No one is a born leader, every leader learns and grows with time to become a great leader. Over the decades there have been many leaders who joined their organizations with their vision, unshakable determination, and persistent hard work that led their respective organizations to great heights. Leaders may have different approaches and styles of leadership but they have something in common….. leadership qualities.
After studying on great leaders of this world, (this study includes great political leaders, sports leaders, famous entrepreneurs, and some great motivational speakers across the world ) we find out 20 common leadership qualities which we will share in this article.
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20 top leadership qualities
There are several leadership qualities that mold a successful leader for an organization and we discuss some of them. Let’s start.
1. A Good leader should produce more leaders
Time changes and everyone has their peak time, it is the duty of leaders to make the transaction period smooth for the new leader that will lead the organization/team in the future. In my perspective, this is the one of most important leadership qualities that you need to grow.
A leader creates follower but a great leader produce more leaders. A leader will be great only if they have the ability to create more leaders even stronger than them. A good leader should work on each individual in a way that they didn’t collapse even in the absence of their leader or most important asset. A good leader should inspire each head to become a leader who can lead their organization in their own way at their time.
2. A good leader should know how to take the best from each individual
A good leader should know the strengths and weaknesses of team individuals. They should identify and use each individual knowledge and qualities to motivate the squad.
A good leader should have the capability to reach the maximum potential of the individual and boost the productivity of the team. They should know how to use their cards to win.
3. A good leader should be calm in win/lose
Win and lose are part of life. A good leader shouldn’t panic about defeat and don’t lose his character in winning. A good leader knows the importance of a team/organization if they lose he doesn’t blame any individual instead he believes it is a team failure. In winning he appreciates the heroism within limits.
A good leader should know how to respect their opponent in winning or losing, he always shows he is calm(even if he is not, emotions are genuine we can’t stop them but we can hide them). A good leader always knows what he does magnify by his team/organization, he can’t overreact to anything.
4. A good leader shows off his strength instead of weakness
Every individual has flows and strengths, that’s why they are human. But great leader uses their team/organization’s strengths to cover their weaknesses. Every team has weaknesses and strengths but if show our weaknesses to our opposition it may cost us heavily, a good leader always tries to cover his team/organization’s weaknesses with their strength.
5. A good leader change plans according to situations
In reality, no one can have a foolproof plan for situations or oppositions. A good leader always has flexibility in their plan. They change the plan according to situations, and a good leader understands well before anyone if a plan is working or not.
A leader must have a plan A, Plan B, and Plan C… But a good leader has a plan according to the situation. They have flexibility in planning If plan A is not working they didn’t feel ashamed to change it to Plan B, C or Z.
6. A good leader should be a great listener
To be a good speaker first, a leader should be a great listener. He should pay keen interest to individual’s problems, and what they have gone through. A leader should pay attention to his team/organization’s suggestions. If a leader is a good lister eventually he becomes a good speaker too.
Focus listening to team individuals or representatives of any group gives them a sense of belief in the organization. it is responsible for individual growth and they feel more connected to the team/organization.
7. A good leader should have self-discipline
Great leaders always have self-discipline -without exception.
~John C. Maxwell
Self-discipline is the ability to lead your mindset and behave according to situations. A leader before leading the organization should have control over his behavior first. A self-disciplined leader helps his team individual to focus better on their success, he could tell his colleagues how discipline will lead them to success in life.
Related: How to master self-discipline
8. A good leader should use his emotion to empower his team
A good leader always shows emotion when their organization or team needs it. They know that their team/organization is following them if they will be excited about something then their team will be super excited and the chance of error could increase. And if they feel demotivated by something their team could feel more demotivated
Always, a good leader shows their emotions when it is really needed, more emotions of a leader could cost the team. They show emotion just to connect more with the team not to overexcite or depressed them. A great leader should use his emotion just to empower their team.
9. A good leader should be a great motivator
Motivation is essential for each individual as well as leaders. A leader may fall into a bad patch but a great leader always comes back from that phase and show his team how things should be done. Self-motivated leaders motivate others to adopt their style of leadership and in dealing with day-to-day responsibilities.
The great leaders of business, industry, and finance, and the great artists, poets, musicians and writers all became great because they developed the power of self-motivation.
