5 Characteristics of Successful Leaders
Leadership is the ability to influence others. We affect others by the way that we live and we all have the ability to be source of positive guidance.
Here are 5 characteristics of successful leaders:
1. Dependable
Before we can ever lead someone else, the very first person we must lead is ourselves. Being dependable is not something that you become overnight. This takes consistency over time to earn the trust of others. Showing up on time, owning your role, completing tasks with excellence and answering when called upon — these are the things that display dependability.
The most difficult thing to overcome when trying to lead others successfully is inconsistency. No one is impacted positively by someone they can’t trust, being dependable is crucial to effectiveness as a leader. Do what you are supposed to do, when you are supposed to do it, how it is supposed to be done!
2. Relational
The best leaders are relationship builders. There is a saying that goes “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care” and I can’t think of a place where this is more applicable than leadership. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone that only talks about themself? This habit sticks out like a sore thumb and is an easy way to feel undervalued and unimportant.
We are all guilty of this at some point. Consciously putting others’ needs and interests ahead of your own, investing time and effort into the people around you and what they are going through goes a long way in establishing a relationship. The best leaders make people around them feel cared for, heard, known and seen.
3. Bold
Leaders are not always the most popular people in the room. This is a dangerous misconception that seems to glorify having “the spotlight” of leadership rather than the responsibility. For someone to be an impactful person to another or a group of people they must be willing to face conflict and difficulty head on. Boldness means being a beacon of truth regardless of the possible consequences.
Very few people like, crave or desire accountability but in order to improve we need it. Effective leaders are ones that tell others (tactfully and with love) when they have failed to meet the standard and are continuing to do so. This can be a team, an organization or even a family and it makes no difference, these conversations of accountability are never easy. Having them creates a major opportunity for risk. The other person could walk away from the conversation disliking the leader, talking poorly about them to others or keeping them out of their inner circle. In the truest form of care, being bold means being able to understand the self risk in holding others accountable but wanting greatness for them so badly that it doesn’t stop the action.
4. Resilient
Death, taxes and adversity. These are 3 things in life that happen for all of us. It is not a matter of if adversity will hit but when. How we handle difficult situations in our own personal lives as well as within the organization we are a part of is a major factor in our effectiveness as a leader. We will never control our circumstances but we will always control our ability to respond to them.
Galatians 6:9 says “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Being resilient means maintaining control of the things we can, being durable not to bend or buckle when things inevitably don’t go our way. The speed of the leader is the speed of the team, an effective leader remains true to character even amidst the most adverse circumstances.
5. Transparent
Possibly the most difficult characteristic of leadership is transparency. No one likes to admit when they are wrong but failure is a part of human nature. We all fail, every last one of us. Nothing can create emotional intimacy among a group like an admission of failure with no coupling of excuses. We will fail as leaders but it is important to own those failures and eradicate any perception of superiority.
A leader is no different than anyone else; not any better and not any worse. Nothing drives this point home like transparency. Admitting mistakes levels the playing field and provides the notion that no one is above the standard and everyone is in the pursuit of excellence together.
Investing in our ability to impact others is a worthwhile task that will change many lives including our own. There is nothing quite as rewarding as positive influence. Developing these characteristics will pay dividends in our future and others!
