A great leader possesses a combination of skills such as honesty, humility, integrity and management skills. And so here we will explore what else makes a great leader:
- Push people to be their best
Having a leader with a strong will to drive confidence in others can make a world of difference. There is the saying that “Rome was not built in a day”, and if we apply this to leadership, the leader should sustain high performance for the long term. Great leaders can articulate their vision for the company’s growth and subsequently translate this to their employees. Listening to others with good teamwork skills and engaging in feedback is helpful too.
- Serve a greater cause.
This leads us to our next point, whereby great leaders see the bigger picture bigger than themselves. They understand how to surpass each goal and incorporate this with the company for the short and long term. They tend to be ambitious and focus on helping the team, but never for themselves. Some companies may be focused on a social mission and see the value of their results increase with their steady focus and commitment.
- Do not lead by force.
The best leaders set an example for others and are never forceful in their approaches. Gentle persuasion is different to commanding orders simply for the sake of it. Rather, they approach every task and delegation using their wisdom of leadership tactics, inspiring and motivating and acknowledging the achievements. Being a fine leader requires perseverance, patience, and great listening skills.
- Know that people are the key to success
Nurturing others and investing in their successes can mean a lot to employees. Understanding that they are the key to success could mean the difference between achieving and failing. Strong leaders are humble yet decisive. They also tend to have a growth mindset and see obstacles as not the means to an end but rather a challenge to be relished. It also means seeing learning as a never-ending pathway so that there is always room to improve more.
In summary, leadership encompasses a wide range of skills, such as soft skills and hard skills like strategic planning. Focus, cooperation and good communication skills and having a positive attitude can also be helpful. Not to forget, emotional intelligence ranks highly amongst the most sought after skills for employees. Leadership styles can be authoritative, paternalistic, laissez-faire, or participative, for example. Bill Gates famously lead via participative leadership for employees to gather around and solve a problem together. If you are interested in further study, have a look at our executive short courses.
