A person in a supervisory or managerial role doesn’t make him/her a true leader. A leader should not only have certain practical business skills but also certain set of special attributes. Good leadership qualities are in high demand in different organizations.
Here are some of the essential qualities of a great leader:
1. Leads by an Example
A good manager is a person who works side-by-side with his/her team and at the same time gives support (physical and mental both) to his employees and team members on every task. A good leader guides the team members from delegation to completion of the work. He/she sets example before others and achieves the goals within deadline by working beside the team members all the time.
2. Makes Informed Decisions
Delegation of works and completing it within deadline is important. However, there are certain decision-making works that can’t be outsourced to employees. The leader must create a well thought-out, practical plan so that the team members can understand the work process and goal properly. It is the good leaders who give direction to the team members, so that they remain focused. Otherwise the entire project can go off-track. To keep the project on track, a good leader must be confident, intuitive, creative, and bold. The manager should not shy away from adopting new direction if the need be.
3. Offers Strategic View
Good leaders give employees vision, necessary for meeting business goals within deadlines. It is the leader who must understand potential of each worker and accordingly delegate work for fitting them into that strategic outlook.
4. Communicates with Employees and Clients Effectively
Communication is the key to success. A good leader must be able to communicate properly to both employees and client, so that they have a clear idea about what they are doing. In fact, this communication must be tailored to the existing situation. In fact, the manager must be able to understand the needs of the clients and communicate value additions and other aspects clearly. This helps the team to remain transparent to the client in every step. A good leader should also be able to relay strategic goals in front of executives in a boardroom proficiently.
5. Result Oriented
A good manager must be result oriented. That’s why he/she must keep on motivating employees constantly so that they can reach their objectives. It is this result orientation which makes a good leader more ambitious and urges him/her to surpass standards, break records, and emerge as the best.
6. Demonstrate Honesty as well as Transparency
Good leaders always remain transparent to both employees and their supervising executives. This honesty makes the leaders trusted, which in turn makes the employees loyal. This is a powerful tool in a business.
7. Inspires Others
A manager can become a good leader when he/she is able to inspire other team members. Good leaders understand desire of their employees and delegate works accordingly to bring the best out of them. This positively impacts the project as well as the communities.
Conclusion
These leadership skills can have profound implications on results. Delegation and a certain extent of assertiveness enhance effectiveness of good managers. However, all the above-mentioned skills don’t come as an endowment. Developing leadership skills take time. It can’t be taught with theories only. Theories must be adequately backed up by hand-on practice. In fact, the best way to learn is to talk directly to people who have been in the managerial positions. This will help you to improve managerial skills and become a good leader.