Personal Traits of Great Leaders

We all have the desire to excel in achieving the outcomes we strive for. When you lead a team, you have additional responsibilities, not only in your success, but you are a critical piece of your team members’ success. As a member of a team, I always said that my job was to make my boss look good. When they supported, guided, and challenged me, I wanted to give them my best and often exceeded expectations. Of course, I had my own standard of excellence which I followed and lived by, but their willingness to do for me gave the energy and drive to shine not only for myself, but because I knew it would make them look good too.

A long time ago I worked with a manager who used to micromanage my every step. I remember thinking “I never want to do that to anyone I might be in the position to lead”. It is incredibly disempowering to always have someone over your shoulder questioning everything you do. So, when I became a manager, I felt it was a huge responsibility and honor and I remembered that experience well as an example of how not to lead. Now, I know I didn’t do it all right, but I did my best as I learned the ropes. I focused a lot on people and tried to coach them along the way to grow into their potential. And they did not disappoint. A few years later, I look at how they have grown, the strides they made and the impact to the organization and I am so proud of them!

So, how does one become a great leader? What are some of the key characteristics they embody? Great leadership is an art form, but it's also a science; it can be learned and developed like any other skill. Great leaders possess certain qualities that set them apart from the crowd. The characteristics of a great leader fall into two buckets: Personal and Social. In essence, it's about who they are vs. what they do for their teams.

By understanding their leadership style and developing those qualities in yourself, you can learn how to become a leader people want to follow.

In this article, we'll explore the personal characteristics of great leaders and next week, we'll focus on the social characteristics. Those personal traits include being self-aware, acting with courage and taking risks, having passion for their craft/work, always being willing to learn, showing empathy, having humility & authenticity, embodying integrity and having confidence in their abilities.

Self-Awareness

Self-aware leaders possess a deep sense of knowing who they are – it doesn't mean they know everything about themselves or that they can predict what might happen next in life, but rather that they have a strong sense of themselves. They have the ability to accurately perceive their own emotions and recognize how those feelings impact others. They know what makes them tick, are cognizant of their strengths and weaknesses, and have a keen understanding of what motivates them as well as those within their organization

Having that visibility allows them to connect with others authentically and without pretense. It also makes them more receptive to collaboration, suggestions, and ideas from their own team members as they know where their strengths and weaknesses lay. That also means they don't let their ego get in the way. Ego is often there to protect us. It means the best for us and wants to prevent us experiencing heartache and disappointment. Setting ego aside allows them to be honest with themselves and their teams.

Courage and Risk Taking

What often separates great leaders from the rest is that they're not afraid to take risks, even if it might upset or disappoint others. They trust themselves to properly analyze a situation and take calculated risks based on that assessment and the future success they desire, but are willing to live with the consequences, good or bad. They know that no decision is final and that making A decision is better than indefinitely sitting on the fence.

Leaders who lack courage will shy away from making tough decisions or doing unpopular things at times because they want to keep everyone happy. The leader without courage prioritizes their own self-interests over the team's interests. Leaders who lack self-belief tend to make decisions from a place of fear instead of focusing on their strengths and making calculated risks. This means that this type of leader tends to play it safe by sticking with the status quo.

But we know you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Great leaders view failure as a learning, instead of a mark of judgement and making mistakes is part of their personal and their team growth. With courage comes confidence. I'm not saying they know everything and have explored all of the possibilities, but they have thought things thoroughly enough that even if something comes up which they hadn't considered, they trust in their ability to figure things out.

Passion for their Craft/Work

Passion is infectious. When leaders are passionate about the work they do, it inspires others to become invested in their vision. A leader's passion can give people a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, making them feel valued.

Motivated leaders are also passionate about their mission, values, beliefs and have an intense desire to impact the world with these things. They know what they want to achieve in life and work towards that goal every day. 

That passion also serves as fuel when life hands them lemons. It's easy to be excited about something when things are going well. It is not so when the proverbial you-know-what hits the fan! Analyzing, regrouping and continuing with optimism shows the team their dedication and devotion to the project and the team, which in turns renews everyone's drive and energy towards success.

