5 Essential Qualities That Make a Great Leader

The leaders of an organisation are the ones shaping the direction the business takes. A good leader may take the company to unparalleled heights and may have all the qualities required to improve employee satisfaction, increase customer retention and build a positive work culture. On the other hand, a bad leader will leave his employees miserable, make poor decisions and set the company on the straight path to self-destruction.

Choosing a great leader for your company is not always an easy task. This is why the best executive headhunters make it their priority to detect candidates who have true leadership qualities, have the personality of a go-getter and have the skillset it takes to make large-scale decisions. While it may be relatively easy to identify a bad leader, do you know how to detect a good one?

“Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” This quote by C.S. Lewis perfectly depicts what it means to be a leader with integrity. A good leader is honest, secure and stays true to their word and their values. They don’t falter in the face of temptation and are capable of giving credit where credit is due. They don’t hesitate to apologise when they are wrong and don’t jump to conclusions when things are unclear.

To build a good working relationship with customers, stakeholders and employees, it is crucial to have excellent communication skills. Truly listening, understanding, and then responding effectively showing genuine interest is a skill not many possess. The reason why people are so magnetically drawn to good leaders is purely because of their superior communication skills, including verbal, non-verbal cues, ability to tell a story and pay attention to the other person.

Being able to relate to your customers and employees makes a leader better suited to developing solutions that best solve their problems. Good leaders step into the shoes of their followers and try to understand their hopes and dreams, motivations and problems. Empathetic leaders also directly lead to higher employee engagement. When an employee feels appreciated and understood, he or she is more likely to have positive feelings towards their work and consequently will be more productive, loyal and happier.

A good leader is assertive when it is necessary. Delivering bad news, whistleblowing, voicing new ideas, providing feedback and flagging concerns at work all require courage. Instead of ignoring problems when they arise and hoping for them to go away, people with leadership qualities face them head-on and work towards finding a solution.

A terrible leader will not just disrespect his subordinates, he or she may be condescending, snarky, openly disregard his employee’s concerns and treat them as inferior. On the other hand, good leaders understand that every human is deserving of respect, regardless of their position in life. They listen, empathise, understand and entertain different perspectives as valid, even if they choose to give in a different direction. However, it is always good to remember that respect is not a lack of disrespect; rather, it is shown in the way a leader acts, speaks or interacts with the people around him.

The best executive headhunters recognise these traits when they see them. In addition to the qualifications of a candidate, it is equally as important for the right candidate to match the culture of the organisation they will lead in the future. Executive search service provides know that the future of a company depends upon the high moral standing of their leaders, and as such, they pay close attention to the personality of any candidate they shortlist.

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