The characteristics of good leaders

Leadership can be a somewhat vague concept, so and this list outlines the main attributes of a good leader, and provides a point of reference to work towards.

It's useful to compare your own behaviours and characteristics against this list as a way of uncovering which areas you need to work on, whether through self-assessment or by asking colleagues, team members and managers. What should you start, stop or continue?

Leading yourself

• Acting with integrity – Being professional and acting in the interests of all those involved.
• Being honest and consistent – Being, and being seen to be, fair
• Being decisive – Being prepared to take tough decisions and risks, as appropriate
• Resolving complex problems – Being creative in solving problems

Leading and developing others

• Enabling - Empowering people in a way that motivates and develops them
• Inspiring others – Being able to inspire others and to motivate them to achieve goals.
• Being accessible – Being approachable and not ‘status-conscious’ and making time to discuss people’s problems.
• Encouraging change – Being supportive to others in questioning traditional approaches and finding new ways to solve problems.

Leading the organisation

• Networking and achieving – Building and maintaining useful networks and achieving goals set.
• Supporting a developmental culture – Being supportive when mistakes are made, encouraging critical feedback about self and standards.
• Focusing effort – Being team oriented in problem-solving and decision-making
• Building a shared vision – Encouraging the team to contribute to the vision, seeking commitment and enthusiasm.
• Facilitating change sensitively – Considering the impact of change on a range of people.