How to Be a Great Leader

Whether you are starting a new business or managing an existing business, you need to have great leaders in place. What makes those leaders great? Is it the ability to handle stress, remain cool in tough situations, or even controlling your emotions? Yes, but that is just to tip of the iceberg. Let us look at some qualities that make great leaders.

1)       Honesty

It is important to remember that your business and the employees reflect what you believe and how you act. There is no do as I say. If you make honesty and ethical behavior your main focus, your team will do the same thing. With that being said, hold yourself to a higher plane so you employees want to raise the bar.

2)       Ability to Delegate

A true leader knows every ones strength and weaknesses and capitalizing on them. People who do what they love will do a better job than someone who does not. This means you have to TRUST your team to make progress in the direction that you want it. Delegating tasks to the appropriate departments is one of the most important skills you can develop as your business grows. The emails and tasks will begin to pile up, and the more you stretch yourself thin, the lower the quality of your work will become, and the less you will produce.

3)       Communication

Have you ever had an idea in your head, but when you try and explain it to others, they don’t understand? If this has been your experience, then you may want to focus on honing your communication skills. Being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal.

This is done through training new members and creating a productive work environment through healthy lines of communication. This can come from an open door policy to your office, talking to your staff on a daily basis, or making yourself available to discuss issues. Your team must trust and depend on you.

4)       Sense of Humor

When do you need a sense of humor? Of course it’s when anything small happens, but even more importantly it is when your website crashes, you lose that major client, funding dries up, or guiding your team through the process without panicking. When your morale is high, your productivity will be high too. Encourage your team to laugh at the mistakes instead of crying. If you are constantly learning to find the humor in the struggles, your work environment will become a happy and healthy space, where your employees look forward to working in, rather than dreading it.

5)       Confidence

You need to keep up your confidence level, and assure everyone that setbacks are natural and the important thing is to focus on the larger goal. As the leader, by staying calm and confident, your team will reflect you. The key objective is to keep everyone working and moving ahead.

6)       Commitment

If you expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, you’re going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside everyone else. One thing I always teach is that a promotion is not a change in job description, but an addition to it. I change the trash and wash the bathroom just as often as I expect my employees to do it. I am not better than them I am them with more responsibility. You want to create a reputation for not just working hard, but also be known as a fair leader. Once you have gained the respect of your team, they are more likely to deliver the peak amount of quality work possible.

7)       Positive Attitude

You want to keep your team motivated towards the continued success of the company, and keep the energy levels up.  You can provide snacks, coffee, relationship advice, getting a beer, team night, playing sports, or any other activity where everyone has fun. Remember, if your team is happy they won’t mind staying that extra hour to finish a report, or devoting their best work to the brand.

8)       Creativity

Some decisions will not always be black and white. During critical situations that your team will look to you for guidance and you may be forced to make a quick decision. As a leader, it’s important to learn to think outside the box and choice the greater of two evils. By utilizing all possible options before making a rash decision, you can typically reach the end conclusion you were aiming for.

9)       Intuition

When new scenarios arise, you need to use your intuition to guide your team. Day-to- day tasks can be figured out to a science and done by memory. But when something unexpected occurs your team will look to you for guidance. Until you can trust your gut, you may want to drawing on past experiences or reach out to your mentors.

10)   Ability to Inspire

In the beginning stages of a startup, inspiring your team to see the vision of the successes to come is vital. Being able to inspire your team is great for focusing on the future goals, but it is also important for the current issues. When you are all mired deep in work, morale is low, and energy levels are fading, recognize that everyone needs a break now and then. Acknowledge the work that everyone has dedicated and commend the team on each of their efforts. It is your job to keep spirits up, and that begins with an appreciation for the hard work.

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