Essential Leadership Qualities
- Determination- A great leader is always true to their goal. They will spend all their time and energy in achieving that goal. Their success is the reward of their dedication. Their commitment to their work is what motivates their team to follow their footsteps.
- Optimism- A great leader must always look at the positive side of things even when they faces setbacks. To keep an entire team motivated during hard times and failures, their leader must be motivated as well.
- Confidence- Exhibiting full confidence is a must for success, and every great leader should possess that quality. They should have confidence in themselves and in their abilities. No matter how bad the situation is, if dealt with correctly confidence alone can often bring out a positive outcome.
- Honesty- This is a trait every great leader must have and also pass on to their team members. If a leader is honest, their team will confide in them more and will trust their judgment. Honest and ethical behaviour attracts success in the long term.
- Flexibility- Having a flexible nature is what makes a great leader great and liked by their subordinates. Things won’t always go according to your plan but in that situation showing stubbornness and making things a matter of your ego will only cause more damage. A great leader learns to adapt to the changing situation and also shows flexibility while dealing with the needs of their team.
- Impartial- Impartiality is a key factor to gain the trust and respect of your team. A great leader understands that showing partial biased towards one employee (or particular group of employees) will demotivate other team members and it will affect their performance, therefore, a great leader will always maintain fairness among their people.
- Communication- Conceiving great ideas in your head is not that difficult, but the challenge comes when you have to communicate those ideas to others so that they can join you in that cause. A great leader must possess exceptional communication skills so that you explain your ideas to others as well and could also train them to execute that idea in the most effective way.
- Intuition- When you are trying something new for the very first time, you are unsure about a lot of things, and as you move along many unexpected situations will cross your path. Under these circumstances, a great leader trusts their intuition and guides their team towards success.
- Inspire- At the beginning of a cause or a project, people are mostly not that motivated. It is the job of the leader to inspire their employees to achieve big things, and give them the scope to do so. Only a great leader can see the bigger picture and inspire people under him / her to see the vision of success yet to come.
- Creativity- A great leader knows when it’s time to follow the masses and when it’s time to pave their own way. Creativity is important for survival. Sometimes when the decisions are not so clear and your work-force is looking at you for guidance, you have to think outside the box and come with something completely different yet effective.
- Accountability- A great leader must have a keen sense of accountability. Instead of hiding their mistake or blaming it on their team, he / she owns up to it. They apologize to the people affected by their mistake, takes charge of the situation and then does everything in their power to make it right.
- Humility- Most important of all, every great leader must possess humility. They know that their people made them who they are today and never turn their backs on them. They take pride in their work but are never arrogant. All great leaders accept criticism with open-mindedness and never hesitate to improve themselves.