5 Key Leadership Qualities You Need to Have

It’s one thing to get a new enterprise going, and something else entirely to keep it thriving due to your effective leadership. Leadership comes more naturally to some than to others, and it doesn’t have to do with entitlement or rank. It’s really concerned with people skills, management strategy, and commitment to a vision for your company. What qualities and attitudes do you need to have to make these factors work positively? Here are a few to focus on. 

1. Be Proactive

Be proactive, taking the long view. The best planning takes big ideas and executes them as seamlessly as possible. Granted, your vision and strategy are important. But high-level organization needs to take place to make those visions come to fruition. For each goal, articulate a timeline, process, and set of steps for your team. Allow members of the team to advise you regarding execution; they’ll bring unique and valuable perspectives. 

2. Be Decisive

It’s human to make mistakes and occasionally have doubts. But, if you want to receive support from your teams, you must be decisive. In best-case scenarios, your employees will immediately understand why you make the decisions you do. You should also be willing and able to communicate the “why” of each decision you make. 

3. Be Empathetic

It’s common for employees to say that they don’t feel heard. Being listened to (and seen) by you is crucial. That’s only part of empathy, which seeks to understand where a person is coming from in addition to what they’re saying. 

4. Be Collaborative

It’s a challenge to be productive and creative when your team members all operate in separate silos according to their roles. Be sure to set up a clear structure, lines of communication, and expectations for collaboration among your employees — and demonstrate a collaborative spirit yourself. That’s strong leadership. No matter what type of business you run, there should be open communication among your employees. 

5. Be Supportive

Combine the qualities and attitudes above, and you create an overall atmosphere of supportive leadership. Encouraging your employees daily, being curious about your employees as people, and fostering a team culture of support make coming to work more pleasurable — and create a foundation for productivity and loyalty. 

Developing your skills as a leader requires attentiveness to how well you demonstrate emotional intelligence and a compassionate interpersonal style. Consider these suggestions to improve your leadership.