A Glimpse: Seven Key Leadership Qualities

Being an effective leader is no easy task. However, the good news is that effective leadership skills can be mastered.

Of course, one proven way of doing this is by pursuing academic excellence and business skills through study.

This also helps leaders to better understand the basic principles of business’ best practices.

However, to be a really effective leader, you also need to be proactive and strategically develop your influence over your organisation. 

By getting fully involved with your team you will not only earn their respect but also improve your ability to fulfil the organisation’s ultimate vision.

With this in mind, in a recent Forbes magazine article, US leadership expert Tanya Prive outlines seven guidelines for effective leadership success:

1. Honesty

To be a great and respected leader, honesty and ethical behaviour are paramount. And because your organisation and its employees are a reflection of yourself, if you make honesty and ethical behaviour key values, your team will soon follow suit

 2. Trust

One of the keys to creating an organised and efficient organisation is learning to trust your team with your vision and ideas. By delegating some of your tasks to appropriate team members, you not only prove to your team that you trust and believe in them, but also free up more time for yourself to focus on the higher level tasks that should not be delegated

3. Communication

 Communicating what you want done clearly and succinctly is extremely important for a leader. Good communication also encourages your team membersto have more faith in you; thus giving them more incentive to work harder. You also create a happier team environment and keep productivity levels and staff morale high

4. Confidence

To be a successful and effective leader, it is imperative to keep confidence levels up. You can do this by reassuring team members that any initial setbacks are not insurmountable; and keeping the focus on the ‘bigger picture’. Importantly, by staying calm and confident in all situations, your team will also remain calm and composed

5. Commitment

By showing total commitment to both your role as a leader and the organisation, you will not only earn the respect of your team, but also receive the same committed attitude from your staff. Strong, unequivocal commitment also goes hand-in-hand with being true to your word, and is essential if you are to be seen as a fair and committed leader

 6. Creativity

 As a leader, it is important to ‘think outside the box’ - and utilise all possible options before making a decision. By doing this, good leaders are able to find the solution they are looking for. Great leaders also know how to consider all possible scenarios; including checking with their team members before making a final decision. Always remember to take your time and not rush your decisions, because as the old saying goes: “When you decide in haste, you repent at leisure!”

7. Approach

 To help optimise your effectiveness as a leader, it can pay to ‘customise’ your approach with your staff on a person-by-person basis. In other words, depending on the situation at hand and the character of the person you are dealing with, try adjusting your approach according to the staff member’s cultural perspectives, language, educational background or personality traits. 

Greatness is something all leaders may aspire to, but not all can achieve. But, by following some or all of the above guidelines, the path to greater and more effective leadership should become much smoother.