Quick! Think of a leader. Who comes to mind? A boss at work, a president, a coach you had in high school, a parent or sibling; leadership emerges in all areas of our lives.
The leadership you experience throughout your life often shapes you. The leadership qualities we admire in others are the same qualities we try to portray and build on in our own lives. No one is born a leader; it takes work. And good leaders are always working to improve themselves.
But what qualities make someone a great leader? We thought about some of the great leaders we know, and here are some qualities that they all have in common:
Great Leaders Show Passion
"To love what you do and feel that it matters…how could anything be more fun?" –Katherine Graham
Passion is a very important part of leadership, and passion isn't something we can fake. When you love what you do, it shows through your actions, which helps inspire those around you. Plus it's always more rewarding (and more fun!) to do something that matters to you. If you're having fun and feel like you're making a difference, other people in your life will be inspired to follow in your footsteps. Great leaders know this—whether it's volunteering once a week at a soup kitchen or leading a country through the Great Depression, passion always inspires others to act.
Great Leaders Stay Focused on Priorities
Great leaders help others stay focused on their goals in part by staying focused themselves. In all areas of life, it's easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out by all the little things and lose sight of the big picture. Great leaders know how to keep everyone focused by keeping priorities top of mind and adjusting as new things pop up. If we always focused on every small issue, we wouldn't have enough time to spend on the important things. Great leaders know when to let the little things go to focus on the bigger issues.
Great Leaders Stay Optimistic and Always Persevere
Life isn't perfect. There's always going to be something that gets in the way or throws you off course. But great leaders know how to stay positive and keep everyone on track, even when problems arise. Great leaders don't give up, and they don't let others give up either.
Great Leaders Build Trust and Trust Others
Trust is one of the most important qualities in life and leadership. Without trust, leaders can't inspire others to follow them or to learn from them. Trust doesn't happen overnight, and great leaders know how to prove their trustworthiness.
Another important part of trust is being able to trust others. Great leaders surround themselves with people they can count on. We can't do everything ourselves, so we need to trust others to take care of things. At work, that might be trusting a coworker to meet their deadlines on a project. At home, it might be trusting your family to have your back when you try something new.
Building trust and learning to trust others shows that you're on the same team and are all working for the same goal. Without trust, there are no followers, and without followers, there are no leaders.
A lot of different things make up great leaders, and these are just some qualities that we've noticed in leaders we know. Think about the great leaders you know. Do they have these traits? What other leadership qualities do they have? Share your ideas on what makes a great leader in the comments!
Want to learn more about leadership skills? Check out all of our leadership books!