Have you ever been around someone who lights up the room? Someone who brings joy when they walk into the room and can uplift people with just a few words? I have, and baby it is magic! 

Someone like that can change the culture of a small company or a large corporation. They have the spirit to turn a failing business around or create a brand new successful business. 

Are you ready to learn the skills that make them so desirable? 

First, leaders are not born leaders. Over time they gain the skills and training to be great leaders. There are some characteristics or qualities that they have that anyone can acquire. 

Let’s dive in and see how we can all learn to be great leaders. 

Honesty and Integrity

Honesty is at the top of the list of leadership qualities. Being honest in all you do will prevent you from having to lie to anyone. Keeping your word demonstrates to your followers that you are a person of integrity and that you respect others.

Leadership requires honesty. Lying for personal gain or to protect yourself or others undermines credibility. In addition, you’ll convince people that you are a liar when you are not. 

Here are some tips

• White lies should be avoided. Although they appear harmless, small lies still lie. Be truthful at all times.
  Take responsibility for your actions. Own up to your mistakes in real-time and do what it takes to fix them.
• Stay true to your word, and don’t make promises you can’t keep. In times of fear, disaster, and chaos, the temptation to make a wrong choice is greater.
• Demonstrate your real character with these opportunities.
• Keep humble and down-to-earth, don’t seek approval, and allow individuals to save face whenever possible when acting with integrity.

 

Credibility

The second trait on this list that is important to leadership is credibility. Good leaders go out of their way to provide credible information to those with whom they are involved. 

By consistently providing information that is accurate and helpful, you become a trusted source. 

When people trust you, they trust others who are in your leadership position as well. By using your credibility to your advantage, you can move up and become a great leader.

Credibility allows leaders to set the standard, and people will buy-in. 

Here are a few tips

• Every individual deserves respect. No matter if you are managing them or they are managing you. No matter if you are colleagues, friends, or family. If you lead the way, people are more likely to respect you. In case they don’t, you’ll be able to bring this up with them and let them know you are setting a good example. 
• Take the time to understand what it’s like from the opposite perspective. Make sure you offer people an opportunity to clarify their viewpoint or aspect of the story before creating judgment. 
• Keep troublesome discussions behind closed doors. Working with individuals, or in a family or maybe a community, uncomfortable situations will arise. Have difficult conversations privately, so no one gets embarrassed or uncomfortable. 
• Champion your team members publically – make sure to speak about your team’s successes often, shout them from the rooftops, guarantee they get the credit they are for their work. 
• Trust your people by default. It can be a high quality few leaders possess, and it is an incredibly important factor of leadership credibility. Please don’t allow those who abuse your trust to ruin things for others.

Effective Communication

Communication skills are a trait on this list that is related to leadership qualities. Having the right message and communicating it effectively to various team members is essential for a good leader. You can lead others to success by communicating the right message and gaining their respect.

What is effective communication as leadership qualities, and how do we master it? These are questions that arise from an analysis of leadership and effective communication.

Effective communication is also about being comfortable in your skin. Don’t worry if you aren’t communicating your thoughts clearly or fully. People will forgive you for anything if you don’t let them know that you aren’t afraid to communicate your ideas.

Be confident in what you are presenting to others, and you will find that they too will be more open to listening to you. Learn more effective communication skills as leadership characteristics by becoming more comfortable in expressing yourself and sharing your thoughts.

Here are some tips

• Communicate relentlessly. Communicate information, thoughts, and concepts clearly — and often — in numerous media. Keep processes open and transparent. Shed all traces of detachment and arrogance, and take the time to speak to your people.
• Modify and be direct. Say what you mean. Be direct. Don’t hide behind quality or pile on a lot of information. Direct communication is often the foremost necessary form of communication.
• Listen and encourage input. Be okay with silence. Encourage the opposite person to supply concepts and thoughts before you offer yours. Do 80% of the listening and 20% of the talking. Showing interest, and respect for, your colleagues will assist you to make the emotional association that’s so necessary for effective leadership.
• Let team members recognize they’re valuable, show empathy, and make psychological safety so individuals feel comfy speaking up. it’ll show those you lead that you simply care regarding each of them and also the organization.
• Illustrate through stories. once you tell a decent story, you offer life to a vision, goal, or objective. Telling good stories creates trust, captures hearts and minds, and is a reminder of the vision. Plus, individuals realize it is easier to repeat a story or check with a picture or quote than to speak a few mission statements, strategy documents, or project plans.
• Affirm with actions. Effective leaders master the art and craft of language, speaking clearly, and presenting logical and compelling arguments, skillful leaders additionally recognize that communication goes on the far side words. If individuals hear one factor from you and see another, your quality is shot. Individuals have to be compelled to trust you. Your behavior and actions communicate a world of knowledge — thus be clear on the messages you send even once you aren’t spoken communicating anything.

