It’s a tricky question toanswer. Since leadership is a set of competencies, it’s difficult, if notimpossible, to isolate a single quality, mindset, behavior, or attribute thatsignifies a person will be a great leader.
Great leaders tend to embodymany qualities, all working in concert; here are seven attributes that,in combination, aid impressive leadership:
1.SELF-AWARENESS
Great leaders are self-aware.They understand how their behaviors, words, actions, and even aspects like bodylanguage impact others. They seek feedback on their leadership. They try to seethemselves through others’ eyes.
This reflection can bedifficult for some people but is incredibly important for leaders. They knowthat perception is part of their reality. Great leaders need to be aware oftheir strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness allows them to leverage their strengthseffectively and work on improving their weaknesses. Self-aware leaders arebetter at managing their own emotions and understanding the emotions ofothers.
This skill is essential forbuilding solid relationships, resolving conflicts, and motivating teams.Self-awareness helps leaders recognize their values and ethical boundaries.Ethical leadership is critical for gaining trust and respect from team membersand stakeholders.
2. ABILITY TO CONNECTAND COLLABORATE
In today’s modern workforce,there’s a level of interconnectedness that we have never seen before. No longeroperating in isolated, hierarchical environments, leaders now must thrive in ahybrid atmosphere that’s fluid and more democratized.
Connecting and collaboratingintensively across the organization are necessary for success. As so many teamstoday are cross-functional. Connecting establishes valuable relationships for oneselfand others across the organization. Today, we can connect and interlink through virtual platforms and tools in increasingly authentic and intuitive ways thatwere previously unimaginable.
As for collaboration, itoften comes down to this simple statement: collaborative leaders willplace team needs and priorities above personal needs and priorities, and theyactively foster synergy within and across teams. Successful leaders activelyinvolve others in making decisions that affect them, and likewise, they givecredit to others where credit is due.
An important aspect ofconnection is communication. One can only happen with the other, andinfluential leaders can express their vision, goals, and expectations to theirteams clearly. Communication goes both ways, and great leaders are also greatlisteners. Understanding team members’ ideas, concerns, and feedback fosterstrust and gives leaders the critical information they need to makewell-informed decisions for their team’s health.
Empathetic leaders understandtheir team members’ perspectives, feelings, and needs. This quality buildstrust, enhances communication, and promotes a supportive and inclusiveworkplace. A collaborative leader is there to resolve conflicts when they arise.Leaders facilitating open and constructive communication can better addressissues before they can escalate.
3. LEADING WITHPASSION
There is a lot packed intothis one: Successful leaders craft a transformative vision and share it with asense of passion. They help their teams understand what to do, why they aredoing it, and why it matters. Great leaders mobilize their teams to execute thevision and sustain momentum by constantly reinforcing that vision. Thisapproach demands a consistent, authentic, and transparent communicationstrategy.
Passionate leaders tend to beinfluential leaders with relationships and networks within and outside theorganization. These networks can be invaluable for broader collaborativeefforts, troubleshooting issues, and staying informed about industry trends.Passionate leaders also tend to be enthusiastic leaders, and enthusiasm iscontagious. Leaders who are excited about their vision and goals can inspireand energize their team while fostering a positive work environment.
So, while some leaders may bepoor communicators, a passionate and enthusiastic belief in their vision iscritical in today’s context. Great leaders work to develop the skills tocommunicate their passions effectively.
4.OPENMINDEDNESS
Great leaders acknowledge andaccept that they don’t have all the answers. They are learning as they lead theway forward. They can be open to diverse thinking andrecognize that they must be decisive in a world of complexity, data overload,and rapid pace.
Being an open-minded leadermeans asking many questions and listening with an active ear and open heart. Itmeans welcoming different perspectives, ideas, and opinions while creating anenvironment free from fear of judgment, ridicule, or punishment. The bestleaders learn from anyone – a new hire, customer, supplier– and are open towhat they hear.
Being open also meansundertaking an objective data analysis before arriving at conclusions. Theavailability of so much data and the speed of processing that data, even inreal-time, allows for so much extra input into decision-making that it canbecome difficult for a leader to focus on what’s important. However, leadersmust understand when they have enough data to make a good business decision.They must be decisive to lead effectively. The best leaders can strike thatdelicate balance.
5. CAPACITY TO BEAGILE, ADAPTABLE, AND FLEXIBLE
Great leaders today are awareof digital threats and opportunities, but they must go beyond simply beingaware. They must actively demonstrate their ability to be flexible, agile andrespond effectively to these changing environments. They can rapidly shiftdirection while working with and guiding the teams and individuals they lead.They can improvise when necessary and are open to change and new challenges.
Influential leaders guidetheir organizations through periods of change and transformation by persuadingothers that they can embrace new ideas and adapt to change effectively. Intoday’s rapidly evolving business-technology environment, leaders must quicklyadapt to new technologies, market trends, and challenges. Learning agilityensures they stay relevant.
Learning-agile leaders arecommitted to personal and professional growth. They seek opportunities todevelop new skills and knowledge to benefit themselves and their organizations.Leaders who are open to learning and experimentation are more likely to driveinnovation within their teams and organizations. They encourage a culture ofcreativity and continuous improvement.
6. EMPLOYEEEMPOWERMENT
Effective leaders can lookat every individual they lead and figure out how best todevelop, coach, and motivate them as individuals to obtainthe most outstanding outcomes from them. A truly effective leader empowerstheir team members to accomplish the business objectives and achieve their fullpotential.
Leaders who lack this skillrisk the same level of impact, but in the opposite direction. Leaders who failto empower their team members may see them leave or stagnate, likely resultingin outcomes that miss the mark.
Serving as a positive coach andmentor to team members can have an immeasurable impact on them professionallyand personally. Learning to fill this role should be a priority for anyone whois or plans to lead others.
7. THE ABILITY TOINNOVATE AND LEAD INNOVATION
Great leaders improveorganizational performance through innovation. They encourage applying originaland creative thinking to existing and emerging business models, processes, andproducts.
Developing the capability toenvision, foster, and apply innovation is fundamental to leadership today.Driving innovation means using good judgment to determine how, where, and whenthat innovation will deploy to maximize business value. It also means findingways to get the most creative thinking from the team. Creativity and innovationgo hand-in-hand, and great leaders provide a welcoming home for original,imaginative thinking.
This skill brings the list ofattributes to a close. By any name, when combined, they create great leaders,and great leaders build great teams that deliver exceptional results for theirorganizations.
The above seven qualities area tremendous overall metric of the skills and mindset of a leader. But, sinceleadership comprises much more than those general skills. If we’re to digdeeper into the role to give interested readers a look at the life of a leader,then there are some hard skills to consider in conjunction with the generalattributes listed above. There are roughly five hard skills every leader shouldhave:
