Being passionate and knowledgeable on the subject are just parts of being a leader.
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Last week, I read a few pieces discussing the traits that define effective and successful leadership. Within these articles, several types of people were interviewed: entry level employees, middle-level mangers, two Vice Presidents, one current CEO, a former CEO, retirees, and others. The varied perspectives that were given were interesting and thoughtful.
One commonality that was frequently mentioned by all parties was that leading and supervising others is a complex skill. There is not one method that is the standard. Indeed, good and effective leadership can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. Both person A and person B could be outstanding leaders, yet employ diametrically diverse methods in their workplaces. In essence, it was concluded there is not one pathway to effective and innovative leadership. That being said, I would argue that there are a combination of qualities that are likely to distinguish good leaders from mediocre or poor ones. A few of them are:
An engaging personality
Many studies have concluded that the best leaders are often the ones who go beyond the basics. These are the bosses who do not simply resort to delivering orders to their employees. They are often able to effectively connect with their co-workers, inspiring them to perform at the highest level showing a genuine interest in their employees, engaging in a give-and-take manner with their workers, often listening and considering ideas from them and, if possible, involving employees in the decision-making process.
A passion for the profession
Effective leaders clearly demonstrate a sincere and genuine interest in their chosen field. It is often evident in their attitude toward the job, how they welcome and anticipate new and unexpected challenges as well as an infectious enthusiasm for whatever they are attempting to convey to their fellow workers. Moreover, they are often able to transmit such passion to others around them.
Demonstrated command of the subject matter
Great leaders exhibit an uncommon expertise of the of culture of the workplace that they are supervising and are often looking for ways to further enhance the environment they have inhabited. They are knowledgeable about their specific industry of field. These are the managers that are always looking for ways to incorporate new information, strategies, ideas or techniques into their companies. They never allow their workplaces to become stagnant. They make changes as appropriate. Wisely, not recklessly. They subscribe to the belief that no workplace can remain stuck in time and rather, must evolve and adapt with the times.
Willingness to acknowledge your missteps
Good leaders also realize that no one is perfect. Even the most competent supervisors are inclined to make a misstep from time to time. When this happens, rather than being in denial or becoming defensive, the effective manager acknowledges his or her mistake(s) and makes an effort to rectify them. These are the managers who are not afraid to go off script, or indeed, rewrite the script, if need be.
Being receptive to other people’s opinions
Every profession has its share of egotistical people. Where there are human beings, there is usually some degree of disagreement. Given the years of toil, grit (perhaps blood, sweat and tears along the way,) that it takes to reach upper, senior management, VP, or CEO level, it is only normal that a person would have or eventually cultivated some degree of ego. This is particularly true for men. Sometimes this is evident when the boss may become unnerved when a employee challenges their viewpoints. They tend to become defensive, irritated and out right angry at being challenged. The sad reality is that there are some bosses (I would like to think that they are in the significant minority) who have trouble accepting viewpoints, arguments and ideas that are at odds with their own. Nonetheless, effective leaders are the ones who are able to understand and accept the fact that there is often more than one way at looking at an issue. They do not expect employees to embrace their opinion(s) on everything. In fact, good managers frequently encourage healthy debate in the workplace as opposed to shutting down any form of dissent.
Being fair and transparent
The best leaders are fair, open and transparent. They either are frequently or, eventually overtime, become authorities in their appropriate profession. They refrain from engaging in bully-like or other humiliating tactics, treat employees with decency and respect and do not demonstrate preferential behavior toward certain individuals. They often have rigorous, yet reasonable, standards. They do not live to see how many people they can embarrass or humiliate. They give reasonable deadlines for assignments to be completed and are astute and sensitive to the fact that many people have lives that can at times, pull them in multiple directions. Children, family, spouse, aging parents, outside activities, personal matters that require attention etc…and that for most workers, life does not solely revolve around their place of employment..
While there other examples and no one path or size fits all when it comes to being an effective supervisor, these are just a few characteristics I would argue are crucial to one being a proficient and successful leader.
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