Apr 16, 2018
Seven Traits That the Best Leaders Possess
Throughout my life, I have been fortunate to be surrounded by great leaders who have helped motivate and mold people into great human beings. There are many effective leadership styles out there, but I do believe that in order to be a great leader, a person must possess certain traits. Being in a leadership role involves a lot of responsibility and at times there are high-stress situations, and in those times, the best leaders tend to thrive.
7 Traits of Great Leaders
They Are Great Listeners
Great leaders listen well and make sure they have a full understanding of the situation before they add any input. Whether it be a coach, administrator, or any form of manager, you need to be a great listener if you want to do your job well. The people that you are leading are going to have issues and it’s imperative that you listen in order to help them work through them.
Sometimes employees, athletes, and/or mentees need someone to vent their frustrations to. Other times they need you to listen to their ideas so that they are truly heard and feel vital to the operation. Great leaders listen to people and make them feel like they have worth and purpose within their company, school, or team.
They Manage, But Do Not Micromanage
The job is to lead people and inspire them to be their best selves in an optimal work environment. Great leaders will have certain ways that they want things done, but looking over your employee’s shoulders constantly and correcting them on everything will create a work environment lacking trust.
Let your people do their jobs and have enough freedom to use their talents and creativity to do their best work. Giving advice and evaluating performance is not micro-managing, it is caring. You must find a happy medium that allows you to lead your team/employees, but not micro-manage their every decision. Hire the right people and let them do what they do best while being there to help whenever needed.
They Communicate Well
Great leaders must communicate well to all stakeholders. You will lose their respect fast if they feel like they are the last people to hear about important things. In this day and age, email communication is essential for most leaders. Let people know in advance about news, events, and need-to-know information. Over-communication is much better than a lack of it.
They Encourage People Instead of Tearing them Down
If you ever worked or played for a great leader, I guarantee they encouraged you along the way and it helped you become a better employee, athlete, or mentee. Sometimes a little encouragement is all that someone needs in order to reach their full potential. A great leader knows that consistent encouragement is needed. It’s always important to make the people that you lead feel that their work is appreciated and encourage them to keep it up.
They Constantly Look For Ways To Improve Themselves and Everyone Around Them
As a leader, if you are not constantly looking to improve yourself, then it is hard to sell improvement to the ones that you lead. Showing the people your willingness to learn and improve will inspire them to do the same. The best leaders, lead by example and constantly push themselves and the ones around them to improve.
They Find Ways To Relate To Those That They Lead
Being able to relate to the ones you lead is crucial in getting them to buy in. Always remember that just because you are their “boss” it does not make you better than them. Great leaders are humble, which typically allows them to relate to the ones that they lead.
They Aren’t Afraid To Have The Tough Conversation, If Needed
There will be times that a leader must have a tough conversation with someone that they lead, which is never fun. The best leaders know that these conversations are needed sometimes for the greater good of the company, school, team, etc…
Most leaders would tell you that this is the worst part of the job, but it is also a must in some cases. Make sure you have very strong reasons to have these conversations and work hard to have as much closer as possible before a person leaves your office.
In my opinion, if a person possesses these traits, it is very likely that they are a great leader. A great leader inspires, encourages, and makes the people around them better.
