Good Leaders: What do they have in common?

What is a Leader?

The ability to influence others behavior is what leadership is all about. Its also known as the ability to persuade a group of people to achieve a common goal. A leader sees how things might be improved and rallies others to help them achieve that goal. To be effective, leaders must be empathic and connect with others and be able to encourage others. Good leaders strive toward realizing their goals while prioritizing people.

 

You will rarely come across a flawless person, which means that no single leader can possess all of the traits of a \"good leader\", each will have defects. However, a good leader has positive habits and character qualities, such as being a good listener, patient, understanding, confident, having integrity, and being optimistic.

What Do Leaders Have in Common?

1. Leaders maintain a positive attitude at all times

 

Good leaders, regardless of whether their team is having a good or bad time, leaders understand that to be successful, they must have a team of happy, motivated, and pleased people. The leader serves as a role model in their area, setting the tone and attitude.

 

1. They accept accountability.

Good leaders, when they make a mistake, they accept full responsibility. They dont make excuses, instead, they accept personal responsibility for the situation and consider resolving it. This demonstrates the leaders credibility and honesty.

 

1. They know how to deal with failure.

Let us keep in mind that no one is flawless. Everyone makes mistakes and fails at some point in their lives. The most important thing to remember is to learn from it and not make the same mistake again, remain calm in the circumstance, and determine what to do next. Since they know it will negatively influence them, leaders dont discuss their concerns and worries with other team members. Being a leader also entails taking charge when things go wrong; the key is in doing so correctly. Great leaders are emotionally intelligent, patient, and composed in stressful situations. Overreacting or allowing their emotions to influence their words or actions is not an option for them. Their capacity to maintain composure under duress gets them far. Great leaders may concentrate on their ideas and feelings in this condition of calm and silence before commenting on them. The ability to remain composed is unquestionably one of the most distinguishing characteristics of strong leaders. We must teach ourselves to hold and convey this same sort of self-possession to become great leaders.

 

1. They invest in their employees first.

The benefits of improving the abilities of other team members are numerous, their duties will be simpler to complete, morale will be higher, they will gain talents that may be valuable to the firm, they will feel valued, and they will contribute to the companys success. Good leaders follow through on their promises and lead by example. They do not expect people to perform things that they would not be willing to undertake themselves. They are well aware that doing so will result in a loss of respect, trust, credibility, and confidence.

 

1. The ability to delegate

Another thing that all leaders have in common is their ability to inspire others. One individual cant accomplish goals or visions alone. Leaders understand when its appropriate to assign and to whom they should allocate certain responsibilities. As a leader, you demonstrate that you believe in them and are confident in their skills, which impacts team morale, productivity, and profitability. Not to mention that it will reduce the stress levels of all leaders! Delegating is one of a leaders most important tasks, yet it may be challenging to do it successfully. The objective isnt simply to free up time for yourself, it is also to empower your direct reports, improve cooperation, offer autonomy, improve decision-making, and help others grow. To delegate effectively, a good leader develops trust within their team.

 

1. They know how to communicate

Communication must be effective in all of its forms (face-to-face, over the phone, verbal, nonverbal, and online). If information is not explained promptly, miscommunications can easily arise. Therefore, it is critical to understand what to say, when to say it, and how. Effective communication offers the advantage of getting things done faster and better and avoiding mistakes, wasting time and money.

 

1. They are confident

Its critical to be confident without being arrogant. When things go awry, a team needs someone who can be calm and collected. What do you think other people would think if you exhibit uneasiness, indecisiveness, and panicking?

 

1. They demonstrate their dedication.

Many individuals believe that leadership is primarily a work-related attribute. However, leadership responsibilities may be found in a variety of settings, not only at work. Leaders ideally become leaders because they are credible and others desire to follow them.

 

Good Leaders Skills

Whether youre operating your own company or managing a team in the office, the greatest leaders need a strong set of leadership skills to help them connect well with their employees, team members, and clients.

 

According to behavioral theories, leadership skills are not ingrained and can be taught; people may develop strong leadership skills through teaching and acquiring these skills over time. It is apparent that effective leadership requires several essential skills, but it is also clear that various leaders have quite diverse characteristics and styles.

 

In truth, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to leadership in all situations, and one of the most important skills of successful leaders, therefore, is their capacity to adapt to changing conditions. Employers value leadership skills because they require engaging with people in a way that motivates, enthuses, and builds respect.

 

Whether or not leadership can be taught, there is little doubt that most excellent leaders possess a set of fundamental skills. These skills can be learned in the same way as any other.

 

The following are some of the skills good leaders possess

Obtained from: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/leadership-skills.html

 

1. Strategic Thinking Skills

The ability to think strategically is perhaps the essential skill a leader needs, which sets leaders apart from managers.

 

In simple terms, this implies having a vision or notion of where you want to go and working toward that goal. Little details or side concerns dont sidetrack the greatest strategic thinkers. They understand the broad picture. All of their decisions are most likely to be guided by the question, \"Does this get me closer to where I want to be?\"

 

1. Planning and Delivery Skills

Deciding the direction of travel for an organization or a team, figuring out how to get there and making sure it occurs is an important part of any leadership job. The finest vision in the world is useless unless it is accompanied by a strategy for making it a reality.

 

Organizing and action planning, in addition to strategic thinking, are both necessary for achieving your vision and strategy. Both managers and leaders may benefit from project management and planning abilities. Risk management is also crucial to help you avoid problems and manage them when they occur.

 

1. People Management Skills

There are no leaders if there are no followers. Leaders must be able to interact with individuals one-on-one and in groups and have a variety of weapons in their armory to deal with a variety of circumstances.

 

1. Change Management Skills

Although change management may appear to be a strange companion to people management and communication, leadership is frequently especially crucial during times of change. To guide an organization through the process, a leader must first understand change management. Change management, for example, necessitates the formulation and dissemination of a compelling vision. If the organization does not revert within a short period, it also requires the change to be pushed forward aggressively and for leadership to make it stick.

 

1. Communication Skills

While communication skills are crucial for everyone, they are arguably even more so for leaders and managers. These are interpersonal abilities that arent exclusive to leadership, yet great leaders have high communication skills. Good leaders are usually excellent listeners, able to actively listen and obtain knowledge through effective questions. Theyre also more inclined to be assertive, which allows them to express their point without being aggressive, yet firmly. They know how to quickly and efficiently establish solid, strong relationships with people, whether peers or subordinates.

 

1. Persuasion and Influence Skills

Finally, one aspect of communication that is critical for leaders is convincing and influencing people. Leaders also want tools to assist them in comprehending how people behave and fostering productive connections. It may be beneficial to learn more about emotional intelligence as a first step.

 

Kelin Zvomuya is a consultant at Industrial Psychology Consultants (Pvt) Ltd, a management and human resources consulting firm.

Phone +263 4 481946-48/481950/2900276/2900966

Cell number +263 785419889

Email: kelin@ipcconsultants.com or visit our website at www.ipcconsultants.com