12 Characteristics features of an Excellent Leader

Characteristics of an Excellent Leader

The following are important characteristics features of a good leader. Or, in order to become an excellent leader you should posses the follow qualities.

Characteristics features of an excellent leader
Characteristics features of an excellent leader

1. Visible, committed, and knowledgeable

Good leaders emphasis on quality. He should should involve himself in education, training and recognition of staff and workers. He should be accessible to employees, customers and suppliers.

2. A missionary zeal

Leaders strive to effect as much change as possible through their suppliers, through the government and through any other medium that promotes quality. So he should actively involve himself in promotion of quality outside also.

3. Aggressive targets

Going beyond marginal improvements and looking at the possibility of making large gains, a good leader will get the whole work force thinking about different processes and not merely improving processes.

4. Operational acumen

A good leader should have strong sense of technical expertise, market and customer knowledge, financial know-how and analytical intelligence to understand the cash flows, capital generation and manage the regular functioning aspects of the business.

5. Think big

An excellent leader will focus on the big picture and concentrate on serious issues like defining clear-cut objectives, designing strategies and executing policies. However, he cannot afford to lose sight of the nitty-gritty details either. Also, he should strike the right balance between being a visionary and getting things done through people.

6. Inter-personal skills

Learning how to deal with human resources is a crucial component. A good leader should be a good communicator who encourages open dialogue and interaction with employees, stakeholders, customers and vendors alike. The ability to continuously articulate and champion a convincing vision alone can get people excited enough to work on it.

7. Decisiveness

A good leader needs to identify problems quickly and put out one fire after the other. Also, make immediate decisions after thinking things through from different perspectives. He should demonstrate a willingness to take risks and pounce on opportunities without needless dillydallying.

8. Picking up the torch

Forget the lackadaisical attitude; a leader should take the initiative and make things happen with creativity, persistence and determination. This will stand him in good stead right from the willingness to take the lead to deploying core competencies to deal with crises and finally delivering the objectives.

9. Walk the talk

A proactive leader wins any day, so he should not be afraid to get his hands dirty. As he rise higher on the ladder, instead of watching from the sidelines, he should roll up his sleeves and contribute wholeheartedly. Also, he should adopt a questioning approach and the flexibility to change with the times.

10. Charisma

A special magnetism separates the best leaders from the herd of also-rans. This should be accompanied by a silent confidence in one’s abilitie, patience, dedication, discipline, passion to lead and loads of ethical integrity.

11. Accountability

A good leader should build the impetus to shoulder great responsibilities without any scope of passing the blame. He should be willing to take unqualified responsibility for all things good and bad.

12. Emotional competence

Apart from being insightful, success also calls for an empathetic leadership to mobilize people and deliver value.

As Henning Kreke, successful CEO of a German retail Behemoth highlights,

“The emotional aspect of business cannot be overemphasized. If you do not bring emotional leadership qualities with you, you will have a hard time. Eventually, the choice of who gets to be CEO often depends on how well you know and understand people and what kind of opinion other people have about you”.