Who is a good leader? Qualities of a good leader: everything that makes a boss indispensable

This time we will talk about what qualities a good leader should have.

The article is based on a comment from one of the readers (many thanks to him!), Supplemented by my own reasoning.

I had the opportunity to work with different companies - large and small, and I have seen everything described below on live examples more than once.

Talented leaders and effective managers:

1. Provide clear leadership and set clear goals
   The captain must guide his ship along the intended course with a firm hand. If the leader does not know what to strive for, his subordinates also cannot know. I mean not only specific projects, but also the goals of the company or department as a whole. The leader must be clearly aware of them and be able to convey his idea to employees.
2. Take responsibility for their actions and hold others accountable
   In other words, they set an example for others. The standards that are applied to evaluate the quality of work should be the same for everyone. The leader must share with his subordinates both the joy of victory and the bitterness of defeat.
3. Are able to solve problems
   One of the common qualities of all talented leaders is the ability to solve problems constructively. They are not only able to quickly identify what is going wrong, but also offer unusual ways to deal with difficulties.
4. Relinquish fine-grained control
   Talented leaders are able to effectively delegate authority. According to the commentator, these people are able to "fire themselves", that is, not to interfere in routine processes and not seek to control every step. The ability to delegate authority is a matter of trust, by the way.
5. Make effective decisions
   The best leaders make the right decisions. They don't tend to be insecure. They act quickly and without fear, and then take full responsibility for their actions (see point 2).
6. Value people above all else
   The best leaders recognize the need to meet the needs of both customers and employees. They are ready to listen and discuss any problem. They understand that happy people work much more efficiently.
7. Spread their influence not only on subordinates
   Of course, every company has its own hierarchy, but talented leaders have ways of influencing those who are on the same level with them or are located at higher levels of the career ladder. In many cases, this has to do with the ability to communicate, manage expectations, and seek help when needed.
8. Appreciate others
   Each of us needs support and positive evaluation. The best leaders understand the importance of contributing to a common cause. This does not mean that they provide their employees with numerous bonuses or special privileges. They just never forget to show them their respect and recognition.
9. Always honest
   There is nothing worse than broken promises. A leader who always keeps his word deserves to be called one of the best. Trust is an integral part of the relationship between superiors and subordinates.
10. Balanced and dedicated
    All the great leaders I have met have had a genuine interest in their work. They literally breathed it and strove to fulfill their duties at the highest level. And at the same time, they always found time for their personal lives. They knew the importance of giving enough time to the family. And they inspired their employees by personal example.

Surely there are other personal qualities inherent in good leaders. The 10 most important ones are listed above. Perhaps you would like to add to my list. Have you ever worked with a manager who had one or more of these qualities? Please share this in the comments.

Bernard Marr, linkedin.com
Translation: Airapetova Olga

When we are assigned to our first governing position, we, as a rule, are beside ourselves with happiness for some time. It was most likely a welcome promotion, but even if it's unexpected, it can only add to the euphoria of the sudden promotion. But, of course, as soon as this first joy fades away, many begin to get lost, shy, gain self-doubt. It is the new bosses who are very often shackled by the so-called "perfectionist paralysis", when, out of fear of making mistakes from the very beginning, a person cannot begin to fulfill his new duties in any way and goes to work day after day, doing practically nothing, and only diligently imitating a stormy activity.

But sooner or later, and this will be noticed already more high authorities, and then it is quite possible that the question of the expediency of a new appointment will arise. To prevent this from happening, you need to act bolder. Knowledge of the main pits and potholes located on this path will help in this. Knowing the rules makes it much easier to get into the game, right?

1. The leader does not allow familiarity towards himself. Let's start with common truths, because it is their oblivion that leads to the most crushing defeats and failures in. If you suddenly decide that all this subordination is outdated philistinism, and during your glorious "reign" everyone will refer to each other as "you" and put a farting pillow on the boss's chair, for fun, then this is a sure way to lose all respect from the side of the team. Realize that most people need a chain of command in order to remember what role they play in the company, or, more simply, who is the boss here. So a status chair, a heavy table, keeping a distance is not just a show off, but the tools necessary to lead any team.

