Top 10 qualities of a good leader 

Not afraid to step up and separate themselves from the herd, great leaders always seem to be two steps ahead and have a loyal team following behind.

If you’re an ambitious person who wants to advance their career, chances are you’ll end up in a leadership position at one time or another. But the qualities that make for a truly great leader can sometimes be overlooked on the way to success.

 In this article, we’re going to take you through the top ten qualities of a good leader, so that if you do decide to pursue a leadership role, you’ll know which skills are your strengths, and which are the ones you may need to work on. This kind of self-awareness will help you make a real difference in business skills and put you well on the path to a rewarding career. 

1. Communication 

Communication is arguably one of the most important qualities of a good leader. Because without proper communication, things tend to fall apart.

As a leader, you’ll be responsible for managing and delegating fellow staff and their tasks. Often, this requires the coordination of a lot of moving parts. If you don’t communicate important information to everyone in your team – a change in processes, for example, they may not complete their tasks properly and cause a chain reaction that results in chaos. That’s why it’s crucial for you to explain things clearly in easy-to-understand language, minimising any risk of wires getting crossed.

But it's not only about efficiency. When you’re managing a team of individual people, each with their own lives, abilities, wants and needs, you’ll need to be able to communicate respectfully. True leaders are skilled communicators who know how to adjust their language and tone for each situation. Being able to share praise or constructive criticism with tact will help build great relations among the team and create a happier, more efficient workplace in the long run. 

2. Emotional intelligence and trust 

 Trust and being trusted is a vital quality for successful influence. Trust can’t simply be assumed, and successful individuals realise that being proactive in acquiring people’s trust is a constant work in progress.

Emotional intelligence is an underrated quality of a good leader that helps to increase trust between leaders and their teams. It’s about living life with honesty and integrity, owning your own mistakes and being able to empathise with others. 

When you understand your own emotions, it makes a huge difference to your leadership development.

You’ll be more empathetic to your coworkers. You’ll be able to notice when they’re not having the best day. You’ll adjust the way you communicate with them or, maybe even choose to leave constructive criticism for the appropriate moment.

Being emotionally intelligent also means leaving your ego at the door as soon as you come to work. With their well-honed active listening skills, a great leader will hear other staffs’ concerns, readily accept when they’ve made a mistake, and put their efforts towards improving the situation – all of which help to forge great trust between leaders and their team.

3. Adaptability 

If it can go wrong, it will go wrong! As a leader, there’s going to be a lot of unexpected situations that arise which force you to act quickly. Whether it’s an upset customer or a member of staff taking sick leave, leaders need to be able to think quickly on their feet and come up with solutions that keep things running smoothly.

That means assessing a whole situation in a short span of time, and making rational decisions with the knowledge that they have. 

4. Positive can-do attitude 

This comes under the umbrella of being adaptable. It’s understandable that people can get overwhelmed when they’re put under a lot of pressure. But as a leader, some pressure is going to be inevitable. Strengthening your ability to remain calm under pressure will be much healthier for you, your work and the people around you. It’s one of the qualities of a good leader that can be make-or-break in a rewarding career.

Part of this is developing techniques to help you notice and manage stress. Everyone has a different way that works best for them. 

For some people, doing strenuous cardio workouts are the best way to get out any stressful energy. For other people, it’s a gentle walk in nature. So whether it’s exercise, a bubble bath or even meditation – be sure to include those things that bring you inner peace. You’ll definitely be a better leader for it.

5. Well-organised and reliable  

Being well-organised is definitely one of the less glamorous qualities of being a good leader, but it’s a highly important attribute.

As a leader, it’s quite likely you’ll be managing a lot of different areas, tasks and people. You’ll be expected to have a pretty good overview of everything under your responsibility. That means you’ll have to study the ins-and-outs of absolutely everything at your workplace.

People are relying on you to keep things working smoothly, to communicate all necessary information, and to know what’s happening. You’ll have staff coming to you for advice, or with questions about processes. Leaders likely also need to delegate tasks, and keep note of who is responsible for what.

Staying on top of deadlines, questions, emails, schedules and other important information is going to be key to your future success as a leader. It’ll also be a great help for minimising stress. One of the best ways you can do this is by keeping a diary, an online calendar or even using an online efficiency program such as Notion.

Take notes of absolutely everything that comes up throughout the day, and allocate a time period each day where you organise your notes and sort them out into priorities. When you know what priorities come first, you’ll be able to get those out of the way first so you don’t come up against any nasty surprises, or worse, cause stress for your team. 

6. Calm under pressure 

A positive attitude is the driving force behind adaptability and one of the most highly valued qualities of a good leader. When things don’t go to plan, it’s easy to let it get you down. But coming to every scenario with a solid foundation of a positive attitude makes the little hiccups along the way so much easier to deal with.

Rather than focusing on the negative of the situation, effective leaders will see the problem and focus on the solution, hopefully with a smile. Staying positive and maintaining a welcoming work environment is a huge morale booster, and helps you stay focused on the task at hand. Not only that, it makes your work just that little bit easier. 

7. Analytical thinking 

Being able to analyse a series of events and ideas from several perspectives is a crucial element of success and a quality that many good leaders possess.

In order to be highly adaptable, you’ll also need to have some solid problem-solving skills. Knowing your way around processes thoroughly and being able to see alternative solutions ahead of time will be a lifesaver when those problems do arise.  

Analytical thinking also allows others to form a stronger bond of trust with that particular individual, knowing a situation placed in their hands will be rationally analysed before a solution is implemented. 

Developing your problem-solving skills, however, is one of those things that may just come with practice. Which brings us to the next of the most important qualities of a good leader. 

8. Driven to learn and improve 

As a leader, it’s your job to help everything under your purview run efficiently. Part of that is finding ways to improve processes, as well as your team’s morale and productivity. But that doesn’t mean you’re immune to improvement yourself!

Effective leaders possess self-awareness and an ability to reflect. They’re able to maintain confidence in their abilities, while also looking clearly at ways that they could improve. There’ll be times that any leader will make mistakes or realise that they know less than they thought. The difference between a good leader and a bad one, however, is how willing they are to learn. 

Whether that’s through advancing their qualifications, taking on the advice of colleagues, or simply asking lots of questions.

9. Proactive and enthusiastic 

When we think of history’s greatest leaders, we often think of people who lead others to achieve things beyond what anyone thought was possible. In order to achieve extraordinary things or make the changes you want to see, ambition is the fire that will push you forwards. 

That enthusiasm is contagious, a quality passed down from the top. Having a vision for the future and being driven to get there is a highly valued quality of a good leader, as it not only shows you’re motivated, but also that you care about the work you’re doing. 

Great leaders are also passionate about what they do, and they aren’t afraid to spread the word for you to hear it, be it via positive body language, upbeat tone or motivational speech. But in order to pull off your ambitions, you’ll need a little confidence. 

10. Confidence and charisma 

Last but not least, one of the most vital leadership qualities you can have is confidence. This article has mentioned a lot about maintaining a positive growth mindset, but at the end of the day, leaders need their team to have faith in their abilities. That means that you need to have faith in your abilities.

An instantly distinctive and recognisable quality, charisma is what many good leaders draw upon to encourage commitment and motivation from their followers and have the ability to connect with individuals so that each feels needed and unique.

To effectively succeed, a charismatic leader will often attach their identity to the identity of the group. This not only sets the foundation for a cohesive team but makes the leader an essential component in the workplace.  

Knowing your worth, knowing your strengths and what you bring to the table is extremely important in any leadership role. It means you believe in the vision you have for your workplace and your team, and that you have trust in yourself to achieve those goals. When you have faith in yourself and your decisions, so will both your higher-ups and your team. That leaves you with more authority and freedom to get on with your work and get things done. 

Become a great leader and learn the most effective methods of business operation with the BSB50420 Diploma of Leadership and Management. For more information enquire online or call 1300 616 197 today.

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