want to be on the path of becoming the leader you know you want to be. Good luck with your transformation!