Baton Rouge Consultant | The Five Characteristics of Strong Leaders

Excellent leadership is a result of the utilization of many important characteristics that one can identify and strengthen. This article will address 5 traits of effective leaders within a service based business. 

Appreciative

By ensuring your employees or coworkers are acknowledged regularly and sincerely for their input, you will foster a working environment that rewards and motivates the contributions made. Appreciation can be shown in many ways, including verbal recognition (public praise), bonuses and pay increases, extra time off, gifts, meals and more. By showing appreciation, you’ll also foster respect from those around you. 

Instills Accountability

While some mistake accountability for micromanagement, the truth is that a great team will appreciate and thrive with appropriate accountability. To establish this, a leader should first set clear expectations related to workload, deadlines and communication standards. Once those expectations have been set, accountability measures should be put in place. This can be as simple as checking to ensure deadlines are met and reviewing work quality. By providing honest, critical feedback, you can help your team know exactly how to become a more valuable asset to your organization. This allows them to achieve the professional growth they likely desire. When balanced with appreciation and facilitated with respectful, kind communication, accountability can lead a team to new levels. 

Compassionate

Lead with compassion. By allowing compassion into your daily interactions with your team, you’ll understand and naturally accommodate their needs. Compassionate leaders understand the importance of work-life balance, consider benefits that matter to a team, and can allow for trusting relationships to take hold. 

Fair

In creating a fair work environment, you will establish a stronger level of trust from your team. Hold each team member accountable, no matter your relationship. In some instances, familial relationships within an organization can cause frustration among other team members, when favoritism is suspected. When setting expectations, ensure you hold all team members to the same standards in attitude and effort. 

Honest

Dishonest communication can often be found in the midst of a difficult confrontation. Imagine an employee is underperforming regularly due to their own incompetence. It may be uncomfortable for an employer to confront this difficult situation. Instead of directly and honestly discussing the needs of the business, the leader may instead try to sugar coat the feedback and soften the communication. Unfortunately, this won’t allow the employee to correct the communication or to begin looking for more appropriate employment. Long term dishonesty can lead to a dysfunctional team, ridden with incompetence. 

There are many characteristics of great leaders. These five can serve as a starting point for self-evaluation, allowing you to consider your strengths as well as your areas of opportunity. 

Apple Guerin Company LLC
Phone: (255) 767-1020
Url: https://appleguerin.com/
6421 Perkins Road, Bldg. A, Ste. 1B
Baton Rouge, LA 70808