Many people want to be a leader , but are they really ? Just because someone is a manager does not mean they are necessarily a ( good ) leader . Those who are the most serious about being the best leader they can be are very intentional about it and are always looking for ways to improve their leadership . The differences between a great leader and a not-so-great leader are most readily seen by the effectiveness of the team or people they lead , with the former almost always excelling over the latter . In either case , how does one become a better leader ? Most people know the common , core qualities of a leader , but what about the overlooked qualities ? We ’ re glad you asked . |
EMPATHY is a quality that does not come naturally to everyone and it ’ s one of those hard-to-putyour-thumb-on qualities of a good leader . Some people think of empathy as a weakness or a waste of time , but studies show that trying to manage a team with an empathetic approach is always easier than trying to manage a team with less than enough empathy . Again , we ’ re talking about people here , and it is extremely difficult to gain trust , fuel relationships , or understand behavior without empathy . The key to developing this quality is listening more to those around you . That does not mean you must accept or agree with what they are saying , but just listen and pay attention to non-verbal communication . The better you can translate listening into interest , or at least seeming interested , in what someone is telling you , the more |
they will perceive you as empathetic .
GIVING RECOGNITION is another overlooked quality of a great leader . “ Give more recognition ” is a phrase that may have left some management experts and analysts puzzled decades or even centuries ago . The thought used to be that employees would receive critical , but respectful , feedback where necessary , but otherwise , no feedback meant that the employee was doing well . “ No news is good news ” is a loosely-related phrase here but is not the case anymore . Psychologists and other business gurus found that a little recognition went a long way in improving morale , reducing employee turnover , and increasing productivity .
A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR is a trait that management experts and
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analysts today disregard , but it really does pay off . Laughter really is the best medicine and ranks right up there with empathy when it comes to increasing the bond between a leader and their team . It eases the intimidation some feel when it comes to the manager-managed relationship and can even help reduce the impact of bad news . The obvious word of caution is that using humor in the workplace is more difficult in the modern era than it used to be so , put extra effort intentionality into developing this quality . |