How to Be a Powerful Leader: Best Traits for Success

Do you want to learn how to be a powerful leader? Consider these traits that help you mold yourself into the best and most powerful leader possible. They’re essential for success.

How to Be a Powerful Leader: Best, Essential Traits to Succeed

Learning how to be a powerful leader benefits everyone. Even if you do not desire a leadership position, studying what makes a leader powerful is valuable.

Show Honesty and Integrity

People respect a leader who’s honest and has integrity—not just sometimes but always. To learn how to be a powerful leader, cultivate these essential traits.

Inspire Trust and Confidence

What two traits do the world’s greatest leaders have? Trust and confidence. You want people to hear your words and believe them. Furthermore, you want them to have confidence that you’re leading them in the right direction.

“If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” -- Zig Ziglar

Remember these things about trust and confidence and your audience:

• If they’re your employees, you want them to do the work passionately and excellently.
• For those who are potential or current business partners, you want their business.
• Naturally, you want your customers to believe in your products and services and continue patronage.
• You’ll also command more respect from your peers.
• Finally, the public’s trust and confidence in your reputation is priceless.

Communicate Effectively and Often

No one wants an absent leader. When you leave employees in the dark, they start questioning your leadership. That early warning sign can spell disaster for you and your company. However, the secret of how to be a powerful leader invariably involves communication.

But not just any communication. Instead of directives that demand immediate action or severe consequences will follow, be more diplomatic. Your words must:

• Be persuasive
• Explanatory
• Provide clear directions
• Offer encouragement
• Give reasonable deadlines
• Be consistent
• Recognize challenges
• Show how their efforts contribute to success

How to Be a Powerful Leader: Lead by Example

Leaders can talk a good game, but when their goal is success, they must show how it’s done. This means it’s necessary to lead by example. When employees see the boss does the hard work, uses proven success tactics, is ethical, honest, confidence-inspiring, a good communicator, listens well, shows empathy, and values their contributions, they’ll be ardent advocates.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” -- John Maxwell

Besides, people want to follow someone they believe in, someone who gets where they’re coming from because they’ve been there too.

Be a Powerful Leader: Display Empathy

Empathy is essential to human existence, and all great, powerful leaders have it. Why does it matter?

“I think we all have empathy. We may not have enough courage to display it.” -- Maya Angelou

When a leader has empathy, they relate to others. Seeing and feeling things from another person’s perspective contributes to everyone’s emotional well-being. However, it’s also crucial to the success of how to be a powerful leader.

Be an Active Listener

The best leaders know how to listen actively. They don’t just nod and act like they’re paying attention. If you want to ramp up your ability to lead powerfully, start by giving employees, peers, and supervisors complete and undivided attention.

Be a Powerful Leader: Foster Independent Thought and Group Collaboration

While it may seem at odds with leadership goals, a powerful leader can promote independent thinking and group collaboration. Remember, every successful company needs people who can think for themselves and work well with others.

“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” -- Steve Jobs

Have the Courage to Make Tough Choices

Being the boss means making some difficult decisions at times. Not everyone will agree, and a powerful leader knows that choices don’t have to be popular to be appropriate. Your ability to communicate the reasons behind the decisions and listen to feedback will help make the process easier to understand and accept.

“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.” -- Jack Welch

How to Be a Powerful Leader: Recognize and Reward Employees

The motivational speaker Zig Ziglar offers some on-point words about how leaders become powerful. Briefly, they recognize and reward their employees.

“Research indicates that workers have three prime needs: interesting work, recognition for doing a good job, and being let in on things that are going on in the company.” -- Zig Ziglar

However, Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, is even more succinct:

“Appreciate everything your associates do for the business. Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune.” -- Sam Walton

Pursue Value-Added, Innovative Solutions

A powerful leader knows that accomplishing things well isn’t enough. To continue succeeding, one must innovate, add value, and pursue the best. However, the magic comes when a leader can inspire, motivate, encourage, and reward those who can help them achieve what’s best for the company and themselves.

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” -- Robert Louis Stevenson

Every leader wants their company to succeed. The great ones know how to motivate and encourage innovative, creative solutions that add value to the company and boost employee productivity. To that end, a powerful leader promotes the creation of goals that further the company’s long-term strategy.

Furthermore, when the company wins, the powerful leader ensures that everyone benefits from the success.