Being a Good Leader

Who is a leader?

A leader is someone who is considered as a model for a group of people, and is also responsible for motivating that group of people towards achieving particular goals.

What does research say about good leadership?

1. Good leaders are empathetic.

Empathy is the ability to share and understand the feelings of other people. Good leaders don’t only think about maximising their employees’ productivity, but display genuine concern and care for them and the issues they face. Simply asking your employees if they’re doing okay can go a long way in building a stronger bond and can also make them feel more valued. 

2. Good leaders communicate well.

Since leaders are responsible for motivating people towards a goal, they must be able to not only communicate this goal, but also inspire people to work towards this goal. An important part of good communication is the ability to listen; and good leaders take the time out to listen and understand those around them.

3. Good leaders know how to give feedback.

Giving your team members feedback about their work is an important part of team growth and development. While some may shy away from giving feedback at all, others might be too harsh or critical. A rule of thumb you could follow while giving feedback is trying to begin with appreciation, following it up with constructive criticism and then ending with appreciation again.

4. Good leaders are always looking to learn more.

Research shows that good leaders are always ready to learn. This pushes them to set challenging goals and experiment with innovative strategies to meet these goals. It doesn’t stop there - good leaders also look to learn more from the strategies that they end up executing. This means they conduct an in-depth post-mortem to see what could have been done better.

5. Good leaders can inspire other people.

Since leaders are responsible for ensuring that the team accomplishes their goals, it is vital that they are able to inspire people to stay motivated and on track. This can be accomplished by setting a good example in terms of attitude and work ethic. In the absence of a clear course of action, team members can then look to the leader for direction.