~Napoleon Hill
10. A good leader should appreciate as well as criticize the team
Recognizing the emotions of individuals, a great leader should praise those who are succeeding and encourage those who are struggling to succeed. Becoming a helping hand of a weak link and as well as rebuke the team when they do wrong.
Keep in mind good leaders appreciate more and criticize less but they criticize every time when needed. Try to maintain a 5:1 (appreciation/criticism) ratio, which is considered the best in leadership.
11. A good leader should visionary approach
A good leader should have a crystal clear vision and have the ability to influence others to follow him for the same vision. They should know where exactly they lead the team.
They should focus on the big picture keeping the current scenario in mind. A good leader should have a long-term goal, which can be divided into short-term goals and then into daily tasks for the team.
12. A good leader should have a team-first approach
A leader should understand he is pursuing the job of the organization/team to lead them. He should understand better that the organization is above everything, he is just a part of the organization. A good leader should focus on developing the team first, his personal goal could wait.
13. A good leader should have integrity
A good leader always maintains integrity and stands by their beliefs. The situation could be hard but a good leader needs to avoid shortcuts, false promises, and sugar-coated conversations.
Don’t misuse your power and authority. Remember the phrase: Honesty is the best policy. When leaders are honest with employees, they reciprocate this trust, and the entire organization operates with integrity.
14. A good leader should know the importance of a team
Win or loss, a leader should know the importance of a team. He/she should not be a credit stealer in a win or criticize an individual in a loss. A credit stealer can give team individuals a sense of jealousy and could break a team into groups. He should appreciate the real heroic effort in public and criticize his colleagues in private. Public criticism of any individual may feel them apart from the team.
15. A good leader should lead by action not only by words
A leader is not just a person who influence peoples with their thought, his actions speak a lot too. A good leader is one who shows the path to the individual, and who shows how things should be done. And Individuals mirror the same as their leaders do. If leaders only talk that they do some heroic work for the organization in the past every individual may lose faith in the leader. Leaders also need to prove themselves from time to time to gain the ultimate faith of individuals.
16. A good leader should have courage
“Courage is the discovery that you may not win, and trying when you know you can lose.”
~ Tom Krause
A courageous leader is an individual who’s capable of making themselves better and stronger when the stakes are high and circumstances turn against that person.
A good leader has the courage to take any decision. Good or bad for the team, he should take responsibility first. They accept mistakes, and flaws as well as good things in decisions.
17. A good leader should have realistic goals and expectations for the team
Unrealistic goals and expectations just make your burden heavy. Instead, a leader should follow the concept of SMART goals. Every team/organization’s goals should be Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Timely bound goal.
Every unrealistic and unclear goal takes the organization toward failure. As a leader, it is only your responsibility that you set a SMART goal for the organization/individuals.
18. A good leader should have a positive approach to situations
A good leader should encourage strategic thinking, innovation, and action. A leader should have a positive approach to every situation thrown at him. He should be really capable of finding good things from the worst.
Maintain a flexible mindset and be willing to try new ideas. A good leader should have a problem-solving mindset and focus on the solution more than the problem.
19. A good leader should have the same goals as an organization have
The organization’s goal should be the leader’s goal. A leader’s personal growth is determined by their team/organization’s performance. It is the leader’s duty that if each individual goal reflects the team goal, their personal goal should be cared for by the organization.
There should be trust between the organization, leader, and individual. Every individual should feel like a team and take the organization to new heights with the surety that their personal problems and responsibility are the organization’s responsibility.
20. A good leader should not follow favoritism
Favoritism is illegal discrimination and If a leader prefers people to his/her own people, they are miserably failing at leadership. When a leader shows favoritism towards an individual or a set of people, The non-favored individuals begin to feel that their accomplishments are not recognized and feel left out. They get discouraged at the lack of correlation between hard work and success.
A leader is responsible for the balance of their organization. There should not be a personal favorite or personal unappealing
At a glance: Top Leadership qualities
Every leader has a unique approach to leading an organization, It is not possible that you meet all these leadership qualities but if you meet some of them you will upgrade yourself as a leader. If you reach here I would like to presume that you have gained some new perspectives on these critical leadership qualities.
Hope you learn something from the post, Comment your favorite part.
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