Leadership is a quality that is often praised and desired, but what makes a good leader? And how can you become one?

Are you looking to be a better leader? Whether you are just starting out in your career or have been leading teams for years, there is always room to improve. In this blog post, we will discuss the qualities of a good leader and provide tips on how to develop them.

I hope that by reading this post, you’ll be able to apply these leadership qualities in your own life and become a better leader for your family, friends, and colleagues.

A good leader can get others to follow willingly by inspiring them with a vision or purpose. Although good leadership comes in many forms, it always follows a basic principle: guidance and direction. In the words of Winston Churchill, “The price of greatness is responsibility.”

A great leader is somebody who can do all this despite facing difficult odds or being weighed down by personal weaknesses.

Do you want to be a better leader?

Here are 23 effective leadership strategies that you should implement if you want to be a good leader:

• Know your purpose
• Have a vision
• Be proactive/positive
• Work effectively
• Be decisive
• Be approachable
• Develop good communication skills
• Be adaptable
• Be direct
• Learning names
• Be humble
• Show appreciation
• Be optimistic
• Be passionate/confident
• Serve others
• Listen to others
• Have an thirst for knowledge
• Don’t be afraid of change
• Have firm values
• Don’t micromanage
• Be aware of your strengths
• Control your emotions
• Be an example

1. Know your purpose to be a good leader

Leaders should know what they stand for and where they want their team or organization to go.

Before making any decisions or formulating any strategy, make sure you’re clear on the purpose of what you’re doing.

Tips for knowing your purpose

• Asking questions and listening to the answers.
• Surrounding yourself with like-minded, like-souled individuals who can hold you accountable.
• Keeping a diary of your thoughts and feelings on the purpose of what you’re doing; review this often.

"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the ways." - John C Maxwell

2. Great leaders have a vision

Vision is key for inspiring followers to take action toward accomplishing the leader’s purpose.

Without knowing where you’re going, it’s impossible to get any sort of traction or move forward in the right direction.

Tips for having a vision

• Drawing a mind map to help you with visualizing your ideas.
• Writing down what success will look like when accomplished.
• Asking “what if” questions about reaching your goal; doing this can help you find new ways to achieve it.

3. Be proactive/positive to be a good leader

Don’t wait around for something bad to happen. Instead, be proactive so you can guide the team toward success.

A positive attitude fosters a better environment for people to perform and do their best work.

Actually, your team feeds off your positivity and your attitude can influence theirs.

If you’re constantly complaining and negative about things, then this is likely going to spread to others and cause them to become upset as well.

Tips for being more proactive/positive

• Doing something every day that makes you feel happy and optimistic.
• Setting realistic goals for yourself, but not letting the pressure of them overwhelm you.
• Starting your day with your most important task; it’ll get your momentum going in the right direction.
• Expecting setbacks; they’re inevitable, so don’t let them stop you from moving forward.
• A little optimism can go a long way, so if you need to express how something isn’t perfect or needs improvement, try doing so in a constructive manner. Remember, you don’t have to insult the person or company that’s involved either.
• Having an upbeat attitude will allow other people to relax and have fun, so encourage this type of atmosphere to keep your team happy and productive.
• People may sometimes demotivate you or stir up negative feelings, but don’t let them get the best of you. Take a moment to step back if necessary and remember that their opinions are just that—opinions. Don’t be afraid to stand up for your values when necessary, but don’t be insulting either.

4. Be effective to be a good leader

Being competent is one of the most important skills a leader can have. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the most underrated.

So, instead of focusing on being liked or worrying about your image, simply get things done to the best of your ability. To be effective, focus on these key areas:

Tips for being a more effective leader

• Doing one thing at a time, and stopping when you’re done.
• Focusing on results instead of methods or processes that don’t work for your team or organization
• Prioritizing time spent with people who matter to you most; they’ll appreciate the extra effort.
• Having an answer prepared for all questions asked of you.

