Every business rises and falls on leadership. Do you have what it takes? Are you winging it, or do you have the leadership traits needed to organize a movement and grow your business? Consider the list of traits below to determine how well suited you are for the long haul.
Grow Your Business with Strong Leadership
Business growth comes down to one thing: leadership. Whether it’s your ability to manage people, craft a vision, or create a brand, leadership is important. In fact, studies show that growth strategies revolve around leadership. A growth strategy on paper is meaningless without someone qualified to implement it.
Contrary to popular belief, leaders are not born. Leadership is only about 30% genetic. Very often leadership is learned through focus and determination. However, most people do not take the time to learn what growth-driving leadership entails, and thus they never rise to important roles within a business – or if they do, they take the business down with them.
So how many leadership traits do you have? Ready to take the test?
10 Valuable Leadership Traits
1. Commitment
This essential leadership trait will help you grow a business by inspiring your team as you lead by example. When you are committed to the goal no matter what, they are more likely to be as well.
2. Integrity
People go above and beyond for those they trust. Great leaders who possess integrity do not fly of the handle, ignore promises, or take advantage of their team. This leads to greater team cohesion, increased customer trust in the brand, and long-term stability.
3. Humility
Great leaders do not wear their title on their sleeve. Instead, they are approachable, warm, and humble. Because they have nothing to prove, they can focus more on what is best for the business.
4. Communication
Communication is such a vital trait that can make or break a business. Strong leaders effectively communicate their vision, appreciation, and expectations to all they deal with. They instinctively think of the customer and how their brand is perceived. This free-flow of information fosters an environment in which collaboration and growth occur.
5. Decisiveness
Indecisiveness means lost opportunities. It is important that leaders know when to act and then proceed boldly and deliberately to ensure maximum benefit. Great leaders seize the day!
6. Humor
The ability to laugh and see the humor in the everyday is important for relatability and motivation. Humor can also defuse hostility in the workplace and turn potential rivals into partners.
7. Easily Corrected
A leader who cannot accept contradiction and correction will never produce long-term business growth. Leadership is the ability to improve and coordinate group insight – not surrounding oneself with “yes men.”
8. Delegation
In many ways, a leader is most valuable when not doing the actual work. A leader who can successfully delegate tasks to those most qualified for them will be able to scale the business up and continue to feed in new team players and acquire more work, ensuring an upward trajectory.
9. Positive Thinking
Many businesses have failed due to self-fulfilling prophecies. If you set yourself up for failure, you are likely to fail. Yet those who believe in their own abilities, their team, and their brand are more likely to work around obstacles and grow from challenges.
10. Awareness
Not much is written on the importance of awareness in leadership. Yet throughout history, great leaders typically had the ability to read a room, pick up on subtle body language, and understand market trends. Observation and reflection are powerful tools in the hands of a leader to improve and grow a business.
If you appreciate the art of leadership, share these valuable leadership traits with your network!
