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4 Key Characteristics that Define True Leaders

Businesses around the world need a role model in the form of a leader that can guide them towards success. The top executives of a company like the CEO, MD, GM, etc. are the ones who can make or break any venture and are instrumental in its success. There is lot at stake when it comes to a person handling a major division of a company or leading it as the person in-charge.

There are several traits that we can relate a person having leadership qualities. Some of them are being charismatic, exceptional, hardworking, trustworthy, great thinkers and listeners, etc. Being able to use online task management can be a plus point like no other. In this blog, I will try to discuss 4 other qualities which are not very common but are the ones which make a person a great leader.

1. The Authority over the Matters and Authenticity in

A person who doesn’t look an authoritative figure and can’t impose his decisions in a company cannot become a good leader. The authority, power and courage to make unpopular decisions is one key aspect which cements a person’s authority over pretty much what is happening in the company. Not many feel comfortable by these decisions but that’s where a leader has to come forward and make sure the decision is enforced across the board.

It is, obviously, imperative for a leader to get the results he promised by making any decision. His authority and firmness over the helm of the affairs and respect starts to fade as his decisions do not get the results that were anticipated. That’s where the authenticity factor comes in because if the person acting as a leader is not confident enough about his own decisions then how come he can persuade others in this regard?

A leader gets all the respect if he is making decisions which are bearing fruit for the company. While there can be several decisions having long-term consequences, the way a leader communicates with his team and listen to their concerns about a decision makes him a transparent person. A leader shouldn’t be a fake and his decisions should also speak for themselves.

2. The Ability to See Around the Corners

It is a foregone conclusion that we are living in uncertain times where anything can happen. And most often than not, bad things do happen that affect businesses negatively. A leader should have the ability and vision to predict the future but must also anticipate the unexpected, most probably that can create problems for the company and the employees in general.

We often talk about the sixth sense and how it influences a human mind. Similarly, a business leader ought to have a keen sense what’s in store for his company and related product / service by having a strong idea what’s happening in the marketplace. He must monitor closely the moves of the competitors and that of the market regulators to anticipate what lies ahead.

A true leader should know about the competition in detail and has the uncanny ability to correctly guess what their rivals in business are up to. To get the first-mover advantage, the leader should act proactively and take the lion’s share of the market by opting to launch a new product, for example. Decisions like these and ability to see around the corner makes a top executive a great leader too. You can checkout the leadership traits of Barack Obama to see how great leaders work in close coordination with their subordinates and common people.

3. Hiring and Getting Along with People who are Smarter than Him

This is one characteristic of a leader which takes some time to swallow and most people don’t understand much about it. How come a person can hire a person smarter than him for a position lower than him and make him do the work. A leader in true sense should make the hiring for people who would be inducted in a team that would rescue that company or salvage a tense situation. Let’s look at it further what I really mean by this.

The CEO or MD of a firm should have a strong penchant for selecting persons having the mental capacity at least like him. To make a great team, and gather persons around him who know how to handle tough situations, is not an easy task by any means. That’s why the team should be created after great care and if there is any mistake in this process, the whole burden will be on the person hiring them.

The opinions and viewpoints from this team in a moment of crisis is what makes it so unique. The top executive of a firm would get exceptional recommendations from the team and that’s where his expertise lies. If he want to become a leader and just a CEO, he has to use all his wisdom in this difficult situation and come up with a solution. While the effort of the team should be commended too it is ultimately the leader who would emerge as the winner from a situation like this.

4. Being Resilient is what Makes a Leader Stand out

The reason a leader should be on his toes all the time is discussed in this blog earlier. Just to give you a brief recap, there is no guarantee when an adverse situation would come up and that’s why the person at the helm of the affairs need to be exemplary in his approach. But not every time even a great leader can cope up with a scenario beyond his powers. That’s where being resilient is what makes him able to resurface and face the situation with renewed passion.

An adverse situation can be the result of a bad judgment from the CEO or any top executive. This is totally normal as even visionaries like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have been proving wrong in making a prediction about the future or investing heavily in a startup. The point I am trying to emphasize is admitting the mistake, learning the lesson and then moving on with a positive approach with making every effort to not commit the mistake again.

In a time of crisis, the true leadership skills of a top executive are tested and if they haven’t faced such a situation in the past, then it will be a challenge for them. But a challenge worth the wait as they will come out strong from it, learning some valuable lessons in the process. The extreme business environment these days can knock off a seasoned leader too with a twist of events. So, being resilient will be the key for being a leader of the highest repute.

Conclusion:

There are a number of traits that can be associated with a leader. But the above mentioned 4 characteristics are somewhat unique in their own way. I hope you have enjoyed reading this blog and will gain information from it as this is my sole intention.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by anwer .