5. Great leaders are decisive

Leaders should make decisions based on their evaluation of the situation and consideration for the team. They shouldn’t be indecisive or afraid to take risks.

Tips for being more decisive

• Thinking about the pros and cons of each option.
• Avoid unnecessary outside influence.
• Making decisions based on what you know at that particular moment.
• Not second-guessing yourself once a decision has been made; if you don’t feel good about it, you’ll never get the worst of it out of your mind.

6. Be approachable to be a good leader

Being a leader means you’re someone others can go to when they need help or have questions about their projects.

If they feel like the only way to get what they need is to go above your head, then you’re not doing a very good job.

People need to feel like they can come to their leaders with issues and concerns for any sort of relationship to flourish.

Don’t close yourself off from letting others in, and make sure team members know you’re open to dialogue.

Tips for being more approachable

• Talking to people instead of at them when they have something to say.
• Keeping in constant contact with team members so you can get to know them better if possible.
• Taking notes on what people tell you so you don’t forget details or important requests.
• When people come to talk with you, let them know that you have time set aside specifically for this purpose. This will make them feel like their words are valuable and they won’t be brushed off quickly.
• If someone asks for help, take the time to provide them with the assistance they need so they know you care about their success.
• Be available outside of meetings and formal interactions by taking some time to meet with people one on one. This will allow you to get to know your employees better and let them know that you’re approachable.
• Don’t be afraid to admit when you don’t know something. People appreciate a leader who is open and honest about their weaknesses, as this gives them a better understanding of how they can help.

7. Great leaders are adaptable

Changes happen fast, and the leader of a team must be able to adapt quickly if they want their group or organization to succeed.

Leaders who can adapt are more likely to foster creativity within their teams as well.

Tips for being more adaptable

• Thinking about how things could change in the future before making a decision.
• Embracing new changes instead of shying away from them.
• Making sure everyone on your team is aware of what’s happening so they have the facts, not just rumors or speculation.

"Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others toward the achievement of a greater good." - Unknown

8. Great leaders are good communicators

Effective communication is the key to being successful in all aspects of life, but especially when it comes to leading others.

Leaders must communicate well for the team members to understand their vision and goals so they can be properly guided toward accomplishing them.

Good communication skills will help you negotiate and convince others.

Tips for being a better communicator

• Asking people to explain what they need in terms you’ll understand.
• Listening more than you talk, and not just nodding your head when someone is talking. Really hear what they’re telling you.
• Using clear, concise language that’s specific to the person you’re speaking to so they know exactly what it is you’re asking of them.
• Speaking your truth; you shouldn’t be afraid to say what needs to be said, no matter how hard it might be.

9. Be direct to be a good leader

Being a leader is about setting the tone, and that means being clear about what you expect from others.

Don’t beat around the bush. Instead, say exactly what you mean without leaving any room for interpretation.

Tips for being more direct

• Be clear and concise when you communicate to others, especially regarding projects or goals.
• Be specific with dates, timeframes, and the steps you want them to take for something to be completed successfully.
• Don’t make threats you aren’t prepared to back up; people will see right through empty words.

10. Know their names to be a good leader

People like to be recognized as individuals with names, not numbers. The recognition doesn’t have to come from a public ceremony or award; it can be as simple as taking time to ask and remember someone’s name.

Tips for learning their names

• Always introduce yourself first. It’s common courtesy, and it ensures that they know who you are if you forget their name in the future.
• Make sure employees understand that it is important for them to let you know when they feel like someone isn’t being inclusive enough, or when they are being left out.
• Take the time to learn their names so you can personally address them when necessary.

11. Be humble to be a good leader

A leader’s ego can be their biggest downfall. If they allow themselves to become arrogant or cocky, it will cause them to stray away from the true purpose of leading others and they could potentially lose the trust of others.

As such, remaining humble and approaching every situation with the right mindset is critical for a leader.

It’s easy for pride to get in the way of being a good leader, but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Knowing what you’re good at and where you might need a little outside help will ultimately benefit the team as a whole.

