A successful and good leader exudes a charismatic, confident, yet approachable aura. They are aware of how these could impact people outside and within the organization. According to Forbes, toxic managers and workplaces played a role in the Great Resignation in 2021. Often, leaders with toxic traits use control and instill fear, which leads to an uncomfy work setting and intimidates others. Experiencing bad leaders can be traumatic, which decreases employee morale and engagement. Not surprisingly, this leads to layoffs, which is bad for the organization as they could be losing top talent.
We usually hear that layoffs are a sign of bad leadership and that might be true. With bad time management and a lack of other leadership skills, this could put pressure on the team members. Below are the critical skills a leader needs to have:
Emotional Intelligence
Under any pressure, leaders must be able to stay calm and think clearly to avoid making huge mistakes in decision-making. By maintaining a professional demeanor, this could help team members facilitate important tasks smoothly. We don’t want a leader who instills unnecessary panic in an already pressing situation.
Communication
Retrieving clear information is crucial to getting the job done. Especially when the information needs to be conveyed through layers of hierarchical structures within an organization. Hence, a leader should be able to communicate clearly without creating misunderstandings that could disrupt or delay the operations of tasks and projects. Ensure team members have a clear idea of what they need to achieve to reach the desired outcome.
Performance Enhancement
While it is important to complete the tasks, leaders should ensure that the results exceed expectations. To do this, leaders should know how to empower employees. Leaders who are patient and open-minded could give employees space to grow despite being judgmental. In order to empower them , leaders could mentor them, give them credits and encourage feedback. This leads to satisfaction, which correlates with lower turnover rates and higher employee engagement, according to research.
Self-Awareness
A leader who continuously improves themselves knows how to identify the areas that need improvement. Cultivating awareness within oneself is essential to avoid thinking that they don’t need any improvement. While it does not only focus on individual improvement, leaders with this trait want their team to succeed. Individuals without self-awareness do not know how their decisions could impact others and always think that they are always right.
Resilience
In this world, we always face hurdles to success, and sometimes we could also fail. Failure could bring negative emotions to the surface and if it is not handled well, it would have an impact on oneself and others. Hence, a leader who needs to cope with pressure and recover from failure or setbacks requires a great deal of resilience. Leaders who have emotional intelligence and practice self-awareness could help build resilience.
These critical skills are all contributing to being not only a good leader but also a leader who inspires and serves as an example to others.
