Being a good leader is not easy, and requires many skills to carry out their role effectively. The best leaders exhibit certain qualities that make them hugely successful. They must have clarity, vision of what is needed and decisiveness. Courage is both something you can develop and something that is blessed as a virtue and passion is inspirational when seeing someone who cares about what they do. Humility and confidence are very attractive traits in leaders, there is nothing like a humble character for creating a lovable persona. Great leaders admit when they are wrong and take criticism as an opportunity for growth. They show great consistency with their decisions, rarely backing out or changing their minds unless it is absolutely necessary. While a leader’s actions may be scrutinized when things are going bad, it is their leadership qualities that shine through in the worst of times. It is these same qualities that others look up to, respect, and work very hard for. Great leaders have vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus, along with the ability to plan strategically and utilise the cooperation and wisdom of other team members. One of the more important qualities of a good leader is courage, because there is no certainty in life every commitment you make and every action you take entails a risk of some kind. The more a leader can contain their self importance, the more realistic they are about problems. They learn how to listen, and admit that they don’t know all the answers and can learn from anyone at any time. Pride doesn’t get in the way of gathering the information they need to achieve the best results. It doesn’t keep them from sharing the credit that needs to be shared. Great leaders are those who are strong and decisive but also humble in acknowledging mistakes.
Humility doesn’t mean that they are weak or unsure. It means that they have the self-confidence and self-awareness to recognize the value of others without feeling threatened. This is one of the rarer attributes – or traits – of good leaders because it requires containment of one’s exaggerated sense of importance. People who positively impact the world, not only obtain amazing results in their work, but their process of obtaining these is also inspiring and uplifting. They are happy to help and support others, and enrich the lives of everyone they connect with. They walk away from opportunities that may be hurtful and damaging to others, but be beneficial to themselves. They know that those unethical, demeaning or destructive approaches go against the very meaning and purpose in the upright life they are committed to. Inspiring others is the mark of an effective leader and motivation is best done by example and guidance, not by issuing commands. Sadly, it is a common occurrence in powerful positions today, to witness power and influence being wielded as a weapon. It hurts and destroys. Positive leaders use their power well and wisely. They understand the influence they have to elevate, or tear down. Those who impact the world are careful and cautious with their words, actions and behaviours. They operate with understanding, and care deeply about how they are communicating and the influence they have. They take leadership seriously, as a special honour not to be flaunted or misused.