Which leadership qualities would make a strong leader?

Study shows that qualities such as assertiveness, adaptability, intelligence, and conscientiousness are rated as the most important.

Transformational leaders value followers and challenge them to perform better. Therefore what are some of the things you can do to embrace these valued leadership qualities and become a stronger and more effective leader?

Great leaders are usually described as enthusiastic, passionate, genuine, and energetic. These leaders are not just concerned about helping the group achieve its goals; They also care about helping each member of the group reach their full potential. 

The following are some of the tips that will enable one to become a better leader by coming up with ways that can integrate these strategies into your daily life.

Qualities that make a great leader:

1. They are self-conscious and value personal development. Understanding your leadership style is very important. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses and what you can do to improve is very valuable in your journey to personal development.
2. They focus on mentoring others. A great leader will always lend a hand to those that need guidance by showing them the ropes of how to become an exemplary leader. Most people often need a helping hand in learning the ropes of being successful from their leaders and this would be a great way to help them.
3. They encourage creativity Every great leader has followers that need to be encouraged to express themselves creatively. Great leaders should offer new challenges with enough support to achieve these goals. One way to encourage creativity is to offer challenges to group members, making sure that the goals are within the reach of their abilities. The purpose of this type of exercise is to get people to think unconventionally but not become discouraged by barriers to success.
4. They serve as a role model Idealized Influence is one of the components that creates a great leader. This kind of leader serves as an example with their behaviour, character, and how they encourage their followers. These leaders keep their promises and as a result, they are admired by those that want to work hard to be just like them through their behaviours. To become a better leader, work on modelling your personal qualities that you would like to see your team members emulate.
5. They are passionate A great leader is someone who cares about the goals set in their team or organization. They are not just focused on getting their staff to finish tasks given; they are genuinely passionate and enthusiastic in projects that they work on. To develop this kind of leadership quality, you should think of ways that you can express your passion. Let people know that you care about their progress and show appreciation for their contributions.
6. They listen and communicate effectively. The important quality of a great leader is when they can communicate their vision to their followers, who then get to be inspired and end up being motivated by the said vision. A leader should be able to focus on doing face-to-face communication with his/her staff. A great leader should be able to communicate by expressing concern and care for his/her staff both verbally and nonverbally. Keeping lines of communication open will benefit a leader since staff will be able to contribute and they will be recognized for their achievements.
7. They offer rewards and recognize exceptional performance another important quality of a great leader is that they encourage their teams to contribute and share feedback while engaged in various projects. When they do a particular task successfully, they often recognize and reward this effort. This will make their team members feel appreciated and happy. It is said that happy people tend to perform better at work. This will surely motivate others to perform better.

When working on developing the above-mentioned qualities, don’t forget to look to your teammates and mentees for feedback and inspiration. Also, pay attention to the things that have been effective in the past and always be on the lookout for new ways to inspire, motivate, and reward them.

Article by P. Wakesho

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