What Makes Great Leaders?
I found that there are five common things in Great leaders, the kind of Leaders that are loved and admired, who also perform exponentially higher than the rest. They are optimistic, see opportunity, have a convincing and compelling vision that motivates others and provides a path to success.
And guess what employees do when they have a Great Leader?
They follow them.
They respect them, look up to them, and want to work for the leader because what makes a Leader Great, is that they have a positive influence on the lives of others. Great Leaders create Leaders.
Vision
Vision is a long-term purpose.
It communicates what success looks like for the company, team and employee.
A great leader is a visionary, who can translate vision into direction. They drive the vision to make an impact.
Strong Values
A great leader is defined by their character during a crisis. A clear set of values based on shared beliefs.
Values must guide individual behaviour.
Great leaders not only exemplify their core values but they share them with their employees.
Authenticity
Great leaders are genuine and build authentic relationships.
Great leaders are transparent, open, warm, honest and approachable.
They love talking positively about others and stay away from talking about themselves.
Deep Listening
Great leaders listen more than they talk. They use active listening, actively encouraging and soliciting ideas from their teams and reflect back on their thinking.
They ask questions that probe, challenge and provoke deep insights.
Emotional Intelligence
A great leader has emotional intelligence. This is the ability to sense, read and understand emotions. It is more than just feelings.
It is the ability to harness these emotions in yourself and others to respond appropriately especially in challenging situations.