5 Key Attributes of the Effective Leaders

5 Key Attributes of the Effective Leaders

Brain Tracy rightly said, “Leadership is the ability to get extraordinary achievement from ordinary people”. Anyone can become a leader, but one needs to have the ability to go that extra mile to be an Effective Leader. It requires time and effort to build trust and create an impact on people’s lives. Gone are the days when the leader was dominant and had control over every action. Today’s leaders are required to build strong relationships with their subordinates. Here are a few key characteristics of being an effective leader: 

No micro-management: A good leader ensures that their teams are aware of the end goal and aligned to the vision, and mission of the organization. The role of a leader is to guide and support the team and work on improving the quality of the skillsets. Letting the team do a task themselves and giving them the room to learn is very important. A leader focuses upon the bigger picture. It is crucial to have mutual understanding and trust between both the parties to have efficient results. 

SWOT analysis:  Though this is an age-old concept, it is still relevant in today’s time. Great leaders know their teams the best, understand their strengths and weaknesses and based on analysis they provide them with the right opportunities and make them aware of the possible threats. SWOT analysis ensures optimal utilization of resources in the best possible way.

Celebrate success: An effective leader knows the best way to keep their teams motivated. Sometimes the simplest way is to encourage and appreciate efforts and great performance.  Celebrating wins is always a morale booster and gears a team to do better. When things go wrong it is equally important to not play a blame game and express frustration but learn together as a team to understand what went wrong and take corrective actions.   

Challenge team: To boost productivity, a good leader throws instances where their colleagues are required to get out of their comfort zones and stretch over their set limitations to explore their real potentials.  A leader always stands beside their team and mentors them. They often use positive reinforcement as a method to improve results and inspire them. 

SMART model: Great leaders implement various theories and models in their routine life. One such effective model is the ‘SMART model’ that refers to being specific, evaluating the extent to which the goal has to be obtained – measurable, act accordingly – attainable, be realistic and work on a stipulated time frame – time-bound.

These are some of the attributes of an effective leader. One must simply revisit those value education learnings taught back in school days. The thumb rule is to Think Human-Act Human & Be Human!

By Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs