“Great leaders aren’t born, they are made,” so the saying goes.

We live in a time when many early and mid-career employees feel a sense of distrust towards authority. And data shows that employees won’t stick around if their employers don’t inspire them.

This is why cultivating authentic leadership skills is more critical than ever.

Become the leader you’ve always dreamed of being by developing these six qualities today! Give yourself the time and space to explore these characteristics and what they mean to you.

Enthusiasm

To lead a team, the manager must have a passion for the product, company, or mission.

Maybe the company sells screwdrivers. And while it might be hard to get excited about screwdrivers, the mission is to give back a percentage of every sale to support food banks. Perhaps that is your motivator.

Millennials, in particular, are looking for a purpose or social responsibility tied to their work. Keep your team engaged by making that purpose clear and measurable.

Integrity

Knowing the leader has integrity and communicates with honesty is essential to workplace happiness. No one wants to work for a boss that may or may not tell them the truth.

That doesn’t mean you need to share confidential information. It means letting your staff know that you will share pertinent information as soon as you are able and then following through on that promise.

If you want your staff to follow you into battle, they have to believe you are worth following.

Communication

The cornerstone of a successful leader is their communication skills. Leaders need to motivate, console, discipline, and applaud their staff—sometimes all in one day.

Your staff will appreciate working in an environment that supports open communication. Plus, you and your team can cultivate stronger communication skills in this work setting.

Empowerment

Employees want to feel empowered. They want to be assigned projects with clear expectations of how success will be measured. They want to prove they are up to the task by achieving everything, and sometimes more than is asked of them. Giving your staff time and space to shine will boost your leadership standing in their eyes.

Decisiveness

We’ve all heard the adage, “make a decision even if it’s wrong.” And there is some truth in that statement.

Leaders need to be decision-makers. Let your staff know that you are confident in your decision, but that you will also hold yourself accountable for a misstep.

Indecisive leaders are not sufficient. Taking a group approach and debating to reach a consensus can leave staff wondering who is really in charge.

Take the lead and do so with confidence.

Charm

Good old-fashioned likability is something leaders strive to obtain.

Relationship building with your staff is a vital facet of being a leader. Use your social skills to establish connections. Be a leader that your team can come to with a problem before it becomes a significant issue.

People want to spend their time working with people they like. Showing sincere concern and positioning yourself as friendly and approachable will go a long way to keeping the lines of communication open.

Of course, there are many other characteristics that a leader should cultivate. Yet, these six should be the basis of your foundation as a leader.

Strive for Leadership Success

Think for a moment about the leaders in your life — now or in the past. What characteristics did they uphold? What did you admire about their personality or work ethic? These are the qualities you should focus on cultivating to portray in your leadership role.

Not sure where to start?

Begin implementing strategies to build loyalty and trust with your staff by working with Award-Winning Business Accelerator certified ActionCOACH Sheles Wallace! Give Sheles a call today to discuss how she can guide you in reaching your leadership goals!

About the author, Sheles Wallace

Sheles is an award-winning business coach who gets results for her clients.

For over 15 years, she has helped business owners achieve their goals and

take their businesses to the next level. If you're ready to take the next

step in your business evolution and go from an owner who wears all hats to

creating a commercial, profitable enterprise that runs without you, find out

more here: https://meetings.hubspot.com/sheles-wallace