Common traits found in effective leaders
We all have an image of a CEO in our head. A high flyer with several mobile phones and a reserved spot on a jet charter to whisk themselves off to important meetings in.
While this may be the case in some places, there’s a lot more to being a CEO. If you’re looking to be the next CEO at your company, or you are one, there are some skills below every great CEO should have.
Communication
One of the most important skills any CEO should have is communication. This is key to absolutely everything. From talking to people in the business to those outside it and beyond, you’ll need to have great communication skills. This doesn’t just include talking though, but listening as well, as it’ll help to get deadlines in place and ensure that projects are completed in a timely manner. Also, if you communicate well with staff, they’ll communicate well with you.
Relationships
Building them to be more specific. If you’re able to talk and listen to someone, taking on board what’s needed, alongside any worries and concerns, you’ll be able to build great relationships both inside and outside the business. This will allow you to create loyalty to yourself and the company too, helping to create great word-of-mouth for your business.
Learning from the Past
A mistake a lot of people make is continuing to make the same mistakes they made in the past, hoping they’ll get better outcome the second or third time around. However, a good CEO will know not to repeat the same mistakes twice. After all, you’re only human and we make mistakes and learn from them. Therefore, a good CEO will know how to sit down, assess what went wrong, and move forward with a more focused plan the second time around.
Understanding
As mentioned above, CEOs are only human, and so is the workforce. A great CEO will be able to understand matters both in and out of the workplace because some things are just out of people’s control. Things such as someone running late due to traffic, or having to leave because of an emergency, require a level of understanding, and a good CEO will be able to accept the situation and handle things accordingly within the business.
Coaching
Finally, the true mark of an exceptional CEO is the ability to coach and lead. It’s easy to be a boss and delegate tasks to those below you, but if you truly want to lead a company you need to go beyond this. Sitting with staff members and passing on your advice will help to train up and comers of the company, while also showing you care for them and their career. It’s also important to send them for training to help them improve too. If this step is ignored, often people will become bored in a company and leave, which has resulted in people losing their best employees in the past.
