Five Traits of Effective Leadership (podcast)
Welcome to the next installment of the Leadership Vision Podcast, where we share our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder.
Today on the podcast, we’re talking about five leadership qualities that all leaders need to master if they want to be most effective. These five traits come from a list that Sara has been compiling for several years. To date, her list includes over 20 highly discerned characteristics that are critical in helping determine the success or failure of a leader. Listen now then reflect on your leadership skills as they relate to these five items.
The Five Traits
They are Aware of Their Innate Capacities & Blind Spots – Effective Leaders are equally aware of their innate capacities – call it their Strengths, and also their blind spots – non-Strengths if you will. These are individuals who have paid careful attention to the nuances of when they have been successful and unsuccessful.
They Never Stop Learning – Effective Leaders will continue to challenge themselves to deepen their understanding of their respective industry and the people who are following them.
They Have Hard Conversations and Make Hard Decisions – The ability of a leader to say the hard things is immensely complicated, and it is most definitely a differentiator when it comes to effective leadership.
The Have the Ability to say “I’m Sorry” – Owning that a mistake was made, even if we don’t fully understand or agree with the perception of our actions, is critical to garnering trust and respect from colleagues.
They can Cast a Compelling Vision – They know where we’re going and they can name the role we all play in getting there. From vision comes strategy, role clarity, and organizational identity.
Your Traits
Who are those individuals that have meaningfully shaped who you are up to this point? Which leadership traits did they exhibit that you admire? Being an Effective Leader can take years of practice, many critical conversations, and an unwavering commitment to something bigger than ourselves.
About The Leadership Vision Podcast
The Leadership Vision Podcast is a weekly show sharing our expertise in the discovery, practice, and implementation of StrengthsFinder. Leadership Vision uses StrengthsFinder to work with People, Teams, and Culture. We believe that knowing your Top 5 Strengths is only the beginning. In fact, our highest potential exists in the ongoing exploration of our talents. Subscribe to the Leadership Vision Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Please contact us if you have ANY questions about anything you heard in this episode, or if you’d like to talk to us about helping your team understand the power of Strengths.
