Three Characteristics of a Good Leader

Characteristics of a good leader To become the first African American President of the United States, Barack Obama needed to possess strong leadership skills. To be a strong leader does not require telling everyone what to do, micromanaging, treating them with disrespect, or putting people down. A good leader is someone who genuinely cares about the people they lead. A good leader wants what is best for every person in the organization they lead. Three characteristics found in good leaders are empathy, communication, and dignity. Empathy The most underused characteristic of a good leader is empathy. A leader that shows empathy towards their employees can create a positive and productive work environment. In order to prevent unscrupulous behavior in business dealings, empathy must be considered an important characteristic that every leader should practice (Holt & Marques, 2012). Empathy coupled with social skills can allow a leader to anticipate how an employee may feel and their needs and emotions. This sympathetic characteristic will help a leader figure out what an employee may be grappling with and how they can get that employee to a place to pull themselves together and continue with the current task or assignment (Holt & Marques, 2012). This underused characteristic is now considered a prerequisite for a position as a leader in most companies. Though many think it to be a characteristic, quickly learned it is not; learning to show empathy and be empathetic is something that, with practice and effort, can be developed over time (Holt & Marques, 2012). Communication In addition to being a confident, empathetic leader, a leader with stringent communication skills is another vital characteristic of good leadership. At one time or another, every company or business has been confronted with organizational change. Be they internal changes or external changes; organizational change can be challenging and stressful for employees. Because of this, the leadership role is no longer remaining in the office typing on a computer, making and receiving phone calls, or having meetings with this person and that person (Men et al., 2020). The role of good leaders is to come out of the office and be visible throughout the organization during challenging times. Communicating effectively, positively, honestly, and with enthusiasm for the impending changes will motivate all employees no matter their position within the company (Haire. 017 as cited in AlOqlah, 2021). For a leader to communicate successfully with their employees, the communication should be consistent, transparent, and scheduled regularly. Communicating in this way can be accomplished in a town hall setting where necessary information can be shared or distributed as needed. Staff can get together once in a while for team-building exercises and training. A setting such as this will allow employees to communicate any needs to their leaders. Thereby will enable leaders to respond to employee needs, questions and sometimes giving brief instructions (Day et al., 2014, as cited in AlOqlah, 2021). Dignity The third characteristic found in good leaders is dignity. In addition to expressing empathy and having practical communication skills, dignity is another characteristic that a good leader should exhibit. Dignity needs to be displayed by leaders to everyone they encounter regardless of who they are, where they are from, or what they do. Dignity is for everyone beginning with the President of the United States all the way down to the homeless person on the street. By making sure every single employee is treated with dignity, they would not spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about things like whether or not they are essential to the company or if they are being appreciated and acknowledged for their hard work (Hicks & Waddock, 2016). Looking upon an employee with dignity will make them available to take on new or expanding responsibilities with confidence and enthusiasm. In addition to employee confidence and enthusiasm, it will improve performance, productivity, and possibly the bottom line (Hicks & Waddock, 2016). Conclusion Displaying empathy, communicating effectively, and honoring employees with dignity, a good leader is demonstrating at least three characteristics of a good leader. While empathy can be a learned characteristic, it is not something that will not happen overnight. Successful communication is consistent, transparent, and scheduled regularly, allowing employees to express concerns and needs. The elements of a good leader are numerous; