The traits that make great leaders
Photo by Piper Mackay
Learning leadership, just like learning any other soft skill, is not a straight forward process. Most of what I learned came from observing leaders around me. How do they approach problems, how do they behave under stressful circumstances, and most importantly, how do they deal with people?
I currently manage a team of eight individuals and I am constantly questioning myself how can I improve both the team’s outcomes and my teammates’ wellbeing.
These are the traits I have found the most effective in assuring long-term leadership by influence.
Be self-confident
All great leaders I have ever met demonstrate on an ongoing basis a high level of self-esteem. It is understandable, would you follow someone that does not believe in its abilities?
I must admit, when I first started managing a team, I fell short on this one many times. I did not know my co-workers’ personalities and desires, I was not sure of my abilities as a leader and I had many doubts on how to manage a team.
I am sure my insecurities were evident through my behaviour. Probably, one of the most evident was my low tone of voice. Over time, I gained more confidence in my capacities but this is still an ongoing daily struggle.
Be courageous
Courage manifests itself in many forms. It may be by making hard decisions, by defending a teammate in front of a superior, by addressing the problematic behaviour of a team member or simply by recognizing one’s own mistakes.
I will never forget the first time I became aware of this trait. A co-worker outside my team came to talk to the CEO. She pointed out a situation she considered unreasonable and which the solution was out of her power. She wanted immediate action but the CEO discarded the issue as non-important.
The intuitive behaviour would be to accept the “No” and continue with one’s tasks. To my surprise, she did not move. She kept insisting on different aspects of the problem and possible solutions. Eventually, the CEO recognized the issue as important and stated it would be solved soon.
I am not sure if the CEO was convinced by the arguments or because of her persistence, but I believe it was the latter.
She did not get what she was looking for — immediate action. Nonetheless, she got the solution she needed. I have since then seen her point out issues and defend causes in various circumstances and to various people, always with the same unshakable stand.
People like her inspire their followers to thrive. Their followers know they can trust their leader to stand up for them.
Have self-control
Leadership by example is a strong tool, especially in moments of stress. Any leader must maintain calm behaviour and a sharp mind. I would say that for me the ultimate self-control challenge was when one time I needed to handle a furious client.
I listened carefully to what were the underlying issues, I did not argue back and calmly finished the call. After taking a few moments to clear my thoughts, I came to the team and stated plainly what needed to be done. We finished it within a day.
The next day, I emailed the client the outcome and asked him to check if everything was according to his needs.
A couple of minutes later, the client video-called me by surprise and went through the adaptation one-by-one while in the call. After he checked them, he’s attitude changed. He said everything was accordingly, he thanked me for listening and apologized for his misconduct.
This memory is quite dear to me. I usually do not have video-calls with the whole team in the room but because of the unusual circumstances, this one I did. Once the team heard the genuine gratefulness of the client, they also recognized in me the competence to lead them towards the teams’ goals.
I would not have had this outcome if I did not keep my emotions under control during that first call.
Be just
When it comes to dealing with people, you need to understand that perceived justice is what matters.
Each individual has a unique background, which means each will perceive your behaviour differently. Therefore, you will need to be careful when making judgments.
The feeling of injustice can lower one’s motivation and productivity. If you notice one of your team members is underperforming, try to understand if he or she is feeling wronged by any of your decisions.
Even if you do not change your decision, recognizing the legitimacy of the person’s feelings will help to weaken the injustice felt within him or her.
Stand by your decisions
Always seek the opinions of your colleagues about important matters so that you have a comprehensive analysis of the problem and decide on a path. Once you choose one, do not back down from it easily.
Leaders need to indicate a clear focus to their teams. Changing your team’s focus repeatedly will cause losses in their productivity and motivation.
A good way to make people follow the chosen plan is by inviting them to give input. Once an individual has the feeling its opinions were heard and that the final plan is partially his or hers, the person is more likely to stick to the plan and advocate for it in front of disbelievers.
Be a people’s person
No leader can make it by itself. Leaders need followers, devoted followers. You need to treat your followers with respect and nourish your relations with them. This is one of the hardest points you will need to master but it is one of the most important.
There are many books and resources to help you with this trait. A famous one is “How to win friends and influence people” by Dale Carnegie. Nonetheless, remember that only continuous practice will produce results.
It is always your responsibility
As the leader, you are the only one responsible for the outcomes. Even if the failure was not on the plan but at the execution, the responsibility is yours. You should have predicted it or have taken measures to avoid it.
A leader must be willing to take responsibility for his followers’ shortcomings.
I believe you are responsible for your teammates’ skill growth. You should motivate them to improve, guide their learning journey and ensure they have the tools and space to do their best work.
You are a team, not a group of individuals
There is a scene in the movie Flipped (2010) which resonates with me.
The grandpa explains to the young Juli that there are things that are more valuable than the sum of their parts. A painting is more than a collection of drawn motives and it is also more than the total of its materials. Similarly, some things are less than the addition of their parts.
Teams should be more than the sum of its members. It’s your responsibility to ensure that.
The members of your team should cooperate to achieve more than they would if they were separate. Do not allow toxic conduct to destroy cooperation, both between your teammates and between departments. Your team can achieve more if it can count on the support of other departments within the company. A good team and company culture will help but it is your daily job to keep it that way.
Every other week, my team needs help from the Marketing and Communication department. On the other hand, they know they can count on us to deliver whatever they need on time, even when on short notice. I see value in their contributions and the relationship we keep is beneficial for both departments.
I believe leadership can be learned through continuous effort and that multiple leadership styles work. I truly wish you find your style and can achieve great results for your team.