Permanent Student

Learning is an ongoing process for great leaders. They want to continuously expand their knowledge and skill set. They realize that the leader's role doesn't end with direction or strategy, but it continues with their own development and that of others around them. They always seek to learn more about themselves, what motivates them, the people they work with and how they can improve their own leadership skills so they can accomplish bigger goals in life .

Successful leaders are always willing to learn more so they can improve themselves in areas where they might be weak. Leaders who think they have everything under control aren't going to excel as much as those who acknowledge that there is room for growth. They recognize that lessons come from a variety of places, including their own team members and via social interactions with those around them. They also know there is a wealth of information outside of their immediate environment and have a desire to learn from other cultures and backgrounds in order to be better global citizens and managers. 

Humility & Authenticity

No one likes a braggy, "let me show you only the good side" know-it-all. Without humility, one cannot learn, so it's important that leaders remain a life-long student so as not to fall into the trap of believing he or she already has all of the answers and knows everything there is to know about everything. When a leader can admit they too make mistakes – whether it was under pressure or because of impetuousness – and that they can learn from it, he or she will be more well respected by their team members.

Great leaders are also authentic and they don't try to portray themselves as someone they aren't. They demonstrate a sense of self-confidence without being egotistical, which motivates their people to work towards a common goal rather than compete for leader's attention. Authentic leaders show respect for everyone on the team no matter what their personal feelings are, which helps build trust in all relationships. With authenticity also comes a good dose of vulnerability, which opens the door for more collaboration and support throughout the team.

Empathy

Leaders recognize the boundaries between professional and personal relationships, and they know how to motivate their people. They understand when it's appropriate to be friendly and when it's time to be professional, know the boundaries of what is okay to share about their own lives and what should remain separate from the private sphere.

They also genuinely care about their people. They take time to get to know their team members and remember details and information that was previously shared with them. This allows them to develop a "more than skin deep" relationship, builds trust and respect within the team, and makes them more effective leaders.

Leaders who lack empathy prioritize their own agendas over those of the team. When decisions are made that affect others, they don't spend any time trying to see things from other people's perspectives even though they might have first-hand knowledge. They also find it hard to understand how certain approaches or actions can unintentionally offend people, even though these same interactions seem trivial in their eyes.

Integrity & Honesty

Great leaders show integrity and are honest. They don't sugarcoat the truth or shade the facts - they face them head on. Even if it's not something that is going to make them look good personally, they will admit mistakes and take responsibility for them - even if it wasn't actually their fault! With great leaders, "the buck stops here" is not just another cliché. It's a value they live by. If people trust that you will always be open with them about the situation, then they won't assume there's some hidden agenda or ulterior motive at play whenever you make important suggestions or ask them to do something.

Positivity and Resilience

Great leaders aren't always right but they remain resilient until the problem is solved. They know the outcome won't define them as a leader and that their ego isn't wrapped up in perfectionism to such an extent that mistakes paralyze them. Perfectionist leaders tend to lose sight of what's truly important: getting results.

Being positive and optimistic doesn't mean you put on rose-colored glasses and ignore reality; it means you acknowledge problems head-on while staying committed to seeing opportunities in those challenges. Being positive gives others hope even when things look bleak and that can make all the difference.

Final Thoughts

Great leaders are the sum of all parts that have been discussed here. They are humble, empathetic, recognize their own faults and mistakes, authentic, honest, resilient and possess a positive outlook on life. All you need to do is recognize these qualities in yourself and work daily to improve upon them even if it's one or two areas at a time. As leader, you can't expect people to respect your authority if they don't believe that you have their best interests at heart. Your team members need to see that you are working with them and not just for or against them. In order to build confidence in your abilities as leader and inspire others to follow your example, it's important that you develop a strong connection with people and genuinely care about them.

Stay tuned for next week's blog, where we will discuss the people traits that makes great leaders! Meanwhile, if you'd like to share your experience with great and not-so-great leaders, I'd love to hear from you!