There are all kinds of leaders and each of them has a different approach. Regardless of their leadership style, there will always be a complicated array of personality traits that collectively define them.
Not all bosses are true leaders. Just because someone is in a position of leadership does not mean that they are meant to hold that responsibility.
In this article, we will take a look at three skills and traits that make a boss stand out as a real leader.
Ability To Inspire
One leadership skill that is absolutely indispensable is having the ability to inspire others. It is a leader’s job to inspire their team and encourage them to do the best they can do. A boss that cannot inspire others should not be a boss at all. More often than not, these people act as a drag on the company, making their position entirely counterproductive. The ability to inspire is essential.
Self-Awareness
The boss that is self-aware and has an objective view of themselves has a greater chance of success in leadership than those who do not have that ability. We always hear stories about bosses that say one thing and do the other. This type of hypocritical boss does not help anyone and tend to only make things more difficult for everyone involved. A lack of self-awareness alone disqualifies someone from being a real leader. In the world of leadership, self-awareness is key.
Accountability
Another issue that we see with bad bosses is that they tend to lack accountability. True leaders always admit when they are wrong instead of hiding behind the authority in their position. Transparency and accountability go a long way when trying to gain the trust of the team. If there is no accountability, there is no way that the team members will be able to respect or follow the leader. Leaders without accountability put their team members in an uncomfortable moral dilemma. People should never be pushed into that kind of position. Accountability is an indispensable characteristic of a true leader.
While there are many traits a good boss should possess, these three are essential. Any leader that has these traits is bound to be respected and have a greater chance at success than the leader that does not.