Do You Possess Any of These 10 Overlooked Leadership Qualities?

By Alicia Hill

Executives can find a wealth of material on how to become a better leader. Many of these articles stress the importance of being confident and goal-oriented as the most important leadership characteristic. But there are many other team leader skills that factor into getting your team to do their best work on projects. These lesser-known qualities often play a significant role in providing the effective leadership skills you need for your team to excel.

1. Energy

When a leader shows a high level of energy, this feeling can spread throughout the team, providing a positive environment for people to go the extra mile in their daily work. They know that whatever problems arise, the leader is ready to take on the task of finding an effective solution.

2. Connectedness

An effective leader does not dictate orders from on high. He or she is actively engaged in the ongoing work and feels connected to the efforts of every member of the team. In this way, team members know they have an active partner and can move forward confidently in their own tasks.

3. Studiousness

Leaders who do their homework and have a solid background in what is needed to tackle a project give their teams a sense of security and reliability. Team members know that the leader will be able to provide answers to questions and will be able to determine a course of action if a problem arises.

4. Listening skills

As in every aspect of life, the ability to listen to what others convey is one of the most important leadership characteristics. This quality allows leaders to hear not only what is being said, but also what is between the lines. It allows leaders to understand when a problem is developing, either in the project itself or in team interactions, so that the issue can be resolved.

5. Patience

Although patience may seem like a quality more relevant to personal interactions, it can also play an important role in business. Patience is often needed to allow team members to accomplish tasks in their own ways, rather than the way you think they should. Patience is also important in communications because each person has his or her own communication style. Allowing your team to express themselves in their own unique manner can provide more thorough information on progress.

6. Proactive action

An essential leadership skills is the ability to proactively keep a project moving forward. When a leader is able to take the actions needed to resolve problems quickly and completely, the team has permission to use their own individual talents to keep the project on track.

7. Sincerity

A team needs to know that they can depend on the words and actions of their leader in order to successfully accomplish their part in a project. If you are sincere in communicating your thoughts and ideas to others and are dependable in your actions in managing the project, the team can move forward confidently in their activities.

8. Empathy

Although many people may think that empathy is a feature of more charity-oriented work, the quality can also help a leader get the most of team members and ensure that tasks are accomplished with the best possible outcome. Empathy allows a leader to understand the shortcomings and insecurities of those working on a project so that problems can be compensated for in other ways. Being aware that no one is perfect and that people often fail to perform at maximum ability are realities that a good leader will build into strategies for successfully completing assigned projects.

9. Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a quality that can help business leaders understand how others perceive them and how to best utilize their own characteristics to motivate others to success. When leaders know how their behavior affects others, they can adjust and modulate their communications for positive results.

10. Ability to inspire

The ability to inspire others and get them to commit to the tasks at hand is one of the most overlooked skills in leadership. This quality allows a leader to get the best of their team’s talents and energy so that they can achieve goals that enhance their own professional standing and increase their own personal satisfaction.

A good leader is a mix of many different qualities, some obvious and some subtle. If you cultivate the abilities on this list, along with the better-recognized qualities of a good leader, you will be able to succeed in any task.