 

 

Motivation

One of the last leadership qualities on the list that must be strong is motivation. Great leaders know how to get their teams and individuals motivated to achieve their goals. To be a great leader, you must inspire your colleagues and allow them to believe in you and your leadership. Once you have a group of people who are motivated, they will be able to focus on achieving the goals you have for the company.

 

Motivation is a leader’s strongest tool and yet often one of the hardest things to teach in the workplace. This is perhaps because a manager is usually a bit more on the “personal” and “human” side of leadership. Leaders who are more into “people skills” and having an abundance of empathy tend to be better at managing people and forming a positive work environment, as well.

But what exactly is the motivation? In its most basic form, motivation is the ability to strive to achieve a set objective. While this may sound simple, it’s not. Motivation takes a person through a series of changes that increase his or her level of satisfaction and accomplishment. It’s a very positive trait and leadership leaders should embrace the ability to harness that power.

So how exactly does a leader develop motivation? There are several different ways to approach motivation. A good leader can use motivation to increase productivity by allowing members of his team to share in the development of important plans. On the other hand, a more directive type of approach can be used when there is a specific goal that needs to be met. Directness is a leadership style that should be done when the leader knows that the object of the leadership strategy is something that can’t be delayed.

Another way to foster motivation is to encourage. All too often, entrepreneurs and leaders who don’t recognize the value of their employees will simply fire them and hire others with the same attitude. Employees don’t like being told they have nothing to do. They want to feel as though their opinions matter and that they are valuable to the company. The encouragement a leader gives when a team is creating a plan to succeed should be equally encouraging.

Leaders should remember to spend some time with his or her teams. Doing so helps employees to bond with each other and with the leader. Sometimes, listening to a team can help solve a problem that’s causing someone to feel overwhelmed. A change in a routine or a short retreat can go a long way toward providing relief from stress.

Another way to foster motivation is to use consequences for poor performance. There may be an immediate impact for a team member who doesn’t meet a deadline, doesn’t turn in a report on time, or isn’t responsible enough to work with other people. However, these types of problems generally grow out of larger issues that have been building up for some time. For example, someone may be frustrated because they’re not happy with their boss’ decisions. Recognizing that and giving them positive feedback that they’re doing well, can help to encourage a change in attitude.

Another leadership trait that motivates is being assertive without being combative. Sometimes managers need to be forceful, but they should do it in a way that isn’t bullying. The approach a leader takes with confidence can alter the attitude of their employees, as well as how they interact with each other. Managers should know when to raise their voices and when to make more supportive gestures.

Learning these leadership skills can take time and practice. Working with a professional coach can help to develop ways to improve employees’ attitudes and motivation so they’re better equipped to get things done. These motivational traits can be used by employers and leaders to improve the productivity and effectiveness of their workplace.

A good leader realizes that his or her role requires a good balance between direct action and indirect action. Doing things indirectly can be as effective as directly. For example, an employee might bring customers to an event that encourages them to buy a product. The company’s goal is to increase sales at the event, but the employee’s role includes bringing the customer. Leadership lets employees feel that their work doesn’t have to be done entirely in line with company policy or company mission.

On the other hand, a manager who doesn’t understand that motivation is a leadership trait also can end up leading employees in the wrong direction. For example, an employer may provide a workers’ forum that’s open to employees to discuss their frustrations. However, the manager fails to recognize that employees’ discussions can lead to negative results. If the employee sees no problem with the situation but feels that the boss doesn’t care, he or she will likely view the forum as a problem-free zone where they can vent without repercussions.

Another common error made by employers is not acknowledging motivation as a leadership trait. Instead, leaders simply tell employees that their behavior is inappropriate. “This is how we will manage your issues,” they say, without providing details. In short, employees’ actions aren’t always taken as seriously as they should be. If you want to ensure that your employees are fully motivated, be sure to give them detailed instructions on how they should behave and learn as much as possible about motivation as a leadership trait.

 

Leadership is more than just telling others what to do and being an effective leader. Good leaders develop strong leadership qualities of honesty and integrity. When you have integrity, you will be able to inspire others to do the same. You will also be able to inspire others to work together as a team. This is because your honesty and integrity will lead you to honesty and integrity in other aspects of your life, including your relationships.

It is very important to take time to develop your leadership skills so that you can be a successful leader. Although these are some of the most important leadership qualities, there are many others that you should work on. Remember that everyone is different, so you will have to find what works best for you. Once you have developed your leadership skills, be sure to implement them as much as possible so that you can achieve success in your career and life.