Whether it’s in on the field, in an office, in battle, in the classroom or at home, a great leader has something that sets them apart from others.
The pressure can be immense, but rather than back down from it, they revel in it. They live for the big moments and have no problem rolling up their sleeves and getting down to work.
But what are the qualities that a great leader possesses?
I came up with 11.
1. Vision - Of all the qualities a great leader must possess, this to me is by far the most important. They must have a clear idea of where they are going and what they are trying to accomplish. Vision is something that brings a team together, allowing them to get the most out of their team.
2. Focus - Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Richard Branson are examples of leaders with focus. Once the vision is clearly conveyed to their team, the next key qualities a great leader must have is focus. They don’t let the little things get in the way of what they are trying to achieve.
3. Strategic Planning - They must keep a watchful eye on the market place, their competitors, the customers and trends. In other words, great leaders must have the ability to see the future and prepare for it.
4. Confidence - There may be days where you might wonder if you made the right decisions. When things go wrong, we begin to question ourselves. It’s part of our make-up. But the great leader knows not to panic. They must keep morale high and fix the mistakes you’ve made.
5. Courage - Are you willing to take risks to achieve your goals and, win or lose, take responsibility for them? Great leaders are.
6. Humility - No one has all the answer. Henry Ford knew this.Winston Churchill knew this. Humility is knowing you don’t have all the answers, and not feel threatened when proven wrong.
7. Leadership - Leadership is the quality to get people to work for you because they want to, not because they have to. They know when to push and when to pull. They understand that the only way to get maximum results, is to get the cooperation of every single person on the team, from the top all the way down.
8. Honesty - Your business and its employees are a reflection of their leader. They are the ones that set the tone for everything the company does. Being honest, almost to fault, is something that is rare, but very much respected by employees in every profession.
9. Cooperation - Great leaders know when to go it alone, and when to call in reinforcements. The goal is all that matters to the great leader.
10. Positive Attitude - Positivity rubs off. So does negativity. One helps produce great results, the other leads to many problems. Having a positive attitude, even in the face of adversity is the mark of a great leader.
11. Creativity - Murphy’s Law. Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Great leaders know that from time to time, they’ll have to deviate from their set course and manage things on the fly. They refuse to be rushed. They don’t just want to solve the problem, but solve it properly. This is where creativity comes in.
How many do you have?