How To Be An Effective Leader (And Why It’s So Important)

For any startup to succeed it needs to have an effective leader at the helm. It would be nearly impossible for a business to succeed without leadership, even if the people working within it were eminently qualified, talented and hardworking. 

What is it about a leader that is so important?

The importance of effective leadership

Effective leadership is essential within any organization for a few reasons. A good leader will act as a role model for the people they are working with, inspiring them to be their best and setting a great example. They will also act as a support and a mentor, helping those that they are leading to find their own paths to success. Finally they will help communication between those they are leading, meaning that everyone is able to work together as effectively as possible. 

These are abilities that most people possess, if only they can find the best ways to work with their own strengths and weaknesses to provide the best possible leadership. If you want to become a better leader, then leadership development training can help you to understand your abilities and use them to your advantage when it comes to leading your team.

Businesses with great leaders tend to have loyal staff who are motivated and inspired, which brings great results consistently and over a prolonged period of time.

Qualities of a good leader

So what is it that makes a great leader? According to Forbes there are a few qualities that are shared by all great leaders:

• Genuine enthusiasm. Your team will immediately be able to tell if you are insincere, so if you want to inspire you must have a genuine enthusiasm for the company that you are working for, their mission and their product or service. Not only will this make you a better leader, it will make you much more satisfied in your job to boot.
• Integrity. This means admitting when you have made a mistake and giving proper credit for your team when they have done well. Definitely do not take credit for the work of your team!
• Communication skills. It’s essential that your team understands what you mean and that they feel motivated by you. If you are a poor communicator, your message will become diluted and your team won’t be as strong. Not only this, but it’s essential that you are a good listener. Take your team’s ideas on board and do all that you can to help them to achieve their goals.
• Loyalty. Of course a good leader should inspire loyalty in their team, but this goes both ways. You must be loyal to the people you are leading and fight for their best interests. Do this and they will be loyal to you too.
• Empowerment. To be a good leader you have to have a team that feels empowered to use their skills and experience. This means that they must know that you trust them to make decisions. Micromanaging people does not make them feel empowered and therefore you will not get the best out of them.