Six personal traits of a great leader

Though the terms "manager" and "leader" are often interchanged, there is a big difference between them. While "manager" means anybody in a managerial position, "leader" refers to someone genuinely able to enthuse team members with their vision, someone whom people like to follow. This article will describe the traits you need to become a successful leader.

Illustration

This list was published by the website The Muse.

Self-esteem

Without the necessary self-esteem and confidence, a leader cannot convey visions and motivation to employees. Fortunately, confidence need not be only innate; it can be learned through particular habits.

Time management

The attention of a good leader must not jump from one thing to another. A great leader must be able to plan their time well and always focus fully only on one thing at a time.

Communication skills

Even the best vision cannot be conveyed to team members if the leader is unable to communicate in a good and efficient manner. It is therefore necessary they focus on this skill and use it in practice.

Integrity

Though some shifts in opinions and attitude are desirable based on certain circumstances, a leader should be consistent in their requirements, communication, values and attitude towards their employees so the latter know what is demanded of them and what to expect from the manager.

Patience

A true leader must be very patient, mainly because team members will always do a job more slowly and in a different way than the leader would ideally like. Working with people also requires much time and long-term effort; hence patience is a must when it comes to leadership.

Hard skills

Beside soft skills, a leader must also possess the necessary hard skills, namely knowledge of the given field and details about the jobs of team members. Only then can the leader effectively lead other people.

 

 

-mm-

Article source The Muse - U.S. website focused on smart career advice and long-term professional development
Read more articles from The Muse