What are the main ATTRIBUTES needed for a Leader?

What are the main ATTRIBUTES needed for a Leader?

Leadership and attributes needed for a successful leader are a hot topic to debate. It is a subject that many people will have an opinion on as the divide can be created with an individual penchant for a particular leadership style.

My own personal opinion is to aim to be a blend of the following, a visionary, transformative leader that can coach others all with a strong focus on Emtional Intelligence. This might seem like a lot but when this is distilled, I believe it is a very accurate picture of the direction, approach and style that I follow.

Therefore the ideas below are probably influenced by the individual.

Attributes needed

My suggestions and examples to start from would be: Trust, Emotional Intelligence, Work Ethic, Lifelong Learner…

1. To develop TRUST (Speed of Trust, Covey)

https://intranet.cityofmesquite.com/DocumentCenter/View/2353/The-Speed-Of-Trust-Summary---Article-PDF#:~:text=The%20Speed%20of%20Trust%20is,bureaucratic%20policies%20that%20assume%20maliciousness.

2. To have strong EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (Five components, Goleman)

https://positivepsychology.com/emotional-intelligence-frameworks/

3. To demonstrate a good WORK ETHIC (‘Get things done’, see video by President Barack Obama)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNY4UFaHbP4

4. To persevere and be a LIFELONG LEARNER (Growth Mindset, Dweck)

https://fs.blog/carol-dweck-mindset/

Leadership Discussion

Hopefully, this can ignite a rich discussion of leader styles, types and various ways in which to support, motivate and lead others.

I could possibly add a few more with references, hope this helps…

What type of leader are you?

1. Democratic Leadership

2. Autocratic Leadership

3. Laissez-Faire Leadership

4. Strategic Leadership

5. Transformational Leadership

6. Transactional Leadership

7. Coaching Leadership

8. Bureaucratic Leadership

9. Visionary Leadership

10. Pacesetting Leadership

11. Situational Leadership

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/leadership-styles

What attributes do believe are important?

As a starting point:

• Self-Awareness

• Respect

• Compassion

• Vision

• Communication

• Learning Agility

• Collaboration

• Influence

• Integrity

• Courage

• Gratitude

• Resilience

https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/characteristics-good-leader/#:~:text=A%20good%20leader%20should%20have,showing%20gratitude%2C%20and%20collaborating%20effectively.

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Published by Dr. Paul Walton. @paultwalton

Principal, Educator, Leadership Coach.