A study conducted by LinkedIn in 2017 on more than 500 L&D leaders found out that a quarter of them were preparing to spend money on internal learning programs for their companies. Their main focus was said to be management and leadership skills.
There is an impending crisis facing a majority of company leaders. Employees are losing trust in their management. It is now a common phenomenon for employees to change their job right after college for as many as four times before they meet the age of 32.
A majority of employees no longer feel empowered to work on their current jobs. The result is low productivity and low business turnover. Employees no longer have a sense of loyalty and trust in their leaders.
But what can be done about this? Managers or business owners should have great leadership qualities so that they can inspire their employees to work towards achieving the organization’s long term goals.
However, being a great leader is not as easy as it seems. Great leaders should be able to shoulder more responsibility, work, stress, and demands. If you have the gist of becoming a great leader, you will not only gain the hearts of your employees but also become successful.
Here are three traits that all effective leaders should possess.
1. They Radiate Positive Energy
The business world can be volatile, uncertain, and complex. With uncertainty comes chaos. When a business leader does not know how to calm the storm during uncertain times, the business will disintegrate.
Effective leaders should know how to handle emergencies and respond with a positive outlook. As a leader, you are the backbone of your organization. Once you appear weak in the face of your employees, their spirit crushes, and the organization tumbles.
You should always stay active and radiate positivity regardless of the type of challenge that faces your business. You should learn to take in all the stress without showing your staff. Your employees already have enough to deal with as work piles up during critical moments.
Be careful not to interfere with the growth of your company by radiating the wrong energy in the wrong places. As a leader, your employees will follow your response to challenges.
If you show positivity, your employees will respond by being positive. When you act negatively, they will as well have doubts about their work.
2. They Have a Deep Sense of Humility
Good leaders should always be humble. They should place their employees first before themselves. Sometimes, many great leaders get caught up in their successes as they try to showcase their accomplishments.
Nobody gains inspiration from braggers. Leaders that seek attention due to their successes tend to create dissociation and disconnect amongst employees. However, leaders that are humble and exceptional in their character tend to receive more respect from their employees.
There are several ways you can depict the trait of humility as a leader. One way to do this is by being open to your subordinate’s ideas. Your answers are not always right.
To be a great leader, you should value other people’s opinions as much as you value your own. You should also learn not to be uncomfortable when asking for input.
You should also care about the working environment of your team. Great leaders always have the best interests of their staff at heart. Employees tend to boost their performance once they learn that their leader is looking out for them.
A great leader should be open to admitting mistakes. Everybody is human. Therefore, leaders can as well make mistakes.
However, the biggest challenge comes to accepting the mistake. Many leaders are driven by ego and do not take responsibility for their faults. They tend to place the blame on someone else.
It leads to the development of distrust within the organization.
If you want to be a great leader, you should be willing to admit your faults and seek correction. By doing so, your team will gain trust in you. This will create an amicable working relationship.
3. Leading by Example
Employees in any organization are always watching how their leader behaves.
Leaders should always act in a manner that will be respectable for their employees to follow. However, many leaders today fail to follow this critical rule and therefore lose the trust and respect of their employees.
A great leader should make demands from their employees only of the tasks they can also do. If you’re demanding excellence, you should set an example first by being excellent in your duties.
When the growth of an organization is in trouble, the problem usually lies within the leadership. Therefore, when your employees under-perform, you should first conduct a self-evaluation on yourself.
It helps to identify if the problem lies with your leadership.
By setting an excellent example to your employees, you will establish a foundation of trust with your employees. This trust becomes a helpful tool in building effective teams and promote collaboration within a workplace.
Also, it can inspire the employees to have a sense of purpose while working in the organization.
Leadership: A Great Responsibility
Becoming a leader is both a scary and exhilarating experience. Once you become a leader, you immediately shackle yourself with the responsibilities of not only yourself but others. However, the path you take as a leader determines who you will become.
Regardless of whether you are leading a Fortune 500 company or a small retail store, you need to have good leadership qualities to succeed in your endeavors.
There are several other leadership traits you can add if you are looking to get a specific result from your employees. However, the attributes above will help you join other great leaders who are successfully running their businesses.
Once you practice to use your humility, lead by example and share positivity with your employees and team. You’ll build a working environment that only encourages growth.
The results may not be instantaneous. However, with time, you are confident of reaping great results.
Continue reading our blog for more informative articles.
Leave a Reply