Many people have experienced a variety of leaders in their lifetime. When you think back about the different leaders in your life - which ones stand out to you? what about them stands out to you? Perhaps they have some qualities that make them a great, effective leader that makes them stand apart from the rest. An effective leader can be considered one that gets his or her work done, while inspiring and helping others to do the best work that they can do. They can be counted on and trusted to communicate well and make the decisions that will benefit the company and individuals involved. Great leaders typically have five traits in common: decisiveness, honesty, passion, responsiveness, and empathy.
Decisiveness
The ability to make important decisions intelligently and quickly is what sets leaders apart from others. Many people don’t enjoy making decisions out of fear of making the wrong one, laziness, or simply frustration with not knowing enough information to make the correct choice. Being decisive gives people control over the situation. Great leaders make the decisions that would be best for the most people involved by gathering the facts, analyzing the information, considering any possible alternatives, and deciding what to do quickly and effectively.
Being decisive is important, but not as important as following through with the decisions that are made. Consistently sticking to your decisions helps to develop trust between others. When people know that you’re going to do what you say you’re going to do, you develop trust within your department and company as a whole.
Honesty
Having open and honest communication is important in order to getting things done efficiently. People look to leaders for guidance on what they should do or how they should proceed with their own work. If a leader isn’t honest and upfront, it can lead to bigger problems, time wasted, and eventually a lack of respect may occur between the individuals.
Honesty does more than help build trust, it also helps to develop credibility. Developing credibility, being transparent, and becoming reputable in your business and industry can show that you’re an ethical leader that does the right thing for the right reasons. Honesty also helps you to become a good example for others in your office, family, and community. People that look up to you will follow your example. If you’re looking to form an honest and positive environment in your department or company, with individuals you can trust, it’s important that you set this example yourself.
Passion
Being passionate about what you do and wanting to do an excellent job makes a significant impact on being an effective leader. When you show that you’re passionate about your work, others can sense that energy and enthusiasm and will feed off of that themselves. Seeing how passionate a leader is about their work can help employees realize that they are part of something bigger. This type of realization can help people want to work harder and be proud of their contribution to the overall project.
Another outcome of being passionate is the environment you personally create. You create a space that people want to be around with a strive for success at the forefront. Being passionate can help leaders keep a clear head with their eyes on the prize instead of getting distracted by other irrelevant requests.
Responsiveness
Responding quickly to situations and questions makes a leader seem as if he or she genuinely cares about the overall outcome of the product. Being responsive also helps leaders be more approachable to those around them. Having an open door policy is a way to keep communication flowing. By having this policy, you welcome questions and hearing out other people’s ideas, which not only makes people feel appreciated, but you may get to develop a better product because of it.
Welcoming feedback and being able to communicate respectfully to others in the office is important for creating an efficient environment. Good leaders are able to communicate to people with all ranges of knowledge about the topic at hand. For instance, they are able to explain a complicated concept or idea to someone with no knowledge of the subject as well as explain it to someone with an extensive background.
Empathy
Having empathy is an admirable quality among respected leaders. Leaders that have empathy understand others emotions and take it one step further to relate to them. When someone approaches a leader with a problem, asking the right questions to try to see where the other person is coming from or why they feel a certain way showcases empathy. This also shows that the leader genuinely cares about their coworkers and others. Being nonjudgmental and a good listener are important skills to have as a leader. Having a down to earth personality and being understanding to others is key to being more approachable.
The Likeability Factor
Ultimately what having each of these traits does is increase a person’s likability. Naturally, how people view you changes the way they interact with you. If a leader possesses positive qualities such as decisiveness, honesty, passion, responsiveness, and empathy, they will not only be well liked among their peers, they will likely be highly respected by others in the industry and known for being a good leader.
A leader can display traits that aren’t listed here and still get the job done, but if being an influential leader that has a positive effect on the company and those around you is your goal, working on developing these traits should become a priority. A leader that works hard, is transparent, truly cares about the work that they produce, and wants not only themselves, but others to succeed as well is a leader worth being.
Lisa Coleman is the communications and public relations coordinator for Norcom Mortgage. She graduated from DePaul University in 2015 with a BA degree in communication and media. Lisa joined Norcom Mortgage shortly after graduation, handling social media, copywriting, blogging and public relations responsibilities for the company.
This article originally appeared in the April 2016 print edition of National Mortgage Professional Magazine.
