10 Characteristics of Great Leaders (and 1 Trait of Legendary Leaders)

While it’s commonly argued whether great leaders are born or made, there’s little doubt that great leaders share several characteristics. Leadership skills are among the most important to develop if you wish to advance your career. You’ll find that you already possess some of these qualities and likely need to develop the others.?

Great leaders share these qualities:?

1.????Lead by example. Effective leaders know that they can get the best out of others by setting a good example. What are you currently communicating to others by the example you set?

2.????Take responsibility. Lousy leaders look to shift the blame when things start go wrong. A great leader, however, knows that setbacks occur. He also knows that if failure occurs, it was his poor planning, vision, effort, or leadership that resulted in the poor results. A great leader accepts responsibility for the outcome, both positive and negative.

3.????Shared vision. To lead effectively, a leader must know where she’s headed. After all, you have to lead to a specific destination. Do you have a vision for the future and can you communicate that vision to others? Is your vision clear and easy to understand?

4.????A clear plan. You might know where you’re going, but do you know how to get there? Can your team effectively describe that plan? Is your plan believable and achievable?

5.????Great communication skills. Effective leaders are excellent communicators and work to enhance their verbal and written communication skills further.

6.????Motivator. Sustainable motivation is the key to being a great leader. It’s been said that great leaders can inflict pain on team members and get away with it, but the Great Resignation is proof that it is not a sustainable method. Are you able to inspire people in ways that they’ll continue to follow you instead of revolting against you?

7.????Develop others. It’s important to invest time to develop the skills of your followers and help them achieve their own career goals. The more capable your followers, the more impressive the results you’ll ultimately attain.

8.????Inspire confidence in others. If people don’t believe you’ll think they will be successful, you won’t receive their best efforts.

9.????Integrity. Team members have to believe and trust in their leader in order to commit and engage with your plans. Can your team believe what you say? Are your actions congruent with your words?

10.?Can deal with chaos. Chaos is inevitable. Things often go wrong. Team members have personal issues. Plans change. A great leader knows how to calmly and purposefully work through the unexpected and guide others through the resulting distractions.

Great leadership requires a fine mix of all kinds of skills to create the conditions for solid team performance, but one skill tops the list of what leaders must get right.

Empathy is the one skill that distinguishes great leaders from legendary leaders.

Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but it is taking on a new level of meaning and priority. Far from a soft approach it can drive significant business results.

The ability to demonstrate #empathy creates #trust within your team. Trust creates an empowering, honest relationship with your colleagues, which accelerates the speed of productivity. And, new research confirms its importance for increasing #innovation , #employeeretention , #employeeengagement , #inclusivity , and immunity to #burnout .

TAKE A COMPLIMENTARY COURSE

Do you want to be a more empathetic leader, but not sure how to begin?

? CLICK HERE to access a complimentary online course, Developing Trust in Teams.

• This 15 minute course will cover ways to identify if your team is having problems with trust, and actions you and your team can take to build trust.

?

About the author:

Ronda Robinson is a talent strategist and the founder of?Retain My Team? .?As a Certified Professional in Talent Development? (CPTD) and Master Performance Consultant she has been applying behavioral neuroscience to workplace solutions for over 20 years. She is a keynote speaker and author. She has been featured on NBC, CBS, Fox News, USA Today, Global Woman Magazine, London Business Magazine, and The Business Woman Today magazine.

??Continue the conversation with Ronda -?click here .

??YouTube videos from Retain My Team with Ronda Robinson -?click here