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What Makes a Good Leader?

Have you ever wondered if you’re a good leader? Or perhaps you find yourself thinking about your current leader – what could they do to be better? What makes a good leader? Honestly, a lot of things. It’s a complex question because there is no one perfect way to be a leader. Of course, there are many good leaders in the world. There are many great leaders. Defining the qualities of a good leader can help to determine the best route to becoming one yourself.

What is a Leader?

How is a leader defined? Oddly enough, major dictionary definitions include the word ‘lead.’ Merriam Webster says this: “a person who leads.” The Oxford Lexico dictionary uses this phrase: “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.” 

My personal favorite definition of a leader comes from John C. Maxwell: “A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” 

What does a leader who embodies this statement look like?

What are the Qualities of a Good Leader?

There are so many kinds of good leaders in the world. Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Travis Kalanick, Gary Kelly. These names may be familiar to you – at the very least, the organizations they are responsible for: Apple, Tesla, Berkshire-Hathaway, Uber, Southwest Airlines. Each of these organizations is hugely successful and run by successful leaders. What are the qualities that good leaders share?

Exceptional Communicator

Leading without the ability to communicate is futile. Every great influencer can communicate and communicate well. Every kind of communication style – verbal, written, etc. – from an exceptional communicator brings clarity. Think of Martin Luther King, Jr., Winston Churchill, Billy Graham, and Mel Robbins. A leader that has mastered communication and continues to develop in this area is a leader that can thrive.

Relationship Builder

Imagine a boss who goes to work in the morning and leaves in the evening without knowing anything worth noting about their people. Knowing your team and having a relationship with them is critical to the success of a leader. Building relationships is imperative for leaders and the organizations they are involved in. There are a variety of ways in which leaders can develop relationships within their teams, but it is important to ensure that relationship building is effective.

Integrity

A leader with integrity is one worth following. These leaders are honest, transparent, and always trying to do the right thing. Their moral compass is always pointing north. Philosophers have been debating the question for ages: Can integrity be learned? Unfortunately, most scholars seem to agree that integrity is not a learned quality. 

Most people have developed their moral and ethical stance by the time they are 20. Some argue that therapy could change integrity, though that is another debate. On the plus side, reminding yourself to be consistently honest can help you to show integrity more often.

Empathetic Leaders are Good Leaders

An empathetic leader is one who can develop a real sense of loyalty in team members. These leaders not only sympathize with others when they are going through life’s experiences but can step into their shoes and feel with them. This goes a long way in developing trust, relationships, and teamwork. Empathy is a main component of servant leadership – check out more on servant leadership here.

A Good Leader has Vision

The best leaders know where they’re going. Would you want to go with someone that had no idea where they were going and no plan to get there? Of course not! We want our leaders to know what the future holds and the steps that need taken to get there. A leader with vision is a leader that takes willing and motivated participants along for the ride.

Resilience

What do you think of when you hear the word resilience? Tough? Someone who can bounce back? Getting back on the horse? Taking a hit and trying again? These are all things that can define a resilient person. In the leadership world, resilience is all of these things. A leader who can fail forward, keep up the momentum when something goes wrong, or find a different path to take when one avenue is blocked is a resilient leader. Strive for resilience!

Motivational

First and foremost, a motivational person is inspirational. They are passionate about their vision and they take others with them toward that vision. Motivators don’t have to push their people to work hard – their people want to do the work.

Influence

Having influence is similar to being motivational and yet different. Truthfully, being influential is more difficult than being motivational. Where motivating someone is encouraging them to take action or perform tasks, influencing someone is more like making them think it was their idea. However, influence isn’t manipulation, but rather affecting behaviors because of you.

Passion is Required of a Good Leader

Imagine working with a manager or supervisor that didn’t believe in or even want their own ideas to come to fruition. How dull the work would be! It would likely be impossible to get anywhere because if the leader isn’t on fire for the idea, why would anyone else be? A leader with passion is a leader worth going with!

Good Leaders Delegate

Passing off tasks to other qualified (sometimes more qualified!) people is hugely important in leadership. As much as some might like to, leaders cannot do everything by themselves. If they do, they are not a great leader. A good leader is equipped to determine who on their team is best suited for a task so that it can be delegated appropriately.

Open-Mindedness

A closed mind never got anyone anywhere. Diversity, fresh ideas, change, innovation – these are all benefits to an organization that require an open-minded leader. A close-minded leader will shut down any idea that was not their own. An open-minded leader will appreciate the thoughts of others and work with them to advance the organization.

Positivity

Working with a negative nancy is difficult for all involved. Positivity is always more encouraging and serves to get everyone involved more positive-minded, too. If you continuously think and expect the worst, you will likely see the worst on a regular basis. Instead, think positively and see the changes your mindset can instill in your team.

Humility

No one likes a know-it-all or holier-than-thou leader. They are difficult to work with and fail to improve. However, when a leader humbles themselves and acts with humility, they can show their team that failure is okay sometimes. Humility teaches people that learning can come from every mistake – even those made by the boss!

A Good Leader is Always Learning

A leader that stops learning is a leader that stops leading. Personal development must be a priority for a good leader. Without continuous improvement, leaders can easily get left behind.

Confidence

While overconfidence can be a hindrance, genuine confidence is crucial! Leading others when you aren’t so sure about yourself is more challenging than most people might think. Finding the right mix of humility and confidence can go a long way as a leader.

Accountability

The best leaders hold themselves accountable. Mistakes are not hidden or blamed on someone else – leaders take responsibility. Doing so encourages others to do the same and results in a more effective team.

Self-Awareness

In her book, Insight, Tasha Eurich determined that 95% of people believe themselves to be self-aware. In truth, only 10-15% meet the qualifications. Leaders that are self-aware are typically more creative, honest, emotionally intelligent, and more successful.

Courage

Courageous leaders take risks that pay off. Sometimes those risks don’t, but the failures they’ve faced don’t hold them back from taking the necessary risks. Having courage is important in leadership because without taking the first step (or the second!), organizations would never get anywhere.

A Good Leader has Agility

What is leadership without agility? A mess, that’s what! Look at the biggest example in recent times – the COVID-19 pandemic. So many organizations and leaders failed to have the necessary agility and ended up losing their businesses because of it. With agility, we are more flexible and can bend with unexpected changes. Agility is essential in leadership!

How to Become a Good Leader

Fortunately, leaders are not born – they’re made. Most of these skills can be learned with practice. Work on your personal development and you may find that developing your leadership skills is not only helpful to your work but your life, in general. Become the best person you can be!