7 Traits of Highly Admired Leaders

Highly Admired Leaders

A leader is a force multiplier. When teams truly believe in their leader, they are able to do accomplish incredible things.

What makes leaders highly admired? Well, there are some traits of leadership that make people stand out. These traits help individuals rise to another level and inspire trust in others.

Great leaders are able to connect, inspire and elevate their followers to the next level. Here’s a look at some of the most admired qualities of leaders:

1. Stay Positive

Stay Positive

Great leaders always set their sites on a lofty goal. They aspire to reach and push others to higher levels all the time. They know how to create a happy,  motivated and focused team for achieving shared goals.

When things go wrong and don’t work as per expectations, good leaders take charge of the situation. They confront problems and do not blame others. They resolve to provide solutions and in the process inspire others to do so as well.

Even in the worst situations and catastrophic failures, they do their best to save individuals and teams. They know that they are responsible for the well being of their teams. They stay positive and encourage others during tough times.

2. They take ownership of their mistakes and failures

No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes, but rarely do leaders admit their failures. A leader who can openly admit his mistakes and failures builds a rapport with the team.

The most admired leaders take ownership of what they do, especially the mistakes. Many leaders are quick to blame others and try to point fingers in adverse situations. But great leaders take responsibility and make others accountable too.

3. Results

Results

A leader is admired when he can deliver the results. Whether it is the sports teams or corporate ones, the truly outstanding leaders deliver the results.

How effectively a leader can maximise the strengths of his teams shows his mettle. The truly capable leaders have the ability to look ahead, to plan, anticipate and achieve great results.

Admirable leaders have the ability to anticipate trends, see what others miss and rally their teams to achieve remarkable things. They are able to visualise and communicate goals with clarity to energise people around them.

4. Focus

Focus is one of the most important things for leaders today. A great leader is always doing the things that create maximum value. They know the importance of energy, time and focus. They maximise their impact by focusing on the things that are truly important.

A great leader always helps the teams to focus on the right things. Leaders align their teams in the right direction and eliminate all distractions. They know what needs to be achieved by themselves & by others.

Great leaders focus on strengths of people and combine them in a way that everyone benefits from each other. They have clarity and bring intense focus to do things that seem impossible for others.

5. Collaborate without Ego

Collaborate without Ego

The leaders need to collaborate and work with people to succeed. Many a times, leaders are let down by their ego. They are unable to check their egos and it often leads to conflicts with others.

Leadership is the ability to bring out the best in people, helping them to improve and making a positive contribution to everyone around you.

The truly admirable leaders are able to build bridges and find ways to collaborate with others. They know the art of making connections, fostering long term relationships and helping people succeed.

6. Value Everyone

A good leader treats everyone fairly without any bias. The standards are same for everyone and you can expect no undue favours from them.

Leaders create an environment where people know what they do is important. They know that their contribution matters, they know they are valued and want to be part of the team.

A leader ensures that people are driven by important things that will add meaning and create impact. They know how to bring everyone to a common platform where people can make contribute towards a bigger cause.

7. They Do it Themselves

They Do it Themselves

People rarely listen to leaders, they simply watch what leaders do. Leaders never expect others to do what they don’t do themselves. They walk the talk. They are authentic, committed and know what it takes to be successful.

A great leader backs people when they are down, supports them in failures and prepares them to take on bigger challenges. A leader leads by examples in all he is doing. He is setting the benchmarks by his own performance and work ethics. When the team can look up to their leaders, they rise to his standards and achieve great thing in the process.

8 Personality Traits that Make You a Leader

Leadership traits

Leadership is not about titles, it is about your attitude and what you do.

Leadership is rare quality. Some people are naturally gifted to be leaders. But most people especially in corporate world acquire leadership through hard work and grit. When you build and develop the right traits, you can improve your leadership abilities.  

Leadership is about influencing things positively and making an impact that can translate in something bigger than self interests. It is about doing what it takes to be able to instrument things for well being of others.

Here we look at some of the personality traits that make you a leader, no matter where you are & what position you hold:

1. Doing More than Others:

Doing More than Others

It sounds very simple, but the primary quality of leadership is about giving. When you give more than others you rise up the leadership ladder. It is about taking responsibility and going out of the way to get things done and helping others.

Leadership is not given to anyone, but people rise to become leaders by their actions and attitude.

2. Authenticity:

Great leaders push themselves and also want their teams to do their best. They are authentic and are driven by the big picture. This authenticity can be seen in their day to day actions. Whether it is the projects they are working on, their communication or interactions with clients, they are honest.

True leaders wield power with the work they do and who they are. They don’t show off or mislead people. They do what they say and never say anything they don’t mean.

3. Inspire Others:

 Inspire Others

If you inspire others to raise their standards and game, you are a leader. The best leaders always inspire their co-workers, team mates and associates to be their best.

You can never succeed by running away from responsibility, shirking work, and indulging in politics. You can only rise higher in life by doing great things, raising your standard, and constantly pushing yourself to do better.

They have the best interest in their hearts for all, make meaningful difference and inspire others to be great too.

4. Growth Mindset:

The challenges of tomorrow cannot be solved with the skills of yesterday.

Change is the name of the game. Anyone who detests change inhibits his own progress. When you are a leader or aspire to be one, you need to embrace the change. You need to proactively change and steer things in a better direction all the time.

Leadership is about acquiring a growth mindset, where you constantly strive to get better & make others better too.  

5. Inner Drive:

 Inner Drive

Leaders are driven by what they want to achieve. They are disciplined, because they are motivated by what they are doing.

In Dan Pink’s book, Drive, he argues that “purpose” & “mastery” are two things that humans find most motivating. It is about finding meaning in what we do and getting really good at it.

By sheer involvement and mastery of your work, you can not only gain expertise but also improve your leadership capabilities.

6. Problem Solvers:

You can either be a complainer or a problem solver. The problem solvers are constantly looking for solutions, others are busy complaining. People who solve tough problems and provide valuable solutions are always in demand.

Leaders need to deal with pressure situations every day and they are need to constantly look for creative ways to find solutions. When you find solutions and help everyone win, you are a leader.

7. Humility:

Humility

Humility is acknowledging that you don’t know everything. Despite whatever expertise you have in your field, nothing is ever constant. Things change fast and the only way to keep pace is by being humble. Leaders are humble; they know that they don’t everything.

It is by constantly looking for better ways of doing things, learning from those who are more accomplished and being open minded to accept the right inputs. Humility is a great virtue that leads people to improve themselves and rise up the echelons of leadership.

8. Impact:

Does your work create impact? This is a really hard question to answer, but leaders ask this question with everything they do. Yes, doing things that create an impact and makes a meaningful difference matters a lot.

The time you spend doing things will have little significance, if it doesn’t make an impact. Leaders do meaningful work, create positive impact and attract success.

Conclusion:

Leaders influence things positively. They care deeply about what they are doing, contribute and do their best to help everyone. They live up to higher standards, put their hand up in tough situations and make things better. Leaders give more than they receive and are ready to sacrifice their interests for larger good of those around them.