Top 5 Personality Traits of a Successful Leader

Successful Business Management

Many online personality tests claim to tell you whether you have the personality of a leader. But what does it truly take to be a successful leader? The best way to understand is to look at the top characteristics of known successful leaders.

According to Forbes, the need for digital leadership skills is vital. Companies that have digitally-capable leaders are outperforming financially by 50%. Also, four out of ten leaders are failing due to a lack of performance review by managers.

1: Personal Development is a Priority

Before you can effectively lead your teams, begin by developing yourself. Whether that means working on communication skills, strategy, people management, or how to innovate within your company creatively. Here are some ideas on how to develop your skills to be leader ready:

  •         Cultivate your vision and have conviction about it
  •         Use enthusiasm to motivate your teams
  •         Pursue effective communication methods
  •         Learn active listening
  •         Learn to value people and trust in their skills
  •         Inspire and develop your team
  •         Learn how to give feedback by teaching rather than telling
  •         To effectively lead others, become aware of who you are

2: Delegation Skills

Whether in an office or working with online teams, you need to learn how to delegate work efficiently. Recognise the talents of your employees and divide the tasks to keep them happy and make sure the job is complete. A world scientific survey discusses that businesses that focus on delegation of authority achieve better growth in sales and operate more professionally.

When delegating, you can start with outlining the precise results that you expect from any given task. Then it requires a mixture of rewarding those who complete it to a high standard and communication. Communicate with employees to make sure the workload is at the right level for them.

It also requires the ability to understand people as you need to know who are the right people for the right tasks. Having interpersonal skills can help make delegation much simpler. Have a complete understanding that although you need to get the job done, the team needs to be able to handle their assignments.

3: Effective Communication

Communication is known as a leadership skill, and there is a good reason for it. You need to master all forms of communication. These include departmental, between staff, one-to-one, via phone, chat, email, video, and social media.

Get familiar with public speaking, explaining your ideas, providing clarity, reading body language, and non-verbal communication. There’s always more to learn when it comes to communication; as a leader, you are required to keep learning!

4: Proactive in Solving Problems

Get comfortable with day-to-day problem-solving, whether those problems are between staff, within the work, or other areas. As the leader, it is your responsibility for both the successes and failures of the team. Learn to see potential problems ahead of time and solve them before they become a more significant issue.

  • Learn from mistakes – The best leaders don’t get annoyed with their own or their team’s mistakes. Look at it like a learning process that will make you stronger and your team more capable in future.
  • Listen to feedback – Whether from your team or your manager, listen to the input. Learn from those around you, become a better leader for them, and better solve any issues that arise.
  • Plan ahead of time – Be aware of what might cause problems later down the line, and prepare a backup plan. The more you plan for possible problems, the quicker you will be able to resolve them.

5: Compassion and Gratitude

Sometimes we can lose sight of compassion for others and gratitude for our position. When things get tough, we tend to feel the opposite of these two, but an incredible leader will always remain compassionate and grateful.

Remember that your colleagues will usually have a lot going on, both at work and home. When tempers flare, remind yourself that you need to remain calm and see things from their perspective. Nobody is perfect, but with compassionate communication, these situations can become a more team bonding moment. 

Show gratitude by rewarding your team after their hard work. Have fun with your team, too; yes, you need to remain professional. But now and again, having fun with your team can be a morale boost and show that you genuinely love what you do.

Do You Have the Personality of a Leader?

There is a multitude of ways to be a successful and inspirational leader. The main thing to keep in mind is that your team members are not your subordinates. They are as important as you in bringing the company’s vision into a reality. Your genuine job is to support, motivate, and develop them into the best they can be.

The UK Government’s paper on Leadership & Management in the UK – the Key to Sustainable Growth-stated that ineffective leaders cost an estimated £19billion per year to UK businesses. 

So, keep developing yourself, adding skills to your tool belt, and continue to lead others to do the same. 

 

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