Contemplate for a moment where the world would be without extraordinary men and women who possess the talent, passion, and temperament to take on great challenges and empower others to join them. Whether it’s in the realm of business, public service, or charity work, leaders are unique individuals with a clear vision and an unshakable drive to achieve. While some have inherent qualities that make them natural leaders, the majority of leaders develop a character and skill set that makes people respect, follow, and work hard for them. In order to become a successful leader, these five traits should define you.
Great Communicator
A leader doesn’t need a demonstrative personality to succeed, but they need to be able to effectively communicate to a wide variety of audiences. They should communicate frequently, in-person as often as possible, and simply. In interaction, an effective leader listens intently to others before expressing their own thoughts. They take in far more than they put out. Lastly, a leader must walk the talk. If employees hear their boss espousing one thing and behaving in an entirely different fashion, their credibility will be irrefutably damaged.
Problem Solver
A big part of keeping a team focused and on track is being able to mitigate and resolve difficulties. A leader needs to have an open mind, a broad perspective, and a cool head in dealing with issues that can undermine productivity. In a leadership role, problems don’t come and go—they’re constant. In this type of environment, only those that see distractions as opportunities will thrive. Great leaders also possess an uncanny ability to anticipate unforeseen circumstances, and have processes in place to identify and handle problems before they fester.
A Visionary
Leadership is about having a clear and compelling vision and being able to sell it to others. It requires that unique talent of being able to get a group of people to believe in a goal that is greater than themselves. Leaders also need to be the North Star when plans unexpectedly shift and times get tough. That’s when employees look to their superiors for a dose of resiliency, inspiration, and stick-to-itiveness.
Unfazed By Success
Great leaders don’t waste time gloating about their accomplishments. They know success is a poor teacher that can cloud judgement and lead to overconfidence. By remaining humble, a leader can admit when they are wrong and use criticism as an opportunity to grow.
Integrity
Despite the transgressions of many people in positions of power, truthfulness is at the core of every real leader. Leadership, as much as anything, is about character, and character means being successful without taking moral shortcuts. Once a leader compromises their principles, they endanger their company and lose the ability to lead by example. An important component of integrity is having the candor to convey hard, unpopular truths. Effective leaders see the world as it is, not the way they wish it to be.
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