WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE AN IMPACTFUL LEADER?

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE AN IMPACTFUL LEADER?

Who is an impactful leader? This is someone who triggers trust, action, and growth in a team. You need more than knowledge to do that. You require attributes that define the way you present yourself on a daily basis. So what does it actually take? We explain more below.

Strategic thinking

Great leaders do not just react to the present situation. They are visionaries. Strategic thinking is a question of linking the current action to the future outcomes. It is finding a compromise between immediate demand and long-term objectives. It also involves making your team realize the way their efforts contribute to something bigger.

This skill of zooming out but remaining in the present is what makes good leaders unique. It helps the team remain focused, on track, and prepared to move forward.

Resilience

The very struggles that you endured before taking leadership can be your source of strength. Perhaps it was:

  • A rough childhood
  • School failures
  • Personal problems that made you adjust. 

Those experiences from a young age teach you how to get back on your feet. That strength is the priceless quality during uncertain times.

As a leader, you will encounter disappointments, difficult decisions, and crisis strikes. Resilience breeds impactful leaders like the ones from the Reza Satchu family. It enables you to stabilize the ship to remind your team that failures are not final, but stepping stones. Your fast recovery empowers others to do so.

Self-awareness

You cannot guide people when you do not know yourself. Self-awareness refers to understanding your:

  • Strengths
  • Blind spots
  • The impact of your actions on other people. 

It can keep you on track as a leader. Moreover, you become less reactive and more deliberate. Your actions are not on autopilot mode. You are aware of the ways your behaviours reflect your values. 

Open-mindedness

A good leader does not believe he or she knows it all. Open-mindedness refers to openness to new views, even those that question your own. It is about:

  • Asking questions
  • Keeping an interested mind
  • Being ready to make a change when new information is discovered.

This quality helps you to make better judgments. In addition, it makes individuals feel important. Your team will feel more appreciated. This combined wisdom will be a big asset.

Passion

People know when you genuinely care. And don’t get it wrong. Passion is more than being enthusiastic. It is to have a sense of purpose and to make that power flow through your team. When you are passionate, you set goals and make people believe in them. Your dedication is contagious. This allows other people to bring their best selves to the table.

Accountability 

Lastly, no leadership quality is significant without accountability. Good leaders own their decisions, actions, and good and bad results. They do not transfer responsibility.

Learn to hold yourself accountable. Your team will emulate this. Responsibility builds credibility, which is the foundation of good leadership.

Last words

When you combine these attributes, you will be an effective leader who leaves a long-lasting effect.

Author: Steve J. Bauer