To be an effective leader, one must possess qualities such as consistency, the ability to bounce back from adversity, the ability to understand and connect with others, and the ability to work well with others. Nelson Mandela reported never giving up is an essential quality of leadership. All small to big organizations require leadership skills to grow and prosper.
“There is no failure except failure to serve one’s purpose.” Henry Ford
Even animals follow their leaders voluntarily, so it is essential to acquire and follow leadership qualities as humans to envision your notion and bring forth positive energy to the environment. Here are the most important qualities of leadership.
1. Exhibit Emotional Intelligence (EI)
Emotional intelligence (EI) deals with the perception, management, understanding, and handling of emotions. People with efficient EI can recognize their own emotions and help deal with other emotions.
It consists of the following pillars.
- Self-awareness about one’s weaknesses and strength
- Self-regulation to overcome one’s barriers
- Self-recognition of one’s ability
- Focus on social skills
- Promoting empathy
M.T. Ashakansy and M.T. Dasborough worked on the model of emotional intelligence (EI) and awareness in undergraduate students. The results were taken in a classroom study covering an EI course at the undergraduate level. The scientists found that although individual performance was linked with EI, EI predicted team outcomes. A good leader possesses EI and, through its magic, brings positive interaction in the environment and promotes the well-being of people.
2. Focus on Empowering Others
Empowering refers to transferring your energy to others who need it in the dark hours. It is worth keeping in mind that empowerment can also refer to a push we give others to move forward in their life. It comprises the following traits.
- Confidence
- Self-recognition
- Self-esteem
- Knowledge
- Talent
- Skill
Even though there are different ways to empower, it is determined by either the giver or taker. A good leader focuses on empowering not only himself but also his companions. A good leader believes in the abilities of the employees, give them effective suggestions, and provides them training to outperform their tasks.
3. Harness Empathy
Empathy refers to the highly sensitive ability to recognize and feel others’ emotions and is often taken as “energy vampires” as they need constant seclusion to replenish their energy.
An empath has 3 kinds of interactions to look for his perspective. These are given as follows:
- Physical
- Intuitive
- Emotional
However, other categories like animal empath, social empath & earth empath also exist in mankind. Studies have shown that empath who struggles with setting boundaries are good listeners and kind-hearted. A good leader puts himself in the shoes of others and feels the problem the same way his recipient is facing. Leaders respond as a high stimulus to their surroundings and environment and give their heart and care to deeply feel the people around them.
4. Promoting Cooperation
The behavior more prominent in cooperation to improve the integrity of an organization is either promoting the desired behavior or reducing the existence of undesirable behavior. Leaders can cooperate with people either to give them rewards or lessen punishments. However, people’s behavior as internal aptitude also determines how leaders corporate with them. T.R. Tyler explained the correlation between leadership and group cooperation as an effective stimulus to promote employees’ work outcomes. All groups have some authority units, and people follow them voluntarily or involuntarily. The empowerment of leaders through cooperation between people helps build hierarchy and fundamental structures in society. Scientists also found that leadership incentive cooperation led to a 10% of variance in employee behavior.
5. Having Problem-Solving Skills
A good leader exhibits problem-solving skills. It consists of the following steps:
- Identification of problems
- Brainstorming ideas for innovation
- Analysis of outcomes
- Implementation of strategies to promote better outcomes
The National Association of Colleges and Employers Job Outlook 2022 survey reported that 86% of employers focus on the problem-solving skills of graduates. Therefore, it can be regarded as the highest in-demand skill of 2022. History is full of leaders who exhibited efficient problem-solving skills to embark on their name son journey. Freedom warriors and rightful leaders are all well aware of this trait as an amalgamation of determination, resilience, critical thinking, and logic. So, leaders possess problem-solving skills and help provide efficient solutions in no time.
