Image courtesy of Picjumbo (Viktor Hanacek)
Leadership — (noun) The action of leading a group of people or an organization.
Leadership is an important component when running a business or a team. Leaders are responsible for organizing and inspiring their teams to work hard, stay motivated and to keep on track. But how do you do this and what qualities should you have to be a successful leader?
Here are five qualities that make a great leader:
A Positive Attitude – Coming to work with a smile on your face and a positive attitude will help keep your team motivated and help them to stay focused. It may sound ridiculous, but people respond better to an easy, carefree person rather than someone who is rude, grumpy and insensitive. When your team is happy with you and the environment they work in, they will like you as a boss and most likely won’t mind staying those extra few hours to finish a report or a project that is due.
Be Creative – As a leader, it is important to think outside the box and come up with ideas when a quick decision needs to be made. Creativity will prove to be vital when your team can’t focus or think of an idea and they will rely on you for guidance.
Honesty – If you don’t know the answer to a question, there is nothing wrong with saying “I don’t know.” If you don’t like an idea a team member has suggested, you can shoot it down nicely and suggest a backup idea. There is a difference between being inconsiderate and being clear. Finding the balance between the two will help you to be a clear, considerate, honest boss.
Communication – Most likely there will be a time when you need to communicate an idea to someone on your team. Knowing how to accomplish that idea may be easy when you think it to yourself, but if you try to explain it to someone and draw a blank there is an issue. You will want to focus on communication skills. To help improve, maybe take a skill builder class. This in turn will help you be able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want to accomplish with your team.
Confidence – If you don’t believe in yourself, no one will. Having the confidence to show your team that you believe in the company and in their work will go far in their eyes. There is a difference between being cocky and being confident. You do not want to be cocky with your work. Being confident that your idea is the best solution needs to be portrayed as confident.
No matter what type of organization or industry you’re in, it’s possible to become a more effective leader by inspiring your people to give their best every day. Make a point of practicing these leadership traits and you will be a great leader, too.