Key Attributes for Successful Leadership

I recently participated in an interview with my MBA alma mater The University of Chicago Booth School of Business where I talked about attributes and skills that contribute to successful leadership. ?Here are the top three that come to mind for me:

1. Be Authentic: ?Being an authentic leader is probably one of the most critical elements of successful leadership. It sounds simple, but it isn’t, and it’s something most people need to work at. It’s very easy to relay corporate-speak, but it’s much more difficult to open yourself up to being vulnerable by sharing more and communicating in a more personal manner that truly resonates. Your audience – whether its colleagues or external stakeholders – will recognize the difference and reward you for it.?

2. Soft Skills Are Differentiators: ?Many people ask what skills are needed to be a good leader. Most focus on the hard skills, such as technical expertise, analytic ability or strategic thinking – but these are just the entry tickets for business success.?Soft skills – knowing how to communicate, your emotional intelligence and being able to assess and seamlessly navigate challenging situations – are key aspects of what sets a great leader apart from others.

3. Build Brand Equity:?When you reach a certain level of leadership in a company, it’s important to attract a followership.?This means colleagues who work directly, indirectly or not at all with you all appreciate and have a positive impression of your leadership.?This is one of the hardest aspects of effective leadership to achieve.?It means you must have a brutal sense of self-awareness, be open and receptive to feedback from others (even when it’s not favorable) and actively work to refine and elevate your game. ?????

Obviously, this list is not comprehensive, so I would love to hear from my network about what attributes and skills you think makes a great leader.

If you would like to read my full interview, please click here.?#leadership?