Effective leadership is a critical aspect of a highly functioning team or company. When we experience excellent leadership, we rarely notice it’s even happening. When we experience inept leadership, we’re subjected to the incredible stress and struggle it manifests. Naming strong leadership traits is the first step in comprehending how to strategically lead others to their goals. While great leadership looks different for everyone, I’ve reduced it down to a few key characteristics:
- Authentic: Effective leadership means being authentic and real when working with others. We’re not machines; we’re humans with real emotions and significant challenges.
- Emotionally Intelligent: Effective leaders first understand themselves through high emotional intelligence. Understanding themselves leads to a better understanding of others.
- Communication: Effective leaders communicate clearly, regularly, and honestly with those they lead. Clear communication ensures all people know the why behind the decisions.
- Visionary: Effective leaders are visionary and see the long-term plan for the team or company. They want what’s best for the future while managing the daily systems and processes.
- Realistic: Effective leaders are visionary, but they’re also realistic about the current culture. They evaluate the daily challenges and continually adjust the process as needed.
- Process Focused: Effective leaders develop processes and systems to help reach the visionary goals of the team. Leaders collaborate with members to develop, implement, iterate, and evaluate the process toward the goals.
Effective leadership can be narrowed down to specific characteristics that move teams forward, but those characteristics may be different based on the person or the situation. Not all effective leadership looks the same.
What are your characteristics of effective leadership?