As you might have guessed, my mission is to promote caring leadership, with a particular preference for servant leadership . However, I encourage anyone who wants to make a positive impact in their community or business to develop their leadership skills, regardless of the type.
By cultivating leadership skills adapted to their values and goals, everyone can contribute to a more harmonious, effective and supportive environment. My goal is to provide the tools and resources necessary for everyone to become an inspiring and influential leader capable of making a real difference.
But how do you identify a leader?
According to a quote from John Quincy Adams, American statesman and 6th President of the UNITED STATES :
“ If your actions inspire others to dream more, to learn more, to
do more and become more, you are a leader. “
So what are the essential qualities that you must develop to become good leaders?
My research allowed me to discover twenty-five (25) leadership qualities. This may seem like a lot and you might think it will be difficult to master them all. Frankly, although I have been working on my leadership for many years, it would be pretentious and incorrect to claim that I have mastered each of these qualities perfectly.
Knowing these qualities and paying attention to them when interacting with your colleagues, employees or collaborators will help you work on them and develop them, allowing you to become a better leader.
To delve deeper into each of these qualities, I will focus, in this article, on the first five:
Integrity
Innovation
honesty
Active listening
Self-confidence
1- Integrity
A very local expression sums up integrity perfectly: “Walk the talk.” » This means that you must follow through on the actions you have committed to. To do this, you must adhere to ethical and moral principles by acting transparently and honestly.
Why is this important for leaders?
As a leader, you will often find yourself thinking outside the box, finding new creative ways to stimulate your work teams, and giving your team more space in decision-making or the accomplishment of critical tasks.
If, like me in my past experiences, you work in an environment where people prefer the classic approach with an authoritarian leader and doers who don’t ask questions, there will be a lot of pressure on the leader to adopt this approach.
In addition, one of employees’ favorite activities is to observe the manager or leader to check if he respects the principles and directives he imposes on the team. If not, you will quickly lose credibility and the trust of your team.
In a very short time, everything you have tried to build will collapse like a house of cards. As you know, it is very difficult to regain trust once it is lost. It is therefore essential to maintain it to be a respected leader.
2- Innovation
Innovation means implementing new ideas. Therefore, an innovative person is able to find original ways to solve problems and he uses his initiative as well as his imagination and creativity to improve the situation. This also comes with a certain courage, as he or she may face a lot of resistance when suggesting or requesting a change of approach. You will need to explain to the group the purpose of the change and inform them that you remain accountable for the result and that you are open to suggestions to optimize the chances of success.
A small example from my background: on a Friday evening (first shift of the weekend), we were faced with a deadlock with many dirty units produced on a line. The source of the problem appeared to be the conveyor in the cold room, which was dirtying the exterior of the units. The day shift supervisor explains to me that they tried 3 times to clean the conveyor and suggests I try a fourth time.
Why would this work on the 4th try if the first three tries didn’t resolved the situation?
So I ask my team for suggestions and my line specialist mechanic suggested that we clean under the conveyor by removing it. I told him GO and, as soon as he removed a fastener, the whole conveyor wound up at the end of the cold room.
I was really stressed, because I was new in my position and I didn’t think that would happen this way. However, everything went well and the team managed to cleaned the entire area and the problem was resolved.
This seems trivial and an obvious solution, but it was not the classic approach, which was to clean the conveyor while keeping it on site. There were risks of not be able to reposition the work area following the winding of the conveyor and therefore, not to complete production and have to explain the monetary loss.
Situational learning? If you want a different result, you must try something different!
3- Honesty
It is quite obvious that a leader must be honest to be followed by others.
What is your reaction when someone lies to you?
When your boss is dishonest or you discover negative aspects of your lifestyle?
It’s hard to influence people if they don’t trust you.
Honesty is the basis of a healthy relationship that lasts over time.
4- Active listening
Active listening is an essential communication skill for leaders in order to adapt practices according to the needs and expectations of their colleagues. This means listening carefully to your interlocutor and paying attention to their non-verbal language, as much or more than to the words spoken, in order to fully understand the message conveyed and determine the actions to take to ensure the well-being of the bearer of the message.
It is also important for the leader to ask clarifying questions to clearly understand what the interlocutor really wants to communicate. Often, the interlocutor reacts to his emotions and expresses a problem or a need which could, following questioning, turn out to be simply a symptom and not the real cause of the problem.
A super important element for the leader is to avoid judging the situation or trivializing the needs of his colleague. It is essential to keep an open mind and strive to understand the speaker’s point of view and context.
You may not immediately understand why your employee is expressing a certain need, but responding to it will make all the difference in your future interactions. An employee who feels listened to becomes engaged and wants to help their manager or leader achieve their goals.
5- Self-confidence
Self-confidence reflects inner confidence and positive self-esteem that allows you to face challenges, make decisions and act. If you want to be a influential leader, it is obvious that you must have confidence in your abilities.
Who wants follow a boss or leader who does not make decisions, who hesitates when he takes the speak in front of the group or when you ask them what you should do?
It is important for team cohesion and above all to avoid panic at the moment of stress (almost daily in business) that the leader shows a strong and assertive front. I was often told by my employees that I gave the impression that nothing was getting to me and I always seemed to have an answer for every situation that the team encountered. I thanked the person, because this is the image of trust that I want demonstrate in my workplace.
However, I explained to him that, like any human, I am sometimes stressed and not sure that what I am instructing is the right decision. However, if I leave room for uncertainty, there will be speculation, bad habits will resume and the end result will be a reduction in the team’s performance. Panic will then spread like wildfire and it could be the collapse of the structure put in place. The loss of confidence in my ability to lead the boat well will undermine my leadership and prevent the team to move forward.
In summary: One of the leader’s objectives is to increase the self-confidence of his employees. How can we build others’ confidence in their abilities if we don’t have confidence in ourselves?
My next article will focus on five more essential qualities of a leader:
- Have a vision
7. Be an excellent communicator
8. Know how to delegate
9. Ability to make decisions
10. Ability to solve problems
Need help improving your leadership skills or building a culture of caring leadership? Do not hesitate to contact me. I will be happy to listen to you and provide you with the tools you need for the future.
Always remember: how does your mood impact your performance and overall attitude? Imagine if all your employees or collaborators were happy…
Carl-Michael Tessier – Manager and Team Leader
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