What Makes a Great Leader?

Characteristics of Leaders There are lots of articles about that have been written on what makes a great leader and what the characteristics of successful leaders are. I am sure you know someone who was great was an intelligent and skilled individual who was great at their job and who was promoted into a leadership position and then sadly failed. You may also know someone who wasn’t the best at their job but had certain traits and abilities that enabled them to succeed when promoted into a leadership role. Some say identifying individuals who have the right leadership abilities is not a science! Personally I have a different view. So what characteristics do successful leaders have? • Integrity – They have integrity, they do what they say they will and are trusting of others too. • Vision – They know where they want their organisation to go and are able to communicate it and it explain to others • Goals – They break their vision into clear SMART goals • Team Working – They encourage working together as a team and empower their team to understand issues, create solutions and act on them! • Communication – They are constantly in touch with key individuals in the organisation and engage regularly with others on a face to face basis as well as via email and other means • Inspiration – They are someone that other employees look up to for direction • Ambition – They have ambition, both in terms of wanting to be a leader but also they constantly strive for improvement and success I have seen many leaders’ loose trust and credibility quickly by ignoring these fundamental ‘leadership rules’. In summary as a leader you need to be there for your staff, demonstrating trust and communicating with them whatever their role in the organisation.