According to John Maxwell, ‘Leadership is influence – nothing more, nothing less.’
The Great Resignation, according to the research, can be prevented with great leadership. Great leaders assist their teams and businesses in a number of ways, including greater profit, customer happiness, and employee retention. They have self-awareness, credibility, humility, empower others, stay real, and are role models, among many other great traits.
Being a great leader is not a cakewalk. One must possess effective leadership qualities that help one achieve higher goals and objectives. Here are 7 key qualities of being a great leader:
1. Being self aware
Self-awareness is one of the most critical attributes of a great leader. A great leader must be continually conscious of how they act, what they say, and the message they communicate through nonverbal communication. Team members continually monitor leaders and model their actions and reactions on how they perceive the leader react, even if they aren’t aware of it.
This is especially true at times of transition or high stress. Employees will turn to the leader for formal and informal instructions on how to respond to the change or stress, and will consciously or unconsciously react in a similar manner.
2. Fostering relationship building
The most significant aspect of the workplace, according to early management researchers, was the work itself. However, contemporary leadership takes a more holistic approach to the workplace, taking into account the human aspects of employees, such as their need to develop relationships and connections with coworkers. Effective leaders are relationship builders.
Employees, being human beings, are unable to bring solely the part of themselves that performs labor to their workplaces. They bring their whole self to the table, which is why leaders must be exceptional connection builders across the board.
3. Possessing humility
Humble leaders make the best leaders. Leaders that are humble are unlikely to claim credit for the efforts of others. They emphasize the team’s needs before their own, and they are effective advocates for what their teammates require. Humble leaders acquire followers’ trust by focusing on others rather than themselves, allowing them to develop and evolve beyond their own expectations. Humble and willful leaders understand the fact that leadership is all about working for the greater good.
4. Having integrity
Integrity is a core quality that every leader must possess. You cannot run any business successfully if you lack integrity. Self-development author Brian Tracy says that whenever he holds a strategic business meeting, the first value every executive agrees on is integrity.
Business leaders know- Integrity is the foundation of great leadership, and one must stand for their beliefs. No matter how hard a situation, a great leader inspires with his principles without compromising; they refrain from making false promises or taking shortcuts, choosing thoughts and action over personal gain.
5. Being encouraging and empowering
Great leaders can empower their team members to achieve maximum productivity and organizational success. A leader who empowers people enables their capacity to act on behalf of their field of work or expertise while also giving them the chance to grow. When a leader empowers team members, they provide them with a set of rules to operate within and then leave them to their own ways to perform their tasks.
Great leaders who empower their employees pave way for them to further learn and evolve. This, in turn, instills greater confidence in the workforce to perform better.
6. Staying authentic
Acting in a way that portrays who we genuinely are rather than striving to be someone else is what authenticity is all about. Leaders who behave honestly demonstrate their actual selves to their followers, and followers grow to rely on the leader performing in specific ways over time.
If one of the leader’s attributes is patience, for example, every time the leader shows patience to team members, they are behaving truly. The more team members witness the leader’s patience, the more they will anticipate the leader to respond with patience no matter what they bring to him. Acting truthfully is also an excellent method for leaders to gain the trust of their team.
7. Caring for others
Great leaders recognize the need to strike a work-life balance. They understand that the health and well-being of the organization’s employees is critical to its success. They motivate their employees and ensure that the workers, clients, beneficiaries, and consumers have faith in them.
Moreover, they recognize the value of acknowledging and rewarding people, as well as fostering a culture of mutual respect and understanding inside the company. They strive to create an atmosphere in which everyone may thrive.
Final Words
No one can own all the leadership qualities all at once. It is a consistent effort and self-belief that paves the path. Leaders should, therefore, be mindful and exercise these leadership skills for sustainable growth.
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