Over time, leadership is a learned behavior that becomes unconscious and automatic. As an example, it takes others to understand the question but leaders can make several important decisions about an issue in time. Many people are wondering how leaders know how to make the best decisions, often under immense pressure. The process of making these decisions comes from an accumulation of experiences and encounters with a multitude of different circumstances, personality types, and unforeseen failures. More so, the decision-making process is an acute understanding of being familiar with the cause and effect of behavioral and circumstantial patterns; knowing the intelligence and interconnection points of the variables involved in these patterns allows a leader to confidently make decisions and project the probability of their desired outcomes. The most successful leaders are instinctual decision-makers. Having done it so many times throughout their careers, they become immune to the pressure associated with decision-making and extremely intuitive about the process of making the most strategic and best decisions.
- A good leader has the ability of the ethical person to shine through to leadership and has respect for the law and regulations. A leader with integrity draws on their values to guide their decisions, behaviour, and dealings with others. They have clear convictions about what is right and wrong and are respected for being genuine, principled, ethical, and consistent. They have a strong sense of character, keep their promises, and communicate openly, honestly, and directly with others. Displaying integrity through your daily actions will see you rewarded with loyalty, confidence, and respect from your employees.
- Lead by example– a good leader has the ability to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and experience to undertake the tasks expected from them, both in terms of the job that is required to be completed, but with respect to their contribution to the wider organization.
- Strengthen relationships — communicating clearly and respectfully, taking time to build trust, and being consistently fair. The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and tactfully is a crucial leadership skill. Communication involves more than just listening attentively to others and responding appropriately. It also includes sharing valuable information, asking intelligent questions, soliciting input and new ideas, clarifying misunderstandings, and being clear about what you want. The best leaders also communicate to inspire and energise their staff.
- Treat people fairly — giving credit where it’s due and taking personal responsibility when things go wrong. A good leader takes responsibility for their own actions as well as the action of others. Great leaders understand that for people to give their best, they must have a sense of ownership over their work and believe that what they’re doing is meaningful. Communicate clear goals and deadlines to your team, and then give them the autonomy and authority to decide how the work gets done. Challenge them with high expectations and encourage them to be creative and show innovation.
- A good leader maintains and develops skills, knowledge, and experience in themselves and others. True leaders know that perfection is a myth – there is always room for improvement on all levels, from the personal to the team to the overall organization. They’ll always be willing to help team members find ways to develop new skills or improve upon a weakness, be able to identify and implement strategies for helping the organization as a whole grow, and, perhaps most importantly, be able to look inward and identify the areas they would like to work on – and then act on them.
Additional traits of a great leader:
- A good leader has the motivation to prevent harm to anyone and ensures a safe place of work for staff
- A good leader is objective, fair, and reasonable
- A good leader acts with conviction
- A good leader provides clear direction
- A good leader discharges of a Duty of Care to customers, clients, and staff
Why leadership is important
Most people do better with someone firmly at the helm. Without a strong leader, employees may work well for a time, but eventually, they’ll run out of steam. This hurts both your people and profits.
Improve your leadership skills to:
- bring employees together
- help people understand what’s expected of them
- help them understand where your business is heading
- stay passionate about your vision
- get more done.
Focus on improving these three areas — it’s a win for your business and your people will reap the rewards.
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