5 Skills That Make a Successful Leader

5 Skills That Make a Successful Leader

A quick internet search will show you the vast studies undertaken to determine the traits of the world's most successful people and leaders. There is an endless stream of books, videos, and various resources.

We all talk about it and debate it, and there’s a good reason it’s such a popular topic. Every leader wants to be a great one. Every business wants great leaders, many of whom will do what it takes to ensure they get them. What makes a great leader? Well, here are five traits and skills that every great leader has.?

1. Integrity?

Often ranked as the most important trait for any leader, you are nothing without your integrity. It’s difficult to succeed when you don’t possess integrity (and honesty). They are two ingredients in the recipe for creating a great leader.

Leaders need followers, and how can you expect anyone to follow you if you aren’t honest with them? Moreover, how can you expect them to be honest if you aren’t? Leadership requires values; once you have set yours, you have to stick to them.

2. Confidence

To lead effectively, you have to be confident. You must have confidence in yourself, your decisions, and your commands. If you are indecisive, your followers will not follow.

Great leaders have a bit of swagger, you need that confidence to inspire your followers. Don’t conflate this with arrogance, you can be confident and assertive without slipping into arrogance.?

3. Inspiring

The most difficult aspect of leadership is getting people to follow you. That’s why you need to be inspiring. To be an inspiration, you have to set a good example. They will look at you when things get rough to see how you react.

If you react well, then they will be inspired and follow you. You need a positive approach, and this positivity will be displayed in your actions. When you remain calm in high-pressure situations, it’s easy to maintain motivation in a team.?

4. Passion & Commitment

When your followers look up to you, they are more likely to put everything into the job. They won’t be passionate unless you are. When employees see you get your hands dirty and maintain your motivation and passion, they are likelier to do the same. Additionally, it inspires respect and energizes a team.

Ultimately, they will perform better under these circumstances. If you aren’t fully committed, why should they be? It’s an uphill battle for a leader who lacks passion and commitment.?

5. Communication

How can you lead if you can’t accurately communicate your plans and visions? Your team can’t be effective if you don’t provide them with a strategy to achieve your vision.

• You can’t just let them go and hope for the best.
• What’s your message?
• How can you effectively communicate that to your team?

You can motivate your team with words, but you can also tear them down.

• Which communicator are you?
• How do you use words with your team?
• Are you motivational, or do you unknowingly allow negativity to demotivate your team?

Effective communication is just one of the skills that make a great leader, but it’s the one that can make or break your team in terms of success.?

How many of these skills do you possess now? Don’t lose heart if you need to work on any of them. The beauty of leadership is that it’s a skill that can be improved upon. You don’t have to be a born leader to find success as a great leader. It’s something that anyone and everyone can work on.?

Be the leader people want to follow,

Richard Grehalva

Transformational Leadership Coach