Behind every successful company is a team of motivated leaders. They are responsible for the large proportion of the company’s success and advancement. Naturally, you’d like your company to improve, but you can’t do that without identifying potential leaders. Can anyone become a leader?
Some people claim that great leaders are born that way. Even though this doesn’t have to be entirely true, some personality traits or characteristics are a necessity for great leaders. By observing your employees carefully, you’ll soon discover who would be the best for the position of a leader. Here’s what you need to look for.
1. Focus on the potential, not on the performance
Let’s face it, high performance is the sign of extraordinary ability and expertise in the field of work. However, individuals who are at the top when it comes to performance, aren’t always a good option for the leader. Why is that?
To identify a leader, you’ll need to look outside of the box. Even though almost every leader is proficient in his or her area of expertise, they need to show and demonstrate other characteristics to be suitable for that position. For example, a good leader knows his team, has a desire to grow and learn more, and is capable of motivating and communicating with every member of the team.
2. Look for those with a high level of engagement
Have you noticed that during the meetings and working hours in general, some employees are more engaged than others? That doesn’t necessarily mean that others are indifferent. Some may be simply shy or they don’t have the need to speak up. So, you have to listen carefully to what your employees have to say.
Your next leaders are those who always ask the right questions. They are capable of recognizing what others think and need and transforming their non-verbal behavior into action. Potential leaders always seek the bigger picture whether they are solving a misunderstanding, or they are working on their tasks.
3. Are communication skills important?
What does it mean to have good communication skills and are they really important for the role of the leader? Not everyone is capable of conveying their thoughts and plans into adequate actions. It’s not about how much the potential leader talks, but about what he or she says and how eloquent they are.
As much as the great leader is capable of talking, he should be able to listen to his teammates. A good leader for the team is one who listens twice as much as they speak. He or she trusts the teammates and listens to their ideas and possible solutions. Good leaders are not show-offs, they are aware that they don’t know everything and that there is always room for improvement.
4. Nobody is perfect- accepting failure and other flaws
Everyone knows that it’s unrealistic to expect to be successful 100% of the time. Sometimes failure happens, and that’s okay. However, not everyone knows how to deal with failure. That’s when great leaders step in.
Only the best leaders know how to cope with failure in a healthy way. For them, it’s a lesson on the way to perfection. Even though nobody can achieve it, they strive to get as close as possible. They easily learn from past mistakes and they are good at creating a comprehensive future plan according to that. Besides that, they are great motivational speakers if someone in their team is struggling or is dealing with failure unsuccessfully.
5. Leaders’ education never stops
Your next leaders are highly educated professionals who strive to be amongst the best in their field. However, what separates a good from the bad leader is the motivation and the will to advance in every field of life.
The next great leader is always ready to learn something new. Even if he doesn’t have all the necessary qualities of a good leader, he can learn them easily. That’s why every potential leader should take successful leadership training to improve their management skills in many business-related fields. Identifying a leader early on opens many doors for individual, team, and overall success in the company. That’s why you should find time and funds to invest in high-quality training before it’s too late.
6. Leaders demonstrate emotional intelligence
Stressful times and work environments cause a lot of negativity and tension amongst co-workers. Rare are those who are capable of fighting off the stress and continuing their tasks undisturbed. Those kinds of people know how to control their emotions and thoughts and are generally considered to be very emotionally intelligent.
Do good leaders need to be emotionally intelligent? Absolutely. Leaders are those who try and succeed in keeping their team calm and focused during the working hours. They can use their magnificent emotional control to help others approach problems more objectively and solve them with ease. In addition to that, good leaders can teach others how to improve emotional intelligence. With their strong sense of empathy, they are ready to support others in difficult times and celebrate teammates’ success as their own.
Conclusion
Identifying talented individuals can be a difficult task. There are so many things you need to pay attention to, but the results will be worth it. With good leaders, your company will advance it no time. By recognizing potential leaders early in the process, you will know that your teams are in good hands of those who constantly strive to do more and better.
