There are a lot of qualities that make a great leader. But there are five attributes that every great leader has.
Modern business leaders must possess attributes that help them excel at any level. While leaders have many soft and hard skills, certain attributes help them distinguish themselves from the rest of the competition.
Therefore, it becomes essential for modern business leaders to focus on self-development and reach the standards the industry demands. By obtaining these attributes, you put yourself one step closer to becoming a great modern leader.
So what are these five attributes? Let’s get into it.
Communication
You can only be a great leader if you are a great communicator. Therefore, communication isn’t only a vital attribute for modern leaders but a skill that only the best have.
Communication skills aren’t difficult to develop. Not every leader is a great communicator at first. But through time, you will develop this attribute. The question is, how? The easiest way to develop communication skills is through regular employee communication.
But that doesn’t mean giving orders. Plenty of skills fall under the communication umbrella. And no skill is more important than listening. Being an effective communicator means being an excellent listener. After all, how else would you expect to communicate with your employees if you don’t listen to what they have to say?
Another important communication skill is effective communication. Effective communication is a process. It takes time to develop and master, but once you get the hang of it, you will find it easier to exchange ideas, thoughts, opinions, and data with perfect clarity and purpose.
Empathy
Empathy ranks highly on the list of powerful leadership skills modern leaders must have. Being an empath means understanding the experiences and feelings of those around you. As one might imagine, this attribute is quite important in modern business.
After all, you are dealing with people, and people have feelings, wants, and experiences that make them what they are today. Therefore, great and effective leaders harness their emotional intelligence and empathic behavior to influence those around them.
But the word “influence” isn’t positively accepted in all branches of business. Of course, influencing someone doesn’t have to be a bad thing. After all, your employees rely on you for guidance and assistance. But you cannot properly relay that information if you can’t connect with your employees.
Apart from being an attribute that every successful leader has, empathy is essential for improving workplace conditions around the office. Long gone is the “hardline” stance of workplace leaders. Nowadays, leaders must find ways to manage feelings, emotions, and employee expectations.
As it turns out, you can’t do that if you don’t have empathy in your locker.
Objectivity
Objectivity is an attribute that can make or break your career. That’s because objective leaders don’t allow their passion to cloud their judgment.
This is further reinforced by the idea that alternative thinking is welcomed in modern business. We can take it further and say that alternative thinking is encouraged in modern business. But you can’t do that without being objective.
So to be a great leader, you must put your stubbornness aside. But changing the way you think isn’t easy. It might be difficult to adapt if you’ve made it so far by rejecting alternative views. But without objectivity, you miss out on possibilities and opportunities. And that could cost you a lot in the long run.
So put your passions aside and think about the best approach, strategy, and method to get where you want to be. But how exactly do you develop the attribute?
To be objective means being aware of your biases towards a particular topic. In a team setting and work environment, being objective means embracing the spirit of collaboration and welcoming ideas from your employees.
You will find it much easier to think objectively and eventually become a great workplace leader through these two acts alone.
Decisiveness
The fourth attribute that makes a great leader is decisiveness. We’ve put this attribute on our list because of the nature of modern business. Namely, business is chaotic; no one said it would be a smooth ride.
During such times, your team will rely on your decisiveness. And this attribute will determine if you’re up for the challenge.
We often hear that decisiveness plays a key role in success. It has been that way since men have had to make tough decisions. Just because you’re dealing with clients and customers doesn’t mean you don’t have to make tough decisions. But it’s also how you come to these decisions that dictate your success.
So how do you become more decisive? Well, simple; you work with the information available and decide on an approach. This approach might or might not be the right one, but it takes guts to make any challenging decision.
In some cases, you will be in the wrong. But the ability to take command in challenging circumstances will differentiate a successful leader and a poor one.
Respect
Respect isn’t developed – it’s earned. But what you can do is treat others with respect. Every great leader must treat others with respect. After all, how would you demand respect if you don’t give any? And that’s the best way to put it.
You don’t need to read books on developing the attribute – you need to respect others to earn it. In the modern workplace, you must find ways to defuse tensions and workplace conflicts and improve your team’s effectiveness. After all, no workplace is perfect, and there will be plenty of opportunities to put your leadership on display.
Again, being respectful means having the ability to listen to others. Only through listening can you defuse any workplace conflict.