Tips for being humble

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you think it will benefit your organization or group in some way.
• It’s okay to admit that you don’t know something, as long as you’re willing to learn and grow from it.
• Be open to feedback and willing to work with others who don’t necessarily see things the way you do.
• Know your weaknesses and be able to recognize when someone else might be better suited for a particular task or project.
• Don’t forget all of the people who helped you get to where you are today. There’s a good chance your employees were among them, so never take them, or your position, for granted.
• When someone comes to you with their concerns or fears about leading others, don’t brush over it or try to convince them that it’s not a big deal. Take the time to help them through this and show them that you’re confident in their abilities to do well.
• Don’t be afraid to seek out advice from people who have experience with leadership or similar roles, as they can provide insight on how best to handle specific situations. If you want to grow as a leader, don’t be too proud to accept constructive criticism.

12. Showing appreciation is a quality of a good leader

Every day, find ways to let your team know you appreciate what they do. It does not always mean giving them a gift or money.

Try to show your appreciation in little ways, like taking the time to say thank you or saying something nice about their work.

Tips for showing appreciation

• Letting people take breaks or do other things that keep them refreshed.
• Checking in with your team members to make sure they’re happy and fulfilled by their work.
• Taking the time to praise good work when you see it, not just when someone is doing something wrong.

13. Great leaders are optimistic

No one likes working with negative people who are always focused on what’s wrong and how they’re going to fix it.

Be a source of optimism by keeping things in perspective and keeping your head up through even the most trying circumstances.

Tips for being optimistic

• Treat your team like they are capable of anything; empower them with the knowledge that you believe in what they can do.
• Focus on the positive aspects of your situations, and make sure you remain aware of how lucky you are to have this job or be working in this industry. You never know when things will change for the worse.
• Don’t be afraid to share your ideas with the team, even if they’re difficult or unpopular. It’s important that you’re able to feel comfortable doing this.

"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren Bennis

14. Being passionate/confident is a quality of a good leader

Above all else, being a leader means being passionate and confident about what it is you are trying to achieve.

If you can be passionate about what it is that you’re doing, then your team will feel the same way.

Actually, no one wants to work with someone who isn’t enthusiastic about what they do.

Tips for being more passionate

• Be excited when talking about projects or goals; make sure everyone knows how much you care.
• Be prepared to give presentations and speeches, as this is a great chance for others to see how passionate you are about your work.
• Make time every week to discuss the progress made on different projects so everyone knows where they should be focusing their efforts.

15. Being a servant is a quality of a great leader

Your first priority as a leader is to serve others before yourself.

A true leader doesn’t think about how much their efforts will benefit them, but more so about how they can better those around them and help them succeed. 

When you put your team first, you’ll see increased loyalty and a better-performing team.

Tips for being a servant

• Put the needs of your team first. If there’s a problem, help them find a solution before thinking about how it will affect you or anything else.
• Talk to people on different teams and seek out new ideas that might benefit your own organization. Being on the lookout for what others are doing well will allow you to implement these positive strategies into your own group.
• Take on added responsibilities when they become available, especially if it helps the team in some way.
• It’s okay to ask for help, even from people who might not be directly working with you. This shows humility and builds camaraderie among colleagues.

16. Listen to be a good leader

One of the most important things you can do as a leader is listening to what your team members are saying.

You may be surprised by how much of an impact this has on morale and overall performance.

Being able to listen is one of the best leadership skills you can have because it shows your team that you’re interested in what they have to say and that you care about them and their point of view.

Many leaders find themselves making the mistake of thinking that their way is always best and end up ignoring what others have to say, but by doing this they’re losing out on possible solutions or opportunities that could benefit everyone involved.

