Are leaders born or made? The
jury is out on that one with modern theory suggesting a bit of both and
certainly supporting the notion that any level of innate leadership can be
nurtured and augmented with the right vision, tools and training. While not all
people are born movers and shakers who can influence, motivate and inspire by
pure gut instinct, everyone can be empowered to tap into their natural
leadership abilities to succeed in business and in life. While each leader will
have a unique style and roadmap to success, there are some common traits that
the most successful leaders share.
1. Integrity
Honesty and integrity are the cornerstone of sustainable success. In order for
people to want to follow their leader they must have complete trust in his
honesty, his dedication, his commitment and his unshakeable ethics and high
standards and values. Leaders who are open, truthful and consistent in their
behaviors are more likely to inspire trust, loyalty and commitment in their
teams.
2. Willingness to take Risk
Leaders are not afraid of taking risks or making mistakes. They take calculated
as opposed to reckless risks and while they weigh their options and alternatives
carefully they do not allow themselves to fall prey to the “analysis paralysis”
syndrome. The best leaders learn from their mistakes and emerge from them
resilient and ready to take on the next challenge.
3. Optimism and Enthusiasm
Leaders inspire others with the very infectiousness of their enthusiasm and
their disarmingly genuine keenness, passion and zeal for what they do. Rather
than dwelling on problems they are solution-oriented and focus on how to make
things work and succeed. They are willing to see the silver lining in every
cloud and have a ‘can-do’ optimistic attitude that leaves no place for
negativity.
4. Commitment to Growth
Leaders recognize that learning is a life-long process and never stop doing what
it takes to grow professionally and personally and maintain a grip with emerging
trends and tools and business realities and technologies. The best leaders
realize that to remain at the vanguard of their particular function or industry
requires constant learning, enquiry, exploration and innovation as well as
continuous self-scrutiny and analysis.
5. Vision
Leaders know precisely what they want and make clear detailed and achievable
plans to get there. They are not vague or ambiguous in their goals nor do they
leave anything to chance. Leaders are also able to articulate and communicate
their vision clearly and in no uncertain terms and inspire and win others to
their platform with their vision.
6. Pragmatism
While leaders may have lofty visions and ideals, they do not hide their heads in
the clouds and are mindful of the hard facts and figures that surround them.
They are very realistic when it comes to assessing the landscape they operate in
and practical about the decisions they make.
7. Responsibility
Leaders can be depended on to take responsibility for their actions and to live
up to their responsibilities completely. They stand firmly behind the
commitments they make and do not let their teams down; nor do they assign or
allocate blame to deflect from their own responsibilities. They do not have a
victim mentality that holds others responsible for their poor choices and
deficiencies but stare challenges in the face and confront them head-on.
8. Hard Work and Conscientiousness
Leaders work hard and accept no short cuts. The best leaders lead by their
example demonstrating a stellar work ethic by being the first in the office, the
last out and the most productive, persistent and dedicated while at work. They
have a strong sense of duty and very high standards of excellence and they apply
these rigorous standards to themselves first always seeking better, smarter,
more effective ways of doing things.
9. Self-confidence
Leaders have no shortage of that essential commodity of self-assurance that
enables them to risk giant strides, be bold and tough-minded and ‘fall forward’
in the rare instances when they do fall/fail. Leaders generally have little need
for approval and are motivated by an inner strength, maturity and drive. Leaders
are very cognizant of their inner strengths, weaknesses and the impact they have
on others and knowledgeable of what they can and cannot realistically
do/achieve/influence. They do not wallow in self-pity or guilt over past
mistakes or doubt.
10. Emotional Intelligence
Empathy, self-awareness, decisiveness, self-discipline, intuitiveness and social
competence are all key to successful leadership and all are associated with high
levels of emotional intelligence. Congeniality, the ability to put oneself in
another’s shoes and relate with others, the ability to read between the lines
and analyze the pulse of a relationship or situation, the ability to focus on
the positive and refrain from negative and self-defeating attitudes and
behaviors, are all elements of emotional intelligence that contribute to
leadership success.
11. Expertise in Industry
While there are many generalists in leadership positions the best leaders become
generalists not by knowing a little about many fields but my being experts in a
multitude of fields. Good leaders are characterized by a very high level of
energy, conscientiousness and drive and spare no efforts to become experts in
their field and harness all the information and knowledge and competence they
need to maintain an edge over their competitors.
12. Ability to Engage Others
A key leadership trait is inspiring, motivating, engaging and bringing out the
best in others. The best leaders encourage leadership in all around them and
strive to develop and empower others to assume roles of leadership and
responsibility. They are able to propel others to elevated levels of performance
through their own energy and enthusiasm and insight and can maximize the
strengths and capabilities of their team for the benefit of the whole
organization.