Great leaders come packed with a number of admirable leadership qualities. These qualities are what sets them apart from the rest and play a huge role in helping them climb up the ladder of their career. With growth and development in the business world, more is expected of leaders and great executive leadership is the common factor that the top companies share. Expectations grow as a leader rises up the various ranks in a company and more is demanded from them. Below is a list of qualities a senior leader should have:

1. Motivates and Inspires – A great leader paints a picture of a future that is clear and compelling and which will make employees want to achieve a goal. Everybody wants to work somewhere where they feel that their work is making an impact to their community. As a leader you can help your team to make a connection of what they do to the impact it has on the community. You can also, make your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the company by introducing a bonus system or giving a piece of equity. This will help generate enthusiasm for the hard work the whole team is putting in.

2. Delegates – A leader that trusts their own team with the company’s vision and delegates work to all team members is a good leader. If you do not delegate, you might not progress to the next stage of your plan. Tasks and emails will start piling up and the more you overwork yourself, the lower the quality of work you will be producing will be. Identify the strengths of your team and capitalize on each of them. Your team members are more likely to put in more effort into their work if they are enjoying what they do. It will also help you free up more time to focus on high level jobs.

3. Values Honesty and Integrity – Display of high integrity, honesty and transparency is a characteristic of top level management leaders. They walk their talk and do not fall short of their promises when they say they are going to do something. If you make honesty a key value in your company, your team will follow suit and become a reflection of what you do. Making a list of company core values and beliefs and sharing them with your team can help encourage your team to live up to the standards that you have set.

4. Communicates – It is important for a leader to be able to clearly describe what they want done by their team members but most importantly, for their team members to understand. If you are always met with a blank stare after you explain something to a team member, this should raise a red flag and may mean that you need to polish up your communication skills. The creation of a productive work environment depends on healthy communication lines.

5. Drives for Results – While some may be content with sitting back and letting things take their natural course, a good leader makes things happen. They are able to persevere a lot, handle stressful situations quite well and stick to something until they get it done. They have more drive than anyone else and can always be counted on to get things done.

6. Builds Relationships – Businesses are founded on a stable foundation of trust and relationships. You cannot have a successful business without these two elements. Spare some time daily to build relationships with your clients, team members, vendors, boss and people in your industry. Stronger relationships will help you become a great leader.

7. Approach – There is a basic concept that is often overlooked and that is, not all human beings are the same. There are language barriers, personality traits among many others. A good leader customizes their approach on a person by person basis. Their capacity to do this will have great impact in their ability to get things done by their team and also others.

8. Solves Problems – Leaders join companies to take advantage of opportunities in the market and solve organizational problems. Problem solving can range from something very basic to matters that may have lasting effects on the company. Leaders are required to have people skills and excellent analytical skills.

9. Intuition – When leading a team, you are required to come up with a plan because there is no roadmap on what to do. When things are unclear, the pressure and risk is higher; this is where your natural intuition comes in. Your team will look up to you for answers when something unexpected occurs. You can reach out to your mentors or draw from past experiences. At the end of the day, the tough decisions will be left entirely up to you.

10. Positive Attitude – Maintain a positive attitude at all times, try to keep your team motivated and their energy levels high. You can do this by sharing a good joke, providing snacks, incentives, or making them an espresso or cappuccino. Your goal should be to keep the mood of the office in a fine balance between playfulness and productivity.

Should you need additional guidance on hiring and recruiting leaders in the Americas (Mexico, Latin America, Canada or the USA), please visit us at: http://www.bipsearch.com, or email us at: barbachano@bipsearch.com.

Written by:
Barbachano International Staff