Top 10 Qualities That Make A Great Leader
Having a great idea, and assembling
a team to bring that concept to life is the first step in creating a successful
business venture. While finding a new and unique idea is rare enough; the
ability to successfully execute this idea is what separates the dreamers from
the entrepreneurs. However you see yourself, whatever your age may be, as soon
as you make that exciting first hire, you have taken the first steps in
becoming a powerful leader. When money is tight, stress levels are high, and
the visions of instant success don’t happen like you thought, it’s easy to let
those emotions get to you, and thereby your team. Take a breath, calm yourself
down, and remind yourself of the leader you are and would like to become. Here
are some key qualities that every good leader should possess, and learn to
emphasize.
Honesty
Whatever ethical plane you hold
yourself to, when you are responsible for a team of people, its important to
raise the bar even higher. Your business and its employees are a reflection of
yourself, and if you make honest and ethical behavior a key value, your team
will follow suit.
As we do at Onevest, the crowdfunding platform for
entrepreneurs and small businesses I co-founded, try to make a list of values
and core beliefs that both you and your brand represent, and post this in your
office. Promote a healthy interoffice lifestyle, and encourage your team to
live up to these standards. By emphasizing these standards, and displaying them
yourself, you will hopefully influence the office environment into a friendly
and helpful workspace.
Ability to Delegate
Finessing your brand vision is
essential to creating an organized and efficient business, but if you don’t
learn to trust your team with that vision, you might never progress to the next
stage. Its important to remember that trusting your team with your idea is
a sign of strength, not weakness. Delegating tasks to the appropriate
departments is one of the most important skills you can develop as your
business grows. The emails and tasks will begin to pile up, and the more you
stretch yourself thin, the lower the quality of your work will become, and the
less you will produce.
The key to delegation is identifying
the strengths of your team, and capitalizing on them. Find out what each team
member enjoys doing most. Chances are if they find that task more enjoyable,
they will likely put more thought and effort behind it. This will not only
prove to your team that you trust and believe in them, but will also free up
your time to focus on the higher level tasks, that should not be delegated.
It’s a fine balance, but one that will have a huge impact on the productivity
of your business.
Communication
Knowing what you want accomplished
may seem clear in your head, but if you try to explain it to someone else and
are met with a blank expression, you know there is a problem. If this has been
your experience, then you may want to focus on honing your communication
skills. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is
extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t
all be working towards the same goal.
Training new members and creating a
productive work environment all depend on healthy lines of communication.
Whether that stems from an open door policy to your office, or making it a
point to talk to your staff on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss
interoffice issues is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you,
and will be less hesitant to work harder.
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Sense of Humor
If your website crashes, you lose
that major client, or your funding dries up, guiding your team through the
process without panicking is as challenging as it is important. Morale is
linked to productivity, and it’s your job as the team leader to instill a
positive energy. That’s where your sense of humor will finally pay off.
Encourage your team to laugh at the mistakes instead of crying. If you are
constantly learning to find the humor in the struggles, your work environment
will become a happy and healthy space, where your employees look forward to
working in, rather than dreading it. Make it a point to crack jokes with your
team and encourage personal discussions of weekend plans and trips. It’s these
short breaks from the task at hand that help keep productivity levels high and
morale even higher.
At Onevest, we place a huge
emphasis on humor and a light atmosphere. Our office is dog friendly, and we
really believe it is the small, light hearted moments in the day that help keep
our work creative and fresh. One tradition that we like to do and brings the
team closer is we plan a fun prank on all new employees, on their first day. It
breaks the ice and immediately creates that sense of familiarity.
Confidence
There may be days where the future
of your brand is worrisome and things aren’t going according to plan. This is
true with any business, large or small, and the most important thing is not to
panic. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and maintain the team
morale. Keep up your confidence level, and assure everyone that setbacks are
natural and the important thing is to focus on the larger goal. As the leader,
by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the team feeling the same.
Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude a level of calm
damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling. The key objective is to
keep everyone working and moving ahead.
Commitment
If you expect your team to work hard
and produce quality content, you’re going to need to lead by example. There is
no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside
everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level. By proving
your commitment to the brand and your role, you will not only earn the respect
of your team, but will also instill that same hardworking energy among your
staff. It’s important to show your commitment not only to the work at hand, but
also to your promises. If you pledged to host a holiday party, or uphold summer
Fridays, keep your word. You want to create a reputation for not just working
hard, but also be known as a fair leader. Once you have gained the respect of
your team, they are more likely to deliver the peak amount of quality work
possible.
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Positive Attitude
You want to keep your team motivated
towards the continued success of the company, and keep the energy levels up.
Whether that means providing snacks, coffee, relationship advice, or even just
an occasional beer in the office, remember that everyone on your team is a
person. Keep the office mood a fine balance between productivity and
playfulness.
If your team is feeling happy and
upbeat, chances are they won’t mind staying that extra hour to finish a report,
or devoting their best work to the brand.
Creativity
Some decisions will not always be so
clear-cut. You may be forced at times to deviate from your set course and make
an on the fly decision. This is where your creativity will prove to be vital.
It is during these critical situations that your team will look to you for
guidance and you may be forced to make a quick decision. As a leader, its
important to learn to think outside the box and to choose which of two bad
choices is the best option. Don’t immediately choose the first or easiest
possibility; sometimes its best to give these issues some thought, and even
turn to your team for guidance. By utilizing all possible options before making
a rash decision, you can typically reach the end conclusion you were aiming
for.
Intuition
When leading a team through
uncharted waters, there is no roadmap on what to do. Everything is uncertain,
and the higher the risk, the higher the pressure. That is where your natural
intuition has to kick in. Guiding your team through the process of your
day-to-day tasks can be honed down to a science. But when something unexpected
occurs, or you are thrown into a new scenario, your team will look to you for
guidance. Drawing on past experience is a good reflex, as is reaching out to
your mentors for support. Eventually though, the tough decisions will be up to
you to decide and you will need to depend on your gut instinct for answers.
Learning to trust yourself is as important as your team learning to trust you.
Ability to Inspire
Creating a business often involves a
bit of forecasting. Especially in the beginning stages of a startup, inspiring
your team to see the vision of the successes to come is vital. Make your team
feel invested in the accomplishments of the company. Whether everyone owns a
piece of equity, or you operate on a bonus system, generating enthusiasm for
the hard work you are all putting in is so important. Being able to inspire
your team is great for focusing on the future goals, but it is also important
for the current issues. When you are all mired deep in work, morale is low, and
energy levels are fading, recognize that everyone needs a break now and then.
Acknowledge the work that everyone has dedicated and commend the team on each
of their efforts. It is your job to keep spirits up, and that begins with an
appreciation for the hard work.
Source:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tanyaprive/2012/12/19/top-10-qualities-that-make-a-great-leader/
