Two Qualities of a Great Leader

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary has seven definitions for the word “leadership.”

They include:

•    a method of social influence in which one person requests – and receives – the support of others in the accomplishment of a task
•    someone who guides or directs others
•    someone who has or was given intentional influence over others

Leadership isn’t easy. There are many “rules” that good leaders follow. They are expected to not abuse their power over others, to have the best interests of their followers at heart, to learn to guide reluctant followers, to name but a few qualities leaders display.

Some leadership qualities are innate and difficult to learn, whereas other qualities are learnable – all qualities, however, must be practiced deliberately and mindfully.

Here are two qualities that all great leaders share:

Sincerity

There are different ways to lead. Football coaches are leaders, teachers are leaders, and CEOs are leaders, but each of those types of leaders has different requirements for guiding their followers. An important part of leadership, no matter what type of leader you are, is sincerity. The football coach needs to lead with a sincere demeanor: showing that he cares for the team whether they win or lose. A teacher leads her students with sincerity by letting them see that she cares about their learning and well-being.

Being a leader as a CEO has different implications than leading as a football coach or teacher, of course, but the need for sincerity is nonetheless important. People know when you aren’t sincere and are reluctant to follow leaders who lack this quality. When you lead with your heart your employees will be happier and more productive at work because they feel that you are concerned about their welfare.

Flexibility

Everything is changing, constantly. Today’s business world especially is a non-stop and demanding environment where inadaptability can be the difference between profitability and bankruptcy. A good leader can “go with the flow” and adapt to any situation.

Leaders must be flexible in other areas as well. Good leaders are flexible in their communication skills. They can listen to and truly hear others, can accept constructive criticism, and actively strive to learn new ways to be better leaders.

Depending on where you look, hundreds of ideas on both leadership and leadership qualities exist; these are only two of those possible characteristics.

Good leadership will help your company work cohesively toward a common goal. At Mantralogix, we know how important it is to work together, especially when you’re embarking on a project as important as an ERP implementation.

To talk more about how Mantralogix can help you lead your team to better results or to discuss other business management issues, please contact us for more information.