Leaders shape our organizations. Their decisions and actions can leave a significant impact on the brand’s image. While it is easy to identify a bad leader, we often fail to recognize a successful one.
Warren Buffet says that we often ignore a few significant traits that differentiate a successful leader from others. They aren’t leadership skills, management or marketing skills, logical thinking, risk tolerance etc.
Those traits are Generosity, Honesty, Integrity and Empathy, and Compassion.
While strength, smartness, and decisiveness are a necessity, so is empathy and consideration to others.
Here are these five traits that will make you a successful leader.
Compassion
When you care about your people, they do more than expected. Successful leaders love their people for what they do. And, get admiration and respect from their team in return.
Focus on results but don’t bypass your employees’ wellbeing. Try to understand their personal and professional issues and respect their boundaries. Treat them as humans and not machines. Forgive them more and support them in fighting their battles.
Generosity
True leaders give their employees more than they take from them. They value their employees’ whole being.
Be generous to their emotional, physical, and even spiritual demands. Their mental health should be as important to you as their physical fitness. Be a guide and a friend to them. Help them learn from your experiences. The human-centered approach to leadership will give you great results.
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Empathy
Empathy is the most undervalued human trait in business management. Employees perform much better when they feel heard and understood by their bosses. Empathetic leaders invest in the individual contributors on the team and listen and act on employees’ needs.
Make it a 360 degrees feedback culture in your organization. Let your team member reach you without any hassle. Try to understand your employees when they fail and help them in improving their behavior and skills.
Element Chaufant Tempora and many other companies now practice a 360 degrees feedback system.
Honesty
Trust is a two-way lane. Leaders want their employees to be honest all the time. But, successful leaders lead by example. They practice honesty and integrity and motivate their teams to practice the same.
Reward honesty every time, even when the situation is not in your favor. Be honest to your team members about yourself, your expectations, and your performance. And, be patient with them when they speak the truth. Clear and honest communication with your employees and feedback can help each of your team members to grow.
Integrity
Successful leaders don’t do what is easy; they do what is right. And, they do it all the time. They act by what they preach and take accountability for a mistake or a failure. They don’t blame their people or make excuses.
Stand by your team in adverse times and share the burden of failures with them. Be their advocate and show them you care even when they are not around.