The Characteristics Of A Leader

1.       Communication

A true leader must be able to express their vision to others.What may be perfectly clear in your mind, may not be relayed clearly to other members of the team. This communication must be clear and concise so that everyone shares the same goals.

The communication of a great leader goes both ways. Listening and understanding others is imperative to making sure the entire team is on the same page.

One way to make sure that others are comfortable talking and sharing their ideas with the team is to encourage an open door policy, where each individual is free to discuss matters that may help the team without the other team members being present.

2.       Ability to Delegate

In a team environment, a leader does not have to take on all of the tasks required to complete a project alone.

It is important that a good leader knows the strengths and the weaknesses of each of the members of the team. Utilizing these strengths will allow everyone to grow and the team as a whole will flourish. Team members will feel appreciated when they are trusted to do additional tasks, and this will bring up the morale of the team as a whole.

Delegating tasks will also free up time to complete managerial tasks that cannot be delegated to others.

3.       Confidence

Confidence is a leadership aspect that can keep your team morale and productivity up.

Being confident of the situation at hand and the way it will be handled can help team members to solve any problem.

Employees will take cues from the leadership, so anyone in that position must have faith in themselves to be able to handle any situation. People want a leader who knows every solution, or at least one who is confident enough to say that they do not. There is nothing wrong with admitting a lack of knowledge as long as a leader has the confidence they can find the correct information.

4.       Creativity

Decisions that a good leader needs to make are not always simple, cut and dry choices.

Sometimes a situation only has two seemingly bad choices. Having a creative side can often allow exploration into areas that were not considered, which can transform a bad solution into a much better option. If creativity is a strong point of certain members of the team, bring them in on a brainstorming session that can get the entire team thinking outside the box while striving to reach the finish line.

5.       Take Responsibility

A great leader is not afraid to take responsibility when failure occurs.

No matter how big or small the problem is, take responsibility for the mistake and figure out how to fix it. Showing this trait to team members will encourage them to take responsibility for their actions as well, which will help the team to better trust one another when problems and issues arise.