However you see yourself, whatever your age may be, as soon as you make that exciting first move to take on a member of staff, you have taken the first steps to becoming a powerful leader. But what makes a good leader and how can you ensure you will be successful? Here are some key qualities that every good leader should possess, and learn to emphasise:
Honesty
Your business and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you act in an honest and ethical way your team will follow suit.
Ability to Delegate
It is important to remember that trusting your team with a task 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 key to delegation is identifying the strengths of your team, and capitalising on them.
Communication
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.
Sense of Humour
Staff morale, as we all know, is linked to productivity, and it’s your job as the team leader to instil positive energy. Create a happy and healthy work place your employees look forward to being a part of.
Confidence
Your team will always take cues from the person leading them, 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. Lead by example.
Commitment
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.
Creativity
As a leader, it is important to learn to think outside the box and to choose which course of action is the best one. 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.
Intuition
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 helpful, 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.
What is getting in the way of you making that step from being a great Manager to being a great Leader?