A leader is different from a boss or a dictator. A leader is a person who leases by example to their followers and will show them what is right and wrong. If you become a manager in your company, you should choose to be a leader rather than a boss because a leader is more open, flexible and will lead the way to a better way of working. If you are thinking of taking on any kind of leadership role this year, here are some of the personality traits you need to have.
Patience
You might think that leadership is more about working forward and guiding the way, but it is also about being patient when your workers struggle to keep up the pace. Everyone is unique and everyone has their own level of skill, and as a good leader, you should be able to be patient when your workers are slowing down or if they don’t understand how to do something. Never be the boss who gets frustrated and angry because this just won’t help anyone.
Empathy
The same sort of principle as above goes for this next point. We are all people. We are humans who have thoughts and feelings and experiences which can be either good or bad for us. To be a good leader you need to be able to sit down with someone who is struggling mentally or physically and give them a good pep talk, advice and make sure they have the time they need to deal with a problem. If you think of your team as worker ants you can never be a great leader.
Ability to adapt
When you take on a leadership role you also take on the responsibly of looking after the rest of your team and making sure that your business can reach its goals too. You will need to be open to changes in policy, be able to adapt to improve working conditions and also adapt to taking extra study such as an online master’s in management. Being able to adapt to different situations is the ideal trait for someone who wants to manage.
Passion for people
If you are an introvert and you don’t like social interaction that much, leadership definitely isn’t for you. As a leader, your role will be very people focussed and you need to learn how to talk to a range of different people from all over the world and be able to hold your own in a room full of people. Being able to speak and being happy to speak is the key.
Assertiveness
If you can’t feel comfortable telling people off occasionally and you don’t enjoy delegating tasks then of course leadership isn’t the right thing for you. Leadership is about guiding your workers and making sure that they are working hard, getting things done and that you are reaching your targets. You should be able to have a commanding presence when you enter a room and always be confident.
