Roman Emperor Augustus. Winston Churchill. The Dalai Lama.
Are good and great leaders born with leadership qualities? Or do we have the potential to develop our own leadership qualities?
I think that there are very few people who, from birth, possess, all the intricate qualities that make a good leader – they are the product of many experiences, beliefs and learnings that has shaped a particular leadership personality. So yes, I do think that we can develop our own leadership qualities.
In order to do this, the obvious (and fundamental) question has to be ‘what makes a good leader?’ We all may come up with differing opinions on what these qualities are, however after much discussion with leaders I admire, I was able to identify some common themes.
Leadership qualities that rank most highly with my mini focus group are listed below. None of these qualities will be of any great surprise to you. If you use the concept of treating others the way you would like to be treated, then you can’t go wrong and can develop a very competent leadership style.
See how you can apply them to your job to improve your leadership style.
The top 10:
- Strength of character: Those I spoke to are adamant that leaders need a strong character to communicate their ideas and sell their views to others. This strength of character also helps them absorb criticism in a healthy way, without personalising it.
- Vision: Vision is necessary to help a leader not only understand his or her immediate situation, but to predict likely scenarios that could happen in the future. More importantly, it allows good leaders to have a very clear articulated idea/goal of what they want to achieve. By knowing what they wanted to achieve, they are more likely to achieve it. If they are passionate about it, they are more likely to convince others to buy into their plan.
- Systematic thinking: A leader who thinks systematically is able to better problem solve. They do this by filtering non-important issues to develop focused solutions and courses of action.
- Honesty and integrity: Integrity ranked highly within my discussion group; most of the people I spoke with expected their leaders to act and operate with integrity at all times. People simply expect this from their leaders.
- Fairness: To be a good leader, it’s critical that your employees believe you are fair. Use balanced judgment and be reasonable. Don’t let rules get in the way of fairness and good judgment. Fairness, whether it affects someone positively or negatively, promotes respect when carried out consistently.
- Thoroughness and persistence: Those I spoke with concur that a good leader is reasonable but doesn’t compromise (or dilute) agreed upon standards. Be true to what you’ve agreed to, use the systems as designed, and manage expectations.
- Listen: A big criticism of below par leadership is poor listening skills. Listening to colleagues is one of the most powerful skills that a good leader possesses. Listen without pre-conceived ideas. Listening is instrumental to getting to know your employees. It’s a cost effective skill that provides a great return on investment.
- Stability under stress: Good leaders approach problems calmly and send the message that the crisis can be overcome. Don’t panic or waver in the face of adversity – you’re free to act. A calm leader promotes calmness in others. Provide reassurance and project confidence that everything will work out. In doing so, you’re reaffirming belief in your employees and in your leadership.
- Consistency: An inconsistent leader creates uncertainty and fear. People need to feel secure. Your employees need to know how you’re going to react, that ‘the rules’ won’t change. If they do, communicate this upfront. Fear results in inaction, passivity and a sense of personal isolation; consistency promotes pro-activeness, as employees feel confident in their abilities and your support.
- Mutual support: While you honour your employees by holding them accountable for their work, you also want to inspire a sense of ‘team’. You shoulder some of the accountability. You serve as a kind of buffer between your employees and the outside world and give them feedback they need in a constructive and supportive way. Your employees are more likely to respect your leadership and work with you, not just for you, when they are confident in your support of them and their work.
I’d love to know what leadership qualities you think are important.
What do you consider to be good and poor leadership qualities?
I’ve got another six good ones to list from my leadership discussions, and will post them on my next blog.
I think transperency is important, everyone makes mistakes and if someone in a leadership role is honest about their own mistakes others under them are more likely to pay them more respect.
Transparency is crucial to good leadership. Junior leaders that are often motivated by ego or lower self esteem, often struggle to “lead by example”. Humility within a person and hence a leader can be a powerful skill set. Stuart makes an important point. Leaders that are honest not only about their actions but their ability are more likely to attract respect. By Anthony Oliver
Teach – I think teaching people and mentoring them along the way allows for employees to be empowered at a granular channel/level. They can fully understand how to undertake a task or strategy as they are a part of the plan, and from this learning will know how to create and deploy plans and initiatives on a higher level but with the full detail required in the future.
What’s more when you teach others you engage revolutionary relationships, where you both learn new skills and abilities from each other, regardless of your role within an organisation. Everyone is a teacher, everyone is a pupil.