Leadership is not simply one skill, but rather a mosaic of qualities and personality traits that makes an individual a leader, a person people trust and are willing to follow.
An important part of leadership is its authority, and for people to accept this authority, it has to be legitimate. Leaders whose authority is not earned and not recognised are simply tyrants.
The definition describes leadership as a “process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal”. The definition focuses on “what” is it, but not on “how” it is done. And we all know that some people just have the necessary ingredients to be a good leader and others don’t.
So today, I want to list 10 qualities of a leader that I think are essential and I encourage you to self-reflect on them to see if you have what it takes to be a leader.
Courage – mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. The ability to do something that frightens others, bravery. No surprise this word comes from Old French “corage”, from Latin “cor” meaning ‘heart’. Courageous leaders are people who are able to push through uncomfortable situations and are willing to make difficult decisions. They also do not back down when things get too hard, but persevere and strive. If there is a quality that can inspire respect and trust from others, it is courage.
Self-control – the ability to control one’s desires and emotions, especially in difficult and stressful situations, remaining calm and collected under pressure. Self-control means that the individual is able to self-regulate and alter responses to avoid undesirable behaviour, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals.
Being able to control emotions, thoughts, and behaviour in the face of temptations and impulses is a highly desirable leadership skill.
Self-motivation – it would be difficult if not impossible to be a leader without the ability to drive oneself to take initiative and action to pursue goals and complete tasks. It is an internal driver to create and achieve, a force that keeps pushing you forward. Self-motivated individuals are proactive and willing to go the extra mile, because they have this internal desire for performing and giving their best. They are also more resistant to failures and setbacks. Self-motivation and courage make them unstoppable.
Decisiveness – moving forward means making decisions, often tough ones and in difficult circumstances. So, leaders have to be decisive, they need to make decisions quickly, confidently and effectively while understanding that they take the responsibility for it. Being decisive means, you weigh pros and cons, you calculate risk, you make an informed decision, and then you stick to what you decided.
Work ethic – this goes without saying, a leader is required to have a high sense of ethical behaviour and adhere to both written and unwritten sets of rules and code of behaviours, as well as ideals of discipline and hard work. As a role model, his or her behaviour and approach to work should be exemplary and unquestionable. It is also the leader’s responsibility to ensure others understand the work ethic and demonstrate high standards.
Likeable personality – if being “likeable” might not seem like a leadership quality at first to you, think again. Would you rather work with someone you like or not?
Some research shows that likable leaders seem more effective, as they are more positive in words and actions. And while it is not always possible to be liked by everyone, openness, humility and empathy is surely a desired trait of a modern leader.
Sympathy and understanding – leaders often fail because they are too self-centred and forget that they only exist if they have people who follow them. And the modern servant leadership model shifts the importance of the business and company to the team, and in this model the leader’s main goal and responsibility is to provide a service to the people. That requires empathy, listening skills and understanding. A servant leader is open to feedback, considers the opinions of others, and encourages creativity and innovation.
Responsibility – key element of leadership is assuming responsibility. And in business it boils down to making sustainable decisions that take into account all stakeholders, including employees, shareholders, suppliers and clients, as well as environment, community and future generations. Responsibility is task-oriented and focuses on processes that must be in place to achieve the goal. A good leader ensures that these tasks are completed, and he holds himself personally accountable for the results.
Cooperation and team spirit – cooperative leadership means a leader engages in the same activities as everyone else and demands no special privileges. He is close to the people, open to feedback and willing to work with others. This approach also helps keep the company hierarchy flat and give an easy access to the leadership, making the decision-making process faster and more efficient. This also naturally positively impacts the team spirit – the willingness to work together to achieve a common goal.
Visionary – a leader must look into a future and have a clear vision of how the future should look. While we may focus on our KPI this month and this year, the leader must look a decade ahead. Because we make decisions that impact what we do tomorrow, and the leader’s decisions made today, impact the business in the future.
And that vision, that conviction and belief of a leader should serve as inspiration to others. Therefore, visionary leaders need to be skilled communicators to motivate people to work hard to make that vision come true for a benefit to all.
