The 7 Qualities of Great Leaders

What qualities make a great leader? It’s a question I’m regularly asked by clients so I thought I’d capture my thoughts in an article. 

As successful leaders tend to embody many qualities, I have focused here on the seven attributes that, experience suggests, create enduring success.

1. SELF-AWARENESS

Great leaders are understand how their behaviours, words, actions, and even aspects like body language impact others. They seek feedback on their leadership. They try to see themselves through other peoples’ eyes. This reflection can be difficult for some people, but it is incredibly important for leaders. They know that perception is part of their reality.

2. ABILITY TO CONNECT AND COLLABORATE

No longer working in isolated, hierarchical environments, today’s leaders must thrive in an atmosphere that’s fluid and more democratised. Connecting and collaborating across the organisation is essential for success. Successful leaders actively involve others in making decisions that affect them and they give credit to others where it is due.

3. CLEAR VISION

Successful leaders craft a transformative vision and share it with a sense of passion. They mobilise their teams to execute the vision and sustain momentum through constant reinforcement of that vision. Effective communication to support their vision is critical in today’s context, and great leaders work to develop the skills to do connect and engage.

4. OPEN-MINDED AND DECISIVE

Great leaders acknowledge and accept that they don’t have all the answers. They are learning as they lead the way forward. They have an ability to be open to diverse thinking and yet recognise they must be decisive in a fast-paced world of complexity and data overload. The best leaders can strike that delicate balance.

5. AGILITY

Great leaders today are aware of threats and opportunities, but they must go beyond awareness and demonstrate the ability to be flexible, agile, and able to respond effectively to these changing environments. They can rapidly shift direction when necessary, all while guiding the teams and individuals they lead. They have the capacity to improvise when necessary, and they’re open to change and new challenges.

6. RECOGNITION & SUPPORT

Effective leaders understand the link between recognition, engagement and performance. They offer praise freely and are unafraid to step into supportive, open conversations when people are underperforming. They can look at every individual they lead and figure out how best to develop, coach, and motivate them as individuals, to obtain the greatest outcomes from them.

 7. INNOVATION

Great leaders improve organisational performance through innovation. They encourage original and creative thinking to both existing and emerging business models, processes, and products. Developing the capability to envision, foster, and apply innovation is fundamental to leadership today. It also means finding ways to get the most creative thinking from the team.

So, then, these are my seven qualities to being a great leader, based on my 20-odd years of experience working with leaders and organisations across sectors.

What are your thoughts? What do you think is the secret to being a great leader, or building a great team?