Do all leaders have the same traits? In my experience, the answer to that question is no. Everyone has their own natural style and personality that comes into play as a leader. They also have different motivations, unique strengths and experiences that make them who they are. They use their own experiences, values and what they have learned to shape their own leadership definition and behaviors. Although leaders don’t all have the same traits, there are still some traits that most good leaders have in common.
Leaders need to have a strong sense of who they are and what their values are so that no matter what challenges they may face each day they can make good decisions. Being authentic, inspiring, trustworthy, results driven and having strong integrity are some of the core traits that come to mind when I think about good leaders. All of these traits provide the foundation to enable them to be great leaders of their teams. If they have these foundational traits, then what else do they need to be successful?
Ensuring that they are focusing on the right things is key. Some leaders may only be looking at financials and/or results while others only care about their teams. Good leaders have to focus on all of those things at the same time. They have to be able inspire, motivate and develop their teams consistently while keeping an eye on budgets, deliverables and strategies. Removing obstacles for their team and providing guidance when needed will enable their team to deliver the work needed to get the results. Leaders may also need different functional skills to help them to be successful in their specific area (understanding technical things if you are in IT or having supply chain knowledge in a logistics role.)
You have probably seen a new leader hired into your organization and they seem to be able to get things done so quickly. How do they do that? Having a strong leadership foundation in place, allows you to be successful regardless of the industry, company or function. Although it is good to understand the content, processes, products and procedures, you will learn those more quickly than you think. In all leadership situations you will set up your team, understand what success looks like, build relationships and ensure that processes are in place to set up the team to deliver your goals. You will be able to hit the ground running and be effective by leveraging all of your core leadership traits and experiences.
Are you struggling with any of the challenges discussed in the blog? The power of a mastermind is there to help you move forward with the help and support of a group. Would you like to hear more about the Powerful Leadership Mastermind group that is just getting started? We have a few spots left for the group which meets every other week on Tuesday mornings.
The group is led by me and my partner (and cousin) Kim who are both ICF Certified Coaches. We are offering an introductory rate to join and we are looking for people who are motivated to make a change in their personal or professional lives. If you would like to learn more about it and join the group you can click on this link: Powerful Leadership Mastermind or reach out to me.