Tips for boosting your listening skills

• Before speaking, take some time to collect your thoughts so you know exactly what it is you want to say.
• Make sure everyone has the chance to participate in meetings by not monopolizing the discussion. If you don’t allow for other voices to be heard, team members will feel left out and ignored.
• When someone approaches a problem or issue, take time to sincerely listen without immediately offering solutions or complaints.
• Be open to new ideas and feedback, and be willing to work with your team members on issues that they bring up.
• If you’re speaking to others in a meeting or giving them feedback, then do your best to listen to what they have to say. You might learn something new about the issue that was presented and this can help you see things from a different perspective.
• Even if you don’t agree with what someone is saying, try to avoid interrupting them or shooting down their idea. This makes it seem as if you’re not open to other possibilities and that you think that what they have to offer isn’t a valuable contribution.
• Empower your team members by allowing them the freedom to express themselves and communicate with you in a way that’s comfortable for them. When you make them feel like their opinions matter, then they’ll be more apt to follow you and put in the extra effort that’s required to get the job done.

17. Having a passion for learning is a quality of a good leader

No one develops into an experienced leader overnight.

In fact, great leaders have been working on their abilities and learning from their mistakes for years in order to get where they are today.

If you aren’t willing to do this yourself, then people will see that it’s not a role you take seriously.

Tips for being more willing to learn

• It’s never too early or late in your career to begin learning more about leadership and how best to improve yourself as a leader. There are plenty of materials out there that can help with this, whether it’s a book, coaching from an outside party, or the experience that you gain.
• Learn from your mistakes. If you have a difficult conversation with someone that didn’t go over well, take time to reflect on what happened and how it could have gone better next time.
• Look at the situations where things went wrong during your day and think about what you could have done differently to have a more positive outcome.

“A great leader posses a clear vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus." - Unknown

18. Great leaders aren’t afraid of change

Many leaders fear that implementing new strategies will cause them to lose their team or negatively affect them, but for your team members to grow and become better at what they do, you have to be open to change and allow yourself to learn from it.

Leaders who are stuck in their ways will usually end up failing because they can’t keep up with the rapidly evolving world around them.

Tips for not being afraid of change

• Be open to improving any processes or strategies that your team uses so they don’t become stagnant or obsolete.
• If you aren’t willing to learn new things, you’ll quickly fall behind. So if there’s a topic of interest that you’re not familiar with, take the time to look into it and see what you can do to become more knowledgeable.
• Don’t be afraid to mix up the order in which you do things or try out new systems and strategies, as long as they seem like they’d benefit your team and company. You may find that you learn something new about yourself through these changes.

19. Having firm values is a quality of a good leader

A leader needs to have personal values that relate well to the values of their company.

This will allow them to set an example for others and ensure that they’re leading by example.

Tips for having firm values

• Develop your list of personal values so you can pick out which ones are most important when making decisions. They should be things that you can stand by and can expect from other people as well.
• Having a personal list of values will help guide your decisions and actions, so you don’t have to wonder what the right thing to do is. Your values should be clear enough that they’re easy for those around you to understand as well.
• To have a strong set of values, you must be willing to stick by them and defend them when needed. If you can’t be trusted enough for this to happen, then they won’t hold the same weight as they should.

20. Great leaders don’t micromanage

Micromanaging has the opposite effect that great leaders are trying to accomplish.

When people are being micro-managed, they become stressed out and feel as though their leader doesn’t trust them to handle things on their own.

When you micromanage, you tend to miss important information because your attention is elsewhere and your team feels as though you don’t have their back.

Tips for not micromanaging

• If you have a lot on your plate, it’s essential to give the work associated with these tasks to someone who can handle them. You should also be careful not to take on too much for yourself since this could result in you missing something important when managing less important tasks.
• Have confidence in your team member’s abilities and trust that they will efficiently complete the task. If you’re working together, then there should be no reason why you can’t trust them to handle things on their own when necessary.
• Many people like having someone they can go to for support, so don’t be afraid to give advice when your team member asks for it, but don’t do the work on their behalf.

Read also: Leadership pitfalls to avoid at all cost. 

21. Great leaders are aware of their strengths

It’s important to be aware of your strengths and weaknesses when in a leadership role so that you can focus on using the right skills at the right times.

If you try to branch out too far outside of your comfort zone, then it could end up hurting your overall performance.

Tips for knowing what you’re good at

• Your strengths will vary depending on the types of tasks that you’re expected to do. So, look over them before determining which ones to focus on. If there are some parts of your job that you find extremely difficult or stressful, it may be a good idea to have someone else complete them.
• You’ll want to consider the strengths of your team members when making decisions, so you can use their skills to boost productivity in certain areas. If someone is perfectly capable of handling a task but doesn’t enjoy doing it, then it may not be worth assigning them responsibilities that they won’t be interested in.
• Being aware of your strengths and weaknesses will allow you to find solutions when problems arise, so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box if necessary.

“A great leader does not lead by forcing people to follow. Instead, a great leader motivates people. They encourage others to follow them. They also lead by example, which few leaders do today.” - Mike Dan

22. Keeping emotions under control is a quality of a good leader

People in a leadership position need to be able to manage their emotions accordingly because it can affect how they interact with others.

In fact, when a leader gets angry or frustrated, it puts a negative spin on things and makes people feel uncomfortable. Having emotions under control is crucial for a leader to be seen as trustworthy and someone on who their team can depend.

Tips for controlling your emotions

• Take a moment to yourself to collect your thoughts and figure out how you want to react before communicating with others. If you’re angry, then taking a deep breath can help you avoid saying something that you’ll regret later on.
• If you find yourself becoming flustered or are having trouble dealing with your emotions, then take a step back to avoid letting them get the best of you. You can even ask others for help if necessary—after all, teamwork makes the dream work.
• Once you’ve dealt with your negative feelings and calmed down, communicate with others in a manner that’s professional and appropriate. Letting yourself feel anger and frustration will only cause problems, so you should do your best to avoid it.

23. Lead by example to be a good leader

You can’t expect your team members to do things that you aren’t willing to do yourself.

In addition to the strategies listed above, a leader has to know that they have to work harder than anyone else and lead by example at all times. 

Putting in a lot of hard work and staying committed to doing things the right way is what sets a great leader apart from others.

Some people have all of these traits, while others have just a few.

Regardless, if you’re going to be leading other people, you must consider these strategies so that you can get the most out of your team members.

Tips for leading by example

• If you want others to listen to you and respect your ideas, then you have to prove that what you’re saying is worth listening to. This means doing a little more research or finding additional resources that can help strengthen your argument.
• Don’t expect others to do something if you aren’t willing to do it yourself. If you want your team to be committed and dedicated to their job, then you have to prove that you’re willing to do the same.
• Don’t be afraid of hard work; it’s one of the most admirable qualities that a leader can possess. By working harder than everyone else, then these people will be more motivated and inspired by your example.
• When people see that you’re willing to go the extra mile, then they’ll be more likely to follow your lead and do their part as well.

Read also: Leadership skills to excel immediately

Final words on the qualities of a good leader

Many qualities make a good leader. But, there is no one set of characteristics that will work for every person and situation.

It’s important to be aware of what makes you an effective leader in your professional life so you can better understand how others might feel when they take on the same role.

What do you think it takes to be a good leader? Share with us in the comments below!

Related topics

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However, many leaders struggle with how to do this effectively.

In this blog post, we’ll explore some tips on how leaders can empower others. 

I’ll also discuss the benefits of empowering others. Read more

How can I set long term leadership goals

It can be tough to set long-term leadership goals. We’re all so busy and it’s hard to stay focused on what we want when there are so many demands on our time.

But, if you want to be a successful leader, it’s important to take the time to establish some long-term goals. Here are a few tips for setting and achieving your leadership goals.

References

Khoshhal, K. I., & Guraya, S. Y. (2016). Leaders produce leaders and managers produce followers. A systematic review of the desired competencies and standard settings for physicians’ leadership. Saudi medical journal, 37(10), 1061–1067.