15 qualities of a good leader

The qualities of a good leader are not always defined by intelligence, charisma or physical aspect. People need a person to follow voluntarily, and this does not depend on the performance in the field, but rather the way the leader relates and behaves with others. Here are the qualities that a leader must have so that he can achieve the respect and dedication of his employees:

1. Vision – A leader with a certain vision has a clear picture of the outcome, but also a plan of how he can achieve success. But it is not enough to have a vision if you do not know how to share aspirations with your employees, and especially if you do not know how to motivate them so that you all have the same goal. Also, the way you expose your vision must be accessible to anyone, so all your actions will aim at achieving that vision.
2. Integrity – A leader must gain the trust of those around him, and a person who is consistent in moral values, how he behaves and treats staff and service issues is a solid and trustworthy man in front of the employees. You will not be a good leader if you try to consider yourself what you are really not, and especially those around you will see that. People need a self-confident person to control their emotions, to “play” correctly and to have predictable reactions, so those around them know they can always rely on it.
3. Be devoted! Your devotion to the company and the people you work with involves consuming as much time or energy as you need to fulfill your tasks. A leader inspires employees’ commitment by giving himself/herself as an example and “a good leader” does whatever it takes to get the desired results. Doing so, a leader will show his/her employees that in a team there are no jobs from 9 AM to 5 PM, but opportunities to achieve excellent results.
4. Appreciation of merits – A leader will always know how to share the success in business with employees and team members, but at the same time will assume their own responsibility for failures. This will make employees get closer to each other, feel appreciated and therefore work better in their team.
5. Modesty – A modest leader will admit that he is no better or worse than another team member. A modest leader will not begin to boast of himself/herself but will try to give others a push. People also appreciate a man who does not abuse of his or her position and also does not take a superior attitude to others, precisely because he/she is in that position.
6. Open for new things – Nobody likes those people that are locked in a certain idea, especially when it comes to the person who manages many people. A leader must have the ability to listen to new ideas, even if that would not normally be the option he would choose. An appreciated leader is able to accept a better idea than his own, even if it takes him/her out of the comfort zone. That is why such an attitude brings to the leader the respect and trust of the employees and keeps them active, knowing they will find appreciation for their well-done work.
7. Creativity – Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get out of the way to come up with ingenious solutions. Creativity gives the leader the ability to see things differently from others and to point out new directions. The most important question the leader might ask is “What if …?” And not statements such as “I know it’s a puzzling question …”.
8. Fairness – Perhaps one of the most important qualities of a leader is fairness. Fairness means solving situations in a fair way, listening to all the arguments before issuing a conclusion. Many employees feel wronged and therefore lose confidence in the leader and somehow make other team members change their attitude towards the leader. A proper leader avoids drawing conclusions based on suppositions or half-truths. When people are treated properly, they reward the leader with loyalty and constructive attitude.
9. Accuracy – Precision is the ability of the leader to express his point of view so that there is no room for misunderstanding. This will help you achieve the desired results without confusion. People need to know exactly what they have to do, what they expect from them to perform their tasks as well as possible. Also, the leader needs to know his employees and also find out what their expectations are from their leader.
10. Humor – The sense of humor may prove vital for eliminating tension and removing boredom, but also for relieving certain hostilities among team members. Also, humor allows you to control the environment in which you work, helping you relate in a more personal way to employees.
11. Empathy – Another important quality that needs to define a true leader is to keep in touch with customers, colleagues, subordinates, strategic partners and board members. It is not easy, but a leader must be able to put himself in the place of another man and understand where he comes from, how he feels, what he thinks, what his agenda is and what motivates him. Empathy is of two kinds, cognitive and emotional. Cognitive Empathy is the ability to understand what one thinks, while emotional empathy is the ability to understand what one feels. Empathy should not be confused with compassion. Indeed, a compassionate leader can create a pleasant atmosphere within an organization, but too much compassion can be counterproductive when the leader has to make tough decisions. Impossible, there will be collateral victims.
12. Adaptability – One of the biggest mistakes a talented leader can do is to have fixed ideas to believe that they are the best. This kind of leader thinks he knows everything and he has seen them all. In the face of change and continued competition, the ability to adapt is crucial. Not only leaders but also organizations must be able and want to change direction as well. A leader knows when the external context changes and when it is necessary to adapt to external pressures. So one of the most important qualities of a leader is to be able to put on with every situation accordingly
13. Integrity – In terms of integrity, the business world is not divided into black and white. There are also shades of gray. On the other hand, there are very few effective ways to measure the integrity of a leader. Will he choose to be fair, despite temptations, or will he give up? Decisions are taken by leaders often have a huge impact on the entire organizational culture, and executives need to be aware of this.
14. Courage.A good leader needs to stay away from anxiety and fear and put them aside. There can not be a fearful leader, without confidence there is no success. It is true that every person has fears, but a leader must find the strength, courage and confidence to do whatever he thinks or is assigned to, even if it seems impossible.
15. Attention. A leader must be aware of every detail, action, to prioritize tasks according to the importance, urgency. You must not lack the concentration that is essential in this position.

The above-mentioned qualities are those that define a good leader that will know how to manage his team, prioritize his actions and know very well what it needs to move on forward with the business.