101 Leadership Qualities You Need To Adopt To Become A Good Leader

Houston, we have a problem! Company leaders are facing a crisis. From what we know, one-third of employees don’t trust management. For the cherry on top, employers now have to cater to the needs of the millennial generation. On average, a millennial will change jobs four times after finishing college before they are 32. Most of them also don’t feel empowered on their current jobs. Where do you think does the problem lie? Why are so many employees discontent with their work-spaces?

Are you a great leader who aspires to be liked and respected by their teams? Are you someone who wishes to keep your team motivated and on the right track. It’s clear that many leaders fail to inspire a sense of loyalty and trust in their employees. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be the case at your workplace. Managers who show great leadership qualities can drive their employees towards greatness and betterment. In order to help you achieve better results for your company and make you a better leader, here are 101 key leadership qualities that every good leader should possess.

101 Leadership Qualities:

• Appreciation for What you have

Unless you absolutely love your job, you will never find the drive to push for betterment.

• Charisma

Step out of your comfort zone and learn to resonate with people. Successful leaders are charming and magnetizing which inspires devotion in their followers.

• Loyalty

Reward those who are loyal to you and Show firm, constant support to your followers and they will be sure to reciprocate.

• Ethics

When a moral dilemma rears its head, great leaders should make decisions in accordance with their own values, making sure that their actions are positive, not damaging. This helps you establish an unspoken ethical code that will inadvertently govern the decisions of your employees as well.

• Likeability

It’s not enough to be respected sometimes. people want to work around people they like and distance themselves from people who exude a negative vibe.

• Respect

As a good leader, your actions should speak louder than words. Show don’t tell. Enticing a deep sense of loyalty and admiration in your followers is one of the best leadership traits you can possess.

• Integrity

Having honesty and sincerity in all your dealings is one of the best leader qualities that assures your followers of your intentions.

• Passion

The passion you harbor for your job directly affects your energy and attitude, and that of your followers as well. Your excitement towards a venture can fuel the passion of your team as well.

• Humor

leaders who take themselves too seriously risk pushing people away. The most effective leaders laugh at themselves and admit that making mistakes is just a part of being human.

• Character

A good leader has a unique persona that puts him above everyone else. They Understand that the very things that makes them different is what stands them apart and defines their character.

• Engagement

Effective leadership is all about focusing your attention on the problem looming in front of you without losing focus. Even caught up in the throes of a hectic day, be sure to participate in the process you’re your team members, instead of giving orders from the sideline.

• Courage

Good leaders sometimes have to make unpopular decisions which they think would benefit the company in the long run. This requires bravery and the courage to stand for what they believe in. A good leader is not afraid to try new things, instill trust and confidence in others, and raise issues that others would rather leave unresolved.

• Accountability

Being accountable and owning responsibility for the outcomes expected of you, both bad and good, is the true characteristic of a leader.

• Optimism

Positivity is contagious, so try to focus on your attitude and understand you as a leader is responsible for setting the tone for your business and the people around you. The very tasks that others find difficult; leaders take on with zest.

• Confidence

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. – Eleanor Roosevelt

One of the best leadership qualities is confidence. To build your confidence, you need to be willing to fail or you will never find the strength needed to push through the glass ceiling. To gain confidence, you should be open to new experiences and step out of your comfort zone.

• Standards

Effective leaders understand that in order to achieve higher standards, they need to refrain from making excuses, hold themselves accountable for their mistakes and possess strong values.

• Self-motivation

Strong leaders are always striving to achieve beyond expectation. This comes from their desire, pride, and passion to become better than everyone else. As Maya Angelou said, “Nothing will work until you do.”

• Emotional Control

The ability to adjust according to situation, assess yourself, and calm down, comes from self-control. The more you are in control of your emotions, the better you can control outcomes.

• Emotional Intelligence

People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are always in tune with what they are feeling, what their emotions mean, and how the way they react to a situation can affect other people. For leaders, the ability to manage your own emotions and those of others around you, is downright important.

Related: Learn the Right Way to Empower Emotional Intelligence in Your Leadership

• Understating of opportunity cost

Leaders know that business involves risk and there is an opportunity cost associated with every decision they make. They make sure to fully think through the consequences their actions could bring before taking a critical decision.

• Humility

A person without humility cannot hope to command respect. Top leaders are open to people’s criticisms and feedback and know how to admit when you’ve made a mistake.

• Discipline

 A Discipline in leadership is not about punishing and rewarding others, but rather about maintaining your outer resolve, inner calm, and self-control.

• Perspective

Sometimes the best solution isn’t always obvious. The top leaders know how to remove themselves from a situation and look at it from multiple perspectives to uncover the solution.

• Risk management

There is no reward without risk, but you need to identify, access, and measure risks so you can positively affect the outcome, instead of creating a disastrous situation. Great leaders at adapt at it.

• Time Management

Leaders plan their time effectively by knowing when and where to spend it; on their family/friends, work, and indulging in hobbies.

• Self-Assurance

You will never be short of naysayers who will tell you why things won’t work. Attain enough self-assurance to be able to push through pessimists with no excuses, roadblocks or negativity holding you back.

• Maturity

Maturity comes from being courteous, being the bigger person in difficult situations, and knowing how to communicate like an adult. Take blame when needed and follow through without excuses.

• Lead by Example

Great leaders always lead by example. The people around you will notice if you are working hard and dedicated to grow your business and will follow in your wake.

• Relation-building

Leaders are all too familiar with the importance of building long-lasting relationships with people in their industry and are always sure to pursue partnerships whenever they can.

• Social Skills

Leader are approachable, friendly, outgoing, and charismatic. They have the ability to speak with anyone in an engaging, respectable, and calm way.

• Public Speaking

Being highly articulate, leaders do not hesitate to speak up in front of people, be it pitching a new idea in a room full of people or speaking up at a meeting.

• Honesty and Transparency

In the transparent world we live in, honesty is a must when we talk of leadership qualities. People respect leaders who react calmly to good and bad news and can always put forward a plan of action under any circumstance.

• Ability to Reason

Nobody likes unreasonable people, which is why practical leaders have sound judgment when making decisions, never make unfound assumptions, and are considered fair and sensible.

• Boldness

Leaders do not hesitate in any aspect of their life. They are willing to take the lead and show the way even in the face of possible risks.

• Listening

If you want to give your followers the attention, support, and feedback that they need to be successful, try to listen when they speak.

• Presence

Simply being the center of attention won’t cut the bill. You need to help team members across your organization, be there for your people in important situations, and try to get your team through difficult situations.

• Authenticity

Authentic leadership calls for Hard-word, dedication, and long-term focus.

• Empathy

Don’t overlook the needs and feelings of other people when you are laser-focused on attaining your goals. You need to demonstrate empathy and compassion towards other and weight the consequences of your words before you say them.

• Ability to confront

For fear of igniting an argument, a lot of people avoid confrontation. Leaders know exactly how to approach others in a nice, honest way.

• Empowerment

Empowerment doesn’t just give your followers the freedom to make their own choices, it’s about giving them the tools and processes to make those choices effectively and productively.

• Negotiation skills

Leaders can be very convincing when they want something. They do this by building a sense of trust and tapping into the interests of people.

• Social Media Savvy

Leaders know that their followers hang out more and more on Social media. They use social media as a tool to educate, engage, and connect with followers, and attract countless new people to their cause.

• Communication Skills

Great leaders leave no room for miscommunication to seep in. Great leaders know how to relay their thoughts and ideas in a way that is easy for everyone to understand.

• Ability to Teach

Leaders should inculcate the processes and methodologies they use to run their business; with the people they work with. A poorly trained staff will reflect in your sales and operations.

• Feedback Oriented

Great leaders never stop learning. This makes them open to honest feedback. Their positive attitude about that feedback helps them use it to make adjustments that benefit everyone.

• Trust in their Team

If you believe in the ability of your team to successfully complete the tasks you delegate to them, you need to trust your team to get the results you want. Instead of micro-managing every project.

• Ability to Inspire

No matter how much you love your job, great leaders are able to inspire their team and make sure they know that their work has a bigger impact than they realize.

• ID team strength

When delegating work, leaders know their teams inside out and which task to delegate to which employee. They use that knowledge to decide who gets assigned which projects/tasks so that everything gets completed the right way.

• Sharing Vision

It doesn’t matter how great your idea is if you can’t get people on the same page. One of the best leadership qualities is to be able to share your vision and get people to buy into your ideas.

• Turning vision into Reality

Leaders not only share their vision; they break that vision down into steps and craft a master strategy that can be flawlessly executed over time.

• Get the Best Out of Their Team

If you want your team to perform at their best, you have to know what makes them tick and properly incentivize their work towards larger goals.

• Understand what Motivates Others

Everybody wants something; you just need to figure out what people want for themselves: Recognition? Money? Notoriety? Understand that so that can deal with different people differently.

• Ability to Own up to Things

“A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the blame and a little less than his share of the credit.” – John Maxwell

Just as leaders are quick to give their team credit, they also have the courage to take one for the team and claim responsibility for negative outcomes.

• Rewarding

People expect recognition from people they look up to, which why it’s important to reward your team members from time to time, especially when they go above and beyond to complete a task.

• Evaluate

Great Leaders are able to quickly analyze a situation and think through all the circumstances before taking an action. Being decisive doesn’t mean jumping to decisions. It means making the right decisions in a timely, practical manner.

• Conduct Effective Meetings

Effective leadership is all about making the best use of time. If you don’t want to veer off the track, start with an agenda, encourage people to contribute, have a start/end time, promote notetaking and follow up after meetings to make sure everyone remains on the right track.

• Being Respective

When you want to build meaningful relationships with people, try to demonstrate that you truly care about their feelings, believe in other’s ideas, and keep your promises.

• Coaching Key Teams

It’s not enough to identify top performing employees, but you also need to nurture their success and help them grow within your organization.

• Promote Decision Making

Unless safety is concerned or strict regulations are in place, if you don’t allow your followers to make their own decision, they will always disagree with you.

• Set Expectation from Day One

Surprises never work well, which is why it’s important to set a layout and agree to the expectations in place, so that there no disappointments and setbacks due to unexpected deadlines or project markers.

• Just and Fair

Effective leadership entails you to judge situations and people with fairness, since it shows them how you value them. The leaders who are fair to people, are the ones who are cherished and valued.

• Urgency

In saturated industry verticals, there will always be people and competitors trying to outdo you. Great leaders value urgency and persistence as the key traits to getting you there first.

• Decisiveness

 In order to make the best possible decisions that are in the best interest of your business and your team, leaders need to understand and assess each option carefully, making use of the right resources and people.

• Commitment to Vision

Those overnight success stories you hear about are not flukes of luck; they are backed up years of failure, hard work, and iterations to find one thing that works. Good leaders appreciate the process and not just the outcome and know what it takes to get there.

• Consistency

Only practice makes you perfect and the more consistent you can be in practicing your skills and abilities, the more efficient you will be.

• Don’t Fear Failure

Successful leaders embrace failure as an opportunity to learn. Since they are well aware of the reality that no project is free from risks and vulnerabilities, they are prepared for the worst.

• Ability to Pivot

Great leaders have the ability to recognize the changing trends in an evolving industry and guide their organization and team accordingly.

• Open-minded

All effective leaders are open to exploring new experiences and learning about new things. Don’t be a stick in the mud, letting each day slide since “what isn’t broken doesn’t need to be fixed.” In a rapidly changing world, adapt to changes in order to grow.

• Tough-minded

Great leaders don’t give up too easily. Leaders need to face business and personal life with determination and strength, especially when things get difficult.

• Resourceful

Smart leaders can improvise on the spot. They can find the most creative solutions to problems when faced with a challenge.

• Face Difficulties with a Smile

Nobody can opt out of obstacles, but they can decide how they deal with them. One of the best qualities of a good leader is the ability to take each difficulty with a cup of tea and choose a creative problem-solving strategy.

• Street Smart

Nothing can beat the old school street smart. Knowing how to spot a bad deal, analyze situations deeply, and being able to scrutinize the people and circumstances you work with are highly important traits of a leader.

• Make Good Decisions

When leaders continue to make good, practical decisions, they instill trust in their followers that empowers them to make future decisions with less pushback. Good decision making involves generating good alternatives and going over each option diligently before reaching a decision.

• Strategic Thinking

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

When all your decisions are backed by research and knowledge, you will continue to stay two steps ahead of your competitors. Reflect on each decision you take and develop a long-term mindset.

• Proactive

Great leaders take a proactive approach towards difficult situations and keep up their energy and enthusiasm at all times. Rather than wait for things to happen on their own, start by learning to control situations to your benefit and make it happen.

• Flexible

Leaders have to adopt a flexible schedule, so they become more available and involved in organization initiatives, all while keeping a work-life balance.

• Manage Setbacks/Uncertainty with Grace

When everything seems wrong, you can either give up or find a better plan. Leaders know when to fold and when to double down and take thoughtful decisions on each step.

• Stay Organized

You cannot hope to run your organization until you are organized. Great leaders know how to keep their personal and professional lives in check.

• Creativity

Nobody is born with creativity. Like other leadership skills, it has to be acquired. Go out of your way to explore, ask questions, and practice.

• Intuition

As a leader, you have to follow your gut instinct. Learn to trust yourself, especially in situations where you have to let go of logic. Risk and uncertainty are always part of doing business.

• Seeks Advice

Even though you are the one in charge, it’s always helpful to seek outside perspective. Learn to trust the experience and skill sets of trusted advisors, peers, customers, partners.

• Pursue new Experiences

From coaching little league to starting a new venture, challenge yourself to be the better version of yourself by enjoying new experiences and learning from them.

• They Read A lot

In order to stay relevant in your industry, read anything pertaining to your field that you can get your hands on. You need to stay abreast of all the developments in your field so you can adapt accordingly.

• Curiosity

Leaders have an insatiable desire to learn, explore things other people don’t have the stomach for, and push the limits of what’s possible.

• Competence

Being competent doesn’t just mean that you can finish tasks faster than your co-workers or learn faster. Willingness to learn, consistency, determination, and willpower play an important role in making you more competent as a leader.

• Laser-focused

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” – Max Lucado

Enveloped by distraction, great leaders know how to avoid roadblocks and stay on the right track. Great leaders always look out for the bigger picture, know where to allocate their time, and train their minds to eliminate all distractions.

• Intentional Learner

Intentional learning puts you in a cycle of constantly acquiring, comprehending and using information to help you stay prepared for whatever comes your way and making you more intelligence.

• Enjoy Life

Smart leaders are well aware of the fact that journey is often more beautiful than the destination. Which is why they enjoy life because they know nothing can last forever. When you become more interested in “Living”, you will be surprised by what life can teach you.

• Improve Lives

Leaders must act with gratitude and generosity by effecting positive change in the lives of the people around them, be it their families, employees, friends, family or business partners. Giving back is a sign of a great leader.

• Foster Potential

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.” – Robert Louis Stevenson

Help those around you people grow by fostering and nurturing their potential both personally and professionally and helping them learn from your experiences. Helping people become the better version of themselves would ensure you a team of enlightened employees.

• Share Their Success

What is the greatest trait of an effective leader? They know that there is no “I” in team. They are well aware of how their entire team has contributed to their success. When you share your success with others, you gain admiration, trust, and loyalty that enables you to push the boundaries of success.

• Help Others Succeed As well

Great leaders don’t hide their secrets; they aid others in becoming effective leaders themselves. They make sure their team can also share in the organization’s success, and guide them to succeed both professionally and personally,

• Direction

Good leaders never lose focus of where they need to be or how to get there. They clearly convey their goals and objectives to their team and possess an unwavering drive that never lets them lose sight of their goals.

• Challenge the Process

Leaders who ignore the status quo give birth to innovations and breakthroughs. Smart leaders don’t follow blindly; they productively challenge the process, unearth bottlenecks and adjust wherever needed.

• Performance Driven

Leaders can’t be too comfortable in their skin. Great leaders know when it is time to upgrade and acquire new knowledge. They know that there is always room for improvements, no matter how perfect something seems, and that can be made to make their team more effective.

• Humble

Great leaders are always humble, enabling their team to be great. As a leader, you can command authority and possess all the resources at your disposal. Why those share those resources with others to help them perform better as well.

• Assertive

While you make your voice heard as a leader, know that you have to do it in a helpful, constructive, and positive way. You need to get your point across clearly and involve yourself in the day-to-day operations of those under you.

• Independent

It’s not just about not depending on anyone; a true leader knows how to remain resourceful and collaborate with the right people when faced with a roadblock or a dilemma.

• Conviction

Leaders who firmly believe a cause will have the ability to effect change in the world.  This deep faith often comes from staying inspired and being inspired throughout the journey.

• Patience

Effective leaders don’t expect results over night, be it a new business venture or a new marketing campaign. Patience doesn’t translate into waiting around endlessly for results; its more about perseverance, not giving up in the face of hurdles, and executing the plans through and through. 

• High Energy

Remember, working long hours doesn’t always translate into success because time is a finite resource. Great leaders know how to stay refueled.