“People buy into the person before they buy into the vision” said American author John Maxwell. So what makes the person be the leader? A leader who can drive their vision from inception to completion working across large groups of people with many diverse talents and functions?
Countless books and schools of thought tackle this question but ultimately it can be boiled down into a few personality traits that can be learnt and practised. So for the 2014 Talent Unleashed Awards we thought we would share what we think makes a good leader.
Trust and Creditability
When people trust you, they will be more inclined to follow you. Leaders do not abuse their power, but build trust by using it properly. Trust fosters collaboration, which contributes to openly sharing information, which then creates a solid team who supports each other.
Sharing the Vision
It is vital that a team understands the vision, and is no less than totally clear on the objectives.
If the employees always know where they stand, they will know what part they played in achieving the vision.
Help them to help you
Get around and know the strengths and talents of your employees, and place them where they can shine. They need to know how their strengths serve the vision. Exceptional interpersonal skills are at the core of a successful leader.
Make the decisions and be held accountable.
No one is an expert at everything. So when making decisions sift what information there is at hand.
Don’t make a decision too quickly unless necessary and make sure you talk to subject experts.
Keep it together
The objective of every leader should come with the mindset of striving for “mission accomplished.” Leaders also have to be managers and need to focus on what’s most important to the vision and goals of the organization. Make sure you get your team to focus on the most important and critical tasks to achieve the goals related to your vision.