3 Qualities of Great Leaders that Might Surprise You
Professional Career Advice
September 24th 2018
Being a great leader is something that every executive strives for. It’s important to lead from the front, set a good example for your team, create a positive atmosphere in the workplace and build positive business relationships. You may think that all executive recruiters are on the lookout for bold, confident and charismatic leaders with impeccable resumes and glowing references from all of their previous positions. However, this is not always the case, and is actually much further from the truth than you may realise.
Throughout history leaders have come in all shapes and sizes and have utilised a wide range of approaches and ways of dealing with things. From those charismatic leaders who loudly and proudly lead from the front line, to those who are more reserved and lead by example, there is a seemingly never-ending list of traits that can contribute to someone being a successful leader.
Let’s take a look at some qualities many great leaders possess, that you may have overlooked.
“You may think that all executive recruiters are on the lookout for bold, confident and charismatic leaders with impeccable resumes and glowing references from all of their previous positions. However, this is not always the case.”
1. Being Introverted
When we think of successful leaders, the image of the charismatic and confident stereotype immediately comes to mind. However, introverts hold their own when it comes to performance in business as they tend to work in a much more deliberate way than their extrovert counterparts.
For an executive, working slowly and deliberately is a strong quality, especially when it comes to making important decisions that carry a lot of weight. In fact, it has been thought that the reason we may see more extroverts in a leadership role is that when it comes to meeting with the executive recruitment specialists, they are just better able to sell themselves in the interview.
2. Humility
While it seems obvious that a great leader would be confident, self-confident and always ready to back themselves, being humble is also a critical quality to hold. Instead of rushing into things with a “my way or the highway” mentality, a good leader should be able to utilise the talent that they have employed. It’s true that ultimately the final decision will often end up in the lap of the executive but they should be able to take on board the input and ideas from their team in the process.
Listening to feedback and new ideas from other staff members not only leads to a more rounded view on a particular issue but also encourages the rest of the team to become invested in projects as they know that their input is seen as valuable.
3. Consistency And Predictability
Not all leaders are innovating at every step and reinventing the wheel day-in-day-out. In an executive role, you need to be dependable, reliable and consistently perform. You may think it sounds boring but some of the greatest leaders of the world, from presidents to athletes to CEO’s, have had strict daily routines that ensured that they stayed on task and always performed at the highest standards.
Providing stability to an organisation means an executive needs to be consistent. And to gain the trust and admiration in an executive position, it’s important that your team will know how you are going to react to both successes and failures. If you always keeping them guessing and are not being predictable, they will never know where they stand with you as their leader.
Great Leaders Can Break the Stereotype
There are many different traits that come together to make someone a great leader. Put simply, there is no one set formula as to what a great leader should be because if there was, we would all be great leaders. Traditionally, we think of leaders as confident, powerful people who always make the right call. However, for every executive, CEO or business leader out there that fits this stereotype, there is another who is quietly taking steps to break free of the norm.
Looking for Help Preparing for your Next Career Move?
If you are looking to change your career and want some recruitment advice from an experienced team, contact our office today.
