5 Traits That Set Great Leaders Apart From The Pack
By Ellie Walburg on July 20, 2017
What
sets apart good leaders from great leaders? Is it political savvy and
the ability to maneuver their way to the top? Is it the number of
connections they have? Is it their ability to speak well and motivate
people?While all these things may be helpful to varying degrees, leadership goes much deeper than that, to the very core of a who a person is.
Here are five traits that truly set apart great leaders from the rest of the pack.
Trait #1: Great Leaders Improve Themselves First
People will almost never rise above their leader. The leader sets the bar in every almost every area, from work ethic to integrity to office atmosphere. If he doesn't give much thought to their example, those underneath will follow.This is why the best leaders always seek to improve themselves before they lead others. She doesn't have the luxury of saying, "Do what I say, not what I do." If a leader says one thing and does another, people will follow his example, not his words.
Suzanne Lucas puts it this way:
Do you want employees who get to work on
time? You'd better show up on time. Do you want employees who are kind
to customers? Don't talk about customers behind their backs. Do you want
employees who do their work on time, with a high degree of accuracy?
You'd best do the same.
Are you leading yourself before you lead others? Here are some helpful questions to ask:- Do I expect others to do what I won't do myself?
- Am I focused more on my own need for growth or others?
- Am I setting an example that should be followed, or do I hope others won't notice what I do?
- Am I constantly pushing myself to grow?
Trait #2: Great Leaders Embrace Feedback
Great leaders embrace feedback from their followers. They understand that they have both strengths and weaknesses, and that leadership involves a willingness to accept both criticism and praise.
One of the great temptations leaders face is to put themselves in a bubble. To surround themselves with yes-men who never challenge them or push back. The best leaders, on the other hand, build a circle of trusted friends who will give them honest feedback, both positive and negative.
John Hamm puts it this way:
Effective leaders...understand that their
role is to bring out the answers in others. They do this by very
clearly and explicitly seeking contributions, challenges, and
collaboration from the people who report to them, using their positional
power not to dominate but rather to drive the decision-making process.
The more collaborative and apolitical that process is, the less isolated
the leader, and the greater the likelihood that the business strategy
will be grounded in reality.
If you want to be a great leader, consider asking yourself these questions:- Are those around me willing to give me honest feedback?
- When was the last time someone close to me gave me constructive criticism?
- Do I have people not like me in my inner circle?
- Do I listen attentively when someone presents a critique?
Trait #3: Great Leaders Are Lifelong Learners
In order to get to the top of an organization, you usually have to do a fair amount of learning. You need to gain mastery of new subjects, new skills and new concepts. You'll often have to read new books and articles related to your position. When you move upward in the organization, you're constantly learning.
But when you reach a position of leadership, it's easy to stop learning. To assume you've learned all that's necessary and now you can coast. To feel like you put in the work and now it's your time to relax.
But the best leaders are lifelong learners. They know that in order to succeed, they need to be constantly deepening and expanding their knowledge. They're aware that if they stop learning, they'll become stagnant and prone to getting stuck in outdated ideas and tactics. And they're committed to leveraging the expertise of real-life leadership practitioners through participation in professional development events such as the Global Leadership Summit at Cornerstone University every August.
Gail Sheely puts it this way:
If we don't change, we don't grow. If we
don't grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary
surrender of security. It may mean a giving up of familiar but limiting
patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in,
relationships that have lost their meaning. As Dostoevsky put it,
"taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most." The
real fear should be the opposite course.
Are you a leader who's learning? Ask yourself these questions?- When was the last time I read a book?
- When was the last time I spent time with someone who disagreed with me?
- How often do I take in books/articles/lectures that stretch me intellectually?
- Am I building a library of helpful and stimulating resources?
Trait #4: Great Leaders Take Responsibility
"The buck stops here" saying may be a leadership cliche, but there's truth in it. Leaders are in a unique position to either take final responsibility or blame those under them. It's not uncommon for them to blame failure on others and successes to themselves, but this is the opposite of outstanding leadership.
The finest leaders understand that all final responsibility lies with them. If something goes wrong, it is ultimately their fault. They may not have caused the action directly, but it can usually be traced back to them in some way, either by the work culture they created or by policies they instituted.
Michael Korda puts it this way:
Success on any major scale requires you
to accept responsibility . . . . In the final analysis, the one quality
that all successful people have is the ability to take on
responsibility.
If you're a leader, ask yourself these questions:- When something goes wrong, do I try to pin the blame on other people?
- Am I afraid of failure? If so, is it because I don't want the responsibility?
- In what ways does responsibility end with me?
- What steps can I begin taking to accept more responsibility?
Trait #5: Great Leaders Focus On Building Others Up
It's easy to tear other people down. After all, we live in a world where failure is a regular occurrence. But what sets great leaders apart is their constant focus on building others up. They truly want others to succeed, and focus their energy on being a positive influence in people's lives.
This doesn't mean leaders don't give meaningful critique or feedback. The most effective leaders want to help people grow, and often this requires helpful adjustment. But this critique and adjustment always occurs in a positive context, free from belittling or brutal criticism.
Glenn Llopis frames it like this:
The best leaders are those that can
identify and appreciate the differences that one brings to the table and
knows how to put them to full use. These leaders are emotionally
intelligent enough to connect the dots and the opportunities within each
dot to enable the full potential in each of their employees.
Are you focused on building others up? Assess yourself with these questions:- Is the tone of my communications positive or harsh?
- Are people generally afraid of making mistakes around me?
- Do I look for positive things in people and then praise them for those things?
- What is my ratio of encouragement to criticism?
Conclusion
Leadership isn't primarily about charisma, the ability to take charge of a room or force of personality. It's really about a person's character and core traits. Many people rise to leadership, but few achieve greatness. Only those who possess the traits above find greatness.
Be That Leader
Degree programs at PGS, whether associate, bachelor's, master's or doctorate level, seek to equip leaders to thrive. The knowledge and skills learned in the classroom will help you improve yourself, embrace feedback, be a lifelong learner, take responsibility and continually build others up.About Ellie Walburg
Ellie Walburg serves as the admissions communications coordinator for Cornerstone University's Professional & Graduate Studies division.
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