Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Franklin Roosevelt, Alexander the Great — no matter where we find ourselves in history we find ourselves confronted with great leaders.
Many of us believe that the qualities that make up a leader can’t be learned or taught, but that’s just untrue.
The personality traits of a leader are just as studyable and replicable as any other type of person. This article will walk you through some great leadership qualities.
1. Observation
One of your greatest tools as a leader is your power of perception and observation.
A good leader is able to spot a flaw in their competitor’s plan, spot an opening, and tell when a certain worker is good at a certain task.
You’ve no doubt heard the expression “work smarter, not harder.” Those who make observations are better at working smarter since they can hone in on what to work on.
A leader who observes can delegate tasks to certain workers who can get the job done.
2. Communication
Your job, as a leader, isn’t necessarily to do the dirty work yourself. Your job is to observe, have a vision, and communicate that vision to your employees.
The better you can communicate what you want to be done and how you want to do it, the better your employees will be able to accomplish your tasks.
A good leader recognizes that failure more often comes from their failure to communicate rather than an individual worker or group of workers’ laziness. Communicate more, and take more responsibility.
3. Psychological Safety
Not every job is physically dangerous, but many workers work in high-stress, high mental-danger fields. A good leader will be able to mitigate these risks and promote psychological safety among their employees.
The best leaders out there don’t lead through fear, manipulation, or strong-arming. They’re able to encourage their workers through appreciation. After all, workers who feel more appreciated perform better.
Your team is more likely to follow you if you promote and reward vulnerability. If they know you care about them as a person, they’re likely to pay you back.
This isn’t an easy quality to learn.
Dr. Tim Clark and his course on psychological safety can teach you how to improve the sense of safety you give off.
4. Ownership
There’s nothing worse than a boss who tries to be your friend or a teacher who says that he’s on an equal playing field to the class. If a leader can’t step up and own their leadership role, what’s the point of them being a leader in the first place?
As a leader, you shouldn’t be domineering and blind to other’s suggestions. However, you should also understand that you are, in fact, the leader.
At the end of the day, you’re going to have to take responsibility for how well your team does.
Understand These Leadership Qualities
As you can see, there are some very important qualities that leaders need to possess.
Leadership isn’t as ephemeral or random as it seems. The best leaders out there present qualities of observation, communication, safety, and ownership.
If you can learn how to incorporate these qualities into your personality, you’re sure to shine as a leader.
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