Key Qualities Required for Great Leadership

Integrity

Perhaps one of the most respected and valued quality of a leadership professional is
integrity. As one of the most important skills, integrity is about committing to something
and then following through on your promises. This certainly builds trust and loyalty
within your team. Integrity could include actions such as:

Standing firm on what you believe in and speaking out when something isn’t right.

Demonstrating the courage and determination to pursue a course of action even when it
presents complex challenges and obstacles and the outcome is far from certain

The best leaders are those who can remain in control and calm, even when those
around them are having doubts or debating whether it is the right decision.

When you demonstrate confidence in your decisions, actions and the people who
support you this in turn encourages others to have confidence in their own work and
abilities. In addition, many leaders possess what is known as courageous patience. This
is a term used to describe the period of time between making a decision and waiting for
the results. During this time there is always a period of uncertainty when it is difficult to
determine whether the outcome is going to be successful and the effort worthwhile.

Competence and Character

When you are in a leadership role, trust is one of the most important attributes to
display. If you cannot be trusted, the whole reputation of the business, your staff, your
products and services is at risk, but in order to be trusted you must be trustworthy. As a
manager you are more likely to be trusted as a leader if you believe in yourself, the
decisions that you make, the company and the people who work for you. It is important
that you genuinely believe that you are offering products and/or services that are
valuable to the customer and they really make a difference. Being at the head of a
company that you are proud of is crucial to building a great company.

Honesty

Whatever your beliefs outside of work, good leaders are those who are honest. Honest
about the claims you make in relation to the products or services that you sell and
honest to your employees, partners and stakeholders. Any business is a reflection of its
leader and if you place honesty and ethical decisions at the centre of your vision and
values, your team will follow. Leaders should be integral in defining the values of the
company and promoting these to customers and employees.

Delegate

As a successful leader you must learn to delegate. Refining your brand, vision and
values is essential to creating an efficient and finely tuned business. But if you don’t
learn to trust your team to follow through your ideas and values it can be difficult to
move forwards. Trusting your team with an idea is a sign of strength in leadership. As a
leader who everyone looks up to, it is your responsibility to delegate tasks with skill and
care, assigning work to the right departments. The more you take on yourself the more
quality and standards will suffer and productivity will decline.

The key to success when it comes to delegation is identifying the strengths of the teams
who support your business and taking advantage of this. Find out about each member
of team, explore their strengths and weaknesses and then assign work accordingly.
Allocating work in this manner will ensure that the work is completed with greater
enthusiasm and the employee will take more time and effort to complete the task. This
not only boosts productivity but it gives them faith that you trust them and their abilities.
It will also help free up more of your time to focus on the tasks that cannot be delegated.

Communication

Of all the qualities that a good leader has, communication has to be one of the most
important. Being able to communicate what you need both clearly and concisely is
essential in any workplace. If you can’t communicate your vision, values and
expectations to your team, it is almost impossible to work towards and achieve the
same objectives. Good leaders are those who provide quality training experiences for
their staff and create productive working environments. All of these require strong
communication skills. If the company is hit by a major technical issue, there are
problems with finances or the business is going through a period of change, employees
will look towards leaders to provide clear communications and reassurance during
difficult times.

Positivity

Strong leaders realise that a business cannot develop a motivated and happy team if
they are not motivated themselves. Motivation can be demonstrated through remaining
positive even in adverse situations, creating a relaxed and happy place to work. Even
small incentives such as providing staff with cup cakes on a Friday can make all the
difference. Team members are more likely to work harder and agree to overtime if they
feel appreciated and content with their work. Positivity can also be encouraged by
providing inspiration to your team and acknowledging the work that they carry out,
commending them on their individual and collective efforts. If leaders are positive then
teams are too.

Making small changes can have a significant impact on your organisation. Being a great
leader doesn’t happen overnight and it requires patience, determination and the drive to
succeed.