As an executive and individual coach in London, I come across many people who want to improve their leadership skills, and who wonder what traits natural leaders share. I believe that everyone has the potential to become a leader, and to reach their potential, and that is what I encourage my clients to believe through leadership coaching. They key to a positive life change, though, is having a goal and a plan, meaning you need to make a decision about the skills you want to focus on improving.
I have discussed leadership traits with my clients a number of times, and these are some of the traits we have come up with:
Passion
A good leader needs to be passionate to inspire others. To really sell something, you need to be passionate about it. So if you want to become a leader in the marketing industry, then you really need to be passionate about marketing.
Respect
For people to want to follow a leader, they must respect them. But it is not just enough for a leader to be respected; they must respect those underneath. If you treat those who are under you with respect, you will find that they are much more willing to follow you.
Communication
Communication is paramount in leadership, as it you want to get your point across, you need to know how to communicate to people from all walks of life. It is no good to presume a point has been understood, as different people will interpret a point in different ways; a good leader knows this.
Accountability
Leadership is about accepting accountability for their actions, and expecting the same of others. Leaders accept that sometimes things go wrong and will speak up, and they expect the team to do the same. They also give credit where it is due.
What traits do you think leaders share? What traits do you think make a good leader?
If you want to improve your leadership skills, or want to help an employee reach their potential in a leadership role, speak to Anne Taylor at DIRECTions Coaching in London on 02031516830.
