Question

What are the traits of an effective leader? How can these traits be developed? please be very detailed in your answer

Answer 1

All effective leaders present some of the following traits as their core abilities and behavior:

1. Effective communicator

A good leader would always be a good communicator and would know how to listen and be aware of the expectations.

2. Emotional intelligence

An effective leader utilizes emotional intelligence on top of every decision in order to rid themselves of any biases that might be introduced.

3. Accountable and responsible

An effective leader recognizes the flaws of their subordinates but rather than blaming them for the mistakes made, they consider it to be a lack of judgment on their part and own up to the consequences.

4. Goal setting and persistence

An effective leader sets SMART goals and is persistent in achieving the goals considering a long term outlook and strategically overcoming any blocks that could be experienced.

5. Fostering creativity, allowing autonomy and promote learning

An effective leader knows the worth of their people and therefore, helps them realize their potential by fostering creativity, providing more chances to make decisions, make mistakes and learning from these experiences for achieving holistic growth potential.

2. We now know that great leaders are made and not born, although, attributes such as charisma are always helpful to a leader, we can develop on our other talents such as being punctual, understanding communication, both verbal and nonverbal and by building better rapport with our subordinates. For a leader to develop their skills, they can learn from their mentors, their leaders and follow in their shadow. In a company environment, we can introduce potential leadership candidates to workshops and seminars that lets them increase their exposure to leadership endeavors, allowing them to be creative, think outside the box and thereby, create a better understanding of the actual functions of a leader and work towards achieving a balance between the achievable and the desired state.