What makes a great boss or leader?

Do you find that the people you should be leading are put off by you, resentful, or simply choose not to respect you?

What kind of people did you find yourself following throughout your life, what were the qualities that they had, why did you feel so comfortable submitting yourself to these people?  Success in everything requires the ability to look to those that came before you, and learning from their strengths and weaknesses, and being able to apply those qualities to your work.

Are you accomplished in your area of expertise?

The slightest hint of incompetence on your part can be a great way to lose the confidence of your team.  Don’t get me wrong, having traits of successful bosses won’t make you a perfect boss, but you cannot preach organization to your team, if you cannot get yourself in order.  Practice what you teach, but even more important than that, don’t try to teach people something that you do not understand yourself, and certainly don’t claim to know something that you do not know. It will not only make you look foolish, but it will create a precedence with your team that you are incompetent!

Be The Fixer

Part of being a great leader in business and in life, is the ability to fix it.  There is no room for falling apart when you have clients and a team, depending on you to get things done.  You have to be ready to turn it around at the drop of a hat. Challenges will arise, problems will need to be solved, and it will be your responsibility to fix them or at the very least, to have an action plan ready to go.

Go Getter

Some people fall apart as soon as they sense pressure building, while others grab on and run with it.  A successful boss will only get there because she is a go getter, ready to get the job done, no excuses.

They will find a way where there is no way, they will persevere, when things look like they cannot turn around, a go getter will keep shifting the gears, putting new plans into action until the correct results are achieved.

Be Supportive

How supportive are you to your team?  Are you easy to talk to, or does the mere shift of your gaze push people away?

A great leader knows that an even greater team is important when building a business.  Part of what makes great teams great is their ability to work together, handle conflicts within the organization smoothly, and all that requires the ability to communicate.  How can you expect your team to be able to do that if you are unapproachable?

A lot of times we think that being overly friendly will affect our ability to be great leaders, it’s about finding a balance, which brings me to my next point.

Do you play well with others?

Whether it’s with your bosses, peers, or team, are you someone that gets along with everyone?

Of course, it’s not possible to please everyone, and you will meet people that just choose not to like you no matter what you do, the goal is to avoid being that person. With the focus always on your inability to get along with others, it’s no longer on the work, and the success of the company or organization.

Get it right more often than not

Great decision makers make better leaders, if you don’t hit the panic button when you reach the fork in the road, then you are on your way there.

There are many times in business when you will need to make decisions on a whim, and the ability to listen to those around you, and to evaluate your situation in order to make smarter decisions on a whim.

An ability to not only build an effective team, but an effective culture

Building a great work culture involves knowing your team’s strengths and weaknesses and leading them accordingly.  It’s not just about being able to put together a gifted team, but to help your team use their gifts effectively by guiding them in the right direction.

Create a culture of empowerment, that nurtures the good elements of a great community, communication, support, and creativity.

Understand the importance of fostering accountability within the team

It’s important to understand that your team will make mistakes, and there are times when those mistakes will force you to get involved, but creating an environment that stresses the importance of self accountability will keep the organization running smoothly.

Encourage development and self-improvement

A great way to encourage personal development, is to reward it.  You will create great leaders within the organization by creating an environment that encourages growth, and improvement.

Build their lives around their jobs, not the other way around

Great leaders go to bed later and wake up earlier than their counterparts.  They have learned to prioritize and put an importance on their job that most people cannot understand.  Success involves sacrifice, something that is challenging for all of us, and yet those that are a lot more successful than the others choose to make.