2. The boss is not a patch for every breach. Many have a desire to correct the mistake of a subordinate in order to show him "how to", strengthening his authority and demonstrating to everyone that the leader is the last line of defense of the company that cannot be broken. Sometimes such "actions" are really effective, but most often they turn the boss into a plug for any hole, and his subordinates into drooling infants who do not want to be responsible for anything.

3. A good leader is always result oriented.. Encouraging effort or striving for a result is a sure way to never see this result. Let's understand that it doesn't matter to you how effective an employee works, but only the results can be praised. Even if you want to praise someone who is clearly trying, after that you need to gently hint that the effort itself is only a means to achieve the main goal, the result.

4. It is impossible to give a person a decent salary. Trying to start your leadership by setting a good salary for everyone is just a waste of the company's budget. People do not know gratitude in such matters, very soon the new salary will again seem too small for them, and they will again be dissatisfied. A good boss is stingy with raises. It doesn't sound pretty, but it's true.

5. The leader does not participate in strife and does not encourage them. All office wars must be stopped by the boss in the bud, if they were noticed by him. But most often it is impossible to fight intrigues, they are an integral part of the production process. So, at the very least, one should avoid being entangled in one of them at all costs.

6. The boss always chooses the right path. His faith in him is unshakable. And those who wish to show off, mockingly questioning him publicly, must be strictly put in their place with an iron hand. Objections and comments can be expressed to the boss personally by coming to him with constructive proposals and a report. Bring it to the team at any opportunity. And the one who decided to show off in front of the secretaries, having loudly doubted your choice, earned himself a demonstrative spanking, not otherwise.

7. Admitting mistakes must be decisive, courageous, immediate. Only the last insignificance and weakling does not know how to admit his mistake when it is already obvious. Do it quickly, boldly. Recognize it as if it was not you who allowed it, but someone else, whom you roughly scold. Everyone makes mistakes, so there is nothing particularly terrible about it. In cases where your mistake is far from obvious, then you should avoid admitting it. In a couple of weeks, it will be just a vague story, so there is no need for you to constantly self-flagellate.

8. Personal affairs are diligently kept away from business. Because mixing them together is another cocktail that can knock down any team. State it in words, and confirm it in deeds. Personal and business should stand on opposite sides and never intersect. Even sex with a secretary (which is far from uncommon, which is already there), for a good boss is only part of an effective relaxation therapy, but not a love affair.

9. A bad manager always has an employee in the wrong place. And a good one asks himself every day: "Is each of my employees engaged in a business that works out best for him?" You must constantly ensure that not a single pieman in your team makes a boot, which is far from uncommon in most companies today.

10. No one ever fulfills all their duties. And there is no point in raising one's eyes to heaven and crying out for justice. Everyone naturally wants to get more by working less. So the usual salary system is very outdated. An effective method to keep employees in good shape today is the bonus system. Let the salary itself be small, but employees will have a lot of bonuses: for the absence of errors in work, for the absence of delays, for meeting deadlines, for something else. What bonuses can be easily deprived of a "relaxed" employee. This will save the company money and get the gape in shape. It happens to everyone to relax, but this does not mean that you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. Or from the company's pocket, it doesn't matter.

In general, of course, this is only approximate rules that help you be a good boss. The real art of a leadership position has been studied for many years, honed and brought to perfection. In which we wish you the best of luck.

Hello! In this article, we will talk about how to become a good leader who is loved, appreciated and respected by his subordinates. You will learn what qualities a person holding a leadership position should have. What is the difference between female leaders and male directors. What mistakes should be avoided.

Why be a good leader

Supervisor is an effective manager. It is on his ability to establish the production process and find an approach to the team that the qualitative and quantitative indicators of the company, department, etc. depend.

The concept of a "good" or "bad" boss is very subjective. After all, you can not find the perfect person who will please everyone. Nevertheless, the leader must be respected, valued and a little feared by subordinates.

A lot of directors or bosses who have just taken a leadership position behave “wrongly” and this affects the atmosphere of the team, which entails a decrease in the efficiency of each employee.

In order to be clear about what is at stake, consider the following example.

3 days ago, a department of the company was headed by a new boss. He is quite young and came to this position from another company. As a specialist, he does not know much, but nevertheless does not want to study and learn something new. He is Boss. Therefore, he behaves arrogantly, shifts part of his work to others and is incompetent in many matters. He considers himself an excellent leader, because he thinks that he is afraid and respected.

In fact, the staff does not like him, does not appreciate, does not respect and considers him an arrogant upstart. Looking at the boss, employees lose their enthusiasm, and the performance of the department gradually falls. All due to the fact that everyone works on their own.

team is an association of people who work towards the same goal. It can be compared to a watch mechanism, where each gear is important in its own way. And the boss is the cherished key that starts the mechanism and knows how to make it work.

If you want to improve the quality of the work of a department or company, earn the respect of colleagues and subordinates, and move further up the career ladder, then you definitely need to become a good leader. And now we will tell you how to do this.

Who can be the leader

In fact, good leaders are not born, they are made. At any age, a person can feel the strength of a leader. According to statistics, 4 bosses out of 10 become good leaders. This indicator is not affected by gender or age. An excellent director can be both a young, purposeful graduate of a university, and a man of advanced age with rich experience.

Who is better man or woman

Nowadays, both men and women can become leaders. Women directors are tacticians, while men are strategists. It is harder for the fair sex to win the authority of the team. You will have to prove your professionalism, especially if most of the employees are male.

Men are more stress resistant. They are not so quick to go to extremes. However, women are more attentive to their subordinates.

Answer unequivocally the question "Who is better?" it is impossible, because everything depends on the person and his character. Therefore, it is equally possible and necessary for women and men to fight for the title of “Good leader”.

Qualities of an ideal boss

In order to become a first-class leader, you need to realistically assess your positive and negative aspects of character. All people are not perfect, but people in leadership positions must be able to suppress the negative aspects of their disposition and develop good traits.

So, consider what an ideal director should be:

• quick-witted;
• Master the basics;
• Responsible;
• Punctual;
• Psychologically stable;
• human;
• Compulsory;
• Punctual;
• Know how to deal with your fears
• Don't be afraid to take risks;
• active;
• learners;
• not lazy;
• Peaceful;
• friendly;
• not stupid;
• Not melancholic, etc.

Mistakes Most Managers Make

Not every boss can be elevated to the rank of a good leader. All due to the fact that they make a number of mistakes that discredit them in the eyes of their subordinates.

Consider the most common mistakes:

1. Lack of desire to stress. Some managers, as soon as they take office, think that they have climbed to the top of the mountain and now they can relax and do nothing, thereby shifting part of their work to subordinates. In fact, you need to clearly understand that the higher the position, the more you have to work. Subordinates can help you in the early days, but you must do your own work.
2. Failure to value employees. Every employee who does a good job deserves minimal encouragement (at least verbal).
3. Failure to organize work. The manager must thoroughly know the entire production process. Very often, due to the fact that the boss does not understand all stages of production and does not know who is responsible for what, he attributes any troubles to the unprofessionalism of the team.
4. Lack of desire to improve, to learn something new. Very often, managers who have been in office for many, many years believe that they know everything and are not eager to learn and learn something new. But life and technology do not stand still. And a modern person must improve, especially the leader.
5. Appropriation of other people's merits. Let's look at this error with an example. A talented employee who has made some discovery works in a scientific laboratory. Instead of talking about the achievement of his employee, the head of the laboratory tells everyone that “THEY” did it. Such a boss believes that this discovery is his personal merit, since he is a class worker if an employee has reached such heights under his leadership.
6. Display of rudeness and disrespect for the team. Sometimes leaders do not think about the fact that their emotions need to be controlled and break down on their subordinates for any reason. Of course, there are different moments, and so you want to let off steam. But you need to learn to restrain yourself, because ordinary workers, most often, have nothing to do with your bad mood.
7. The insecurity of their employees. If the director puts his own interests above others, then he never defends his team anywhere. He does not understand controversial situations and does not look for the guilty. It is easier for him to punish people (impose a fine, give a reprimand, etc.) than to figure out who is right and who is wrong.

This is not the whole list of mistakes made by leaders. In any case, you need to remember that subordinates are people for whom you bear some responsibility, and their professional failures are the failures of the manager who could not establish the production process.

Basic Rules for a Good Leader

One of the founders of management, Peter Drucker, argues that in order to become a good leader, you must use the following 5 rules under any circumstances.

Rule 1 Learn to manage your time.

Rule 2 Focus on the end result, not the manufacturing process. Intervene less in the work of your employees. Explain to them that everyone is doing a very important process and is responsible for it. Let each employee feel that he is a small boss.

Rule 3 Use and develop the strengths and positive qualities of yourself and your employees.

Rule 4 Always set the right priorities, bypassing secondary tasks.

Rule 5 Make effective decisions.

Tips for those who want to become a first-class leader

Analyzing the activities of many successful leaders, we have compiled recommendations that will help each boss earn authority in the team.

• Behave “right” from the first day on the job as a manager.
• Study the team well. Immediately after taking office, familiarize yourself with all the personal files of your employees. Try to remember their names. So, your subordinates will see that for you they are not just a labor force, but first of all people.
• Always be honest and keep your promises.
• Discuss the production process more often in a team, let subordinates prove themselves, ask them to take the initiative.
• Don't be arrogant, but keep yourself a little simpler. After all, the same people work in the team, only one rank below you.
• Do not scold employees in public. It is better to chastise a negligent employee in your office.
• Praise and encourage staff at general meetings. You will inspire others.
• Don't sit idle. A good leader always has a lot of work to do. Bad directors shift part of their work to subordinates, and then toil from idleness.
• Do not be afraid to lose your position and let's develop talented employees.
• Control your emotions.
• Rate yourself by your worst employee. After all, part of the blame for his failures lies with you. Perhaps you did not motivate him or assigned him a task that was too difficult.
• Do not spare money for material incentives for staff. If people do not have an incentive (for example, in the form of bonuses for the highest performance), then they will work half-heartedly without enthusiasm. Remember that average employees work for an average salary.
• Learn to resolve any domestic disputes. Do not stand aside if there is a conflict in the team. Try to understand the current situation and help to solve it peacefully.
• Require discipline. Use redemption sometimes. The main thing is that your claims are on the case.
• Do not indulge the whims of employees. Be kind but strict. Otherwise, you will be ignored.
• Show your competence and do not shift all the problems to subordinates.
• Congratulate the team on the holidays, be interested in the health, family, children of employees.
• Never go to extremes, and evaluate any situation soberly.
• Study psychology and attend psychological trainings. It is on this that the healthy climate of your team depends.
• Determine the place of each employee in the team. For example, someone is a generator of ideas, and someone likes the monotonous work with papers, and someone is an inspirer.
• Don't single out favorites. Try to treat all employees well.

Conclusion

A good leader is a kind of "lighter". He is able to set his subordinates in the right mood, kindle the fire of enthusiasm and provoke them to do their work better and faster. The boss may not be able to do what his employees can do, but he must organize the work correctly and give the right instructions to subordinates.

Almost anyone can be a good leader. The main thing is to want this, not be afraid of change and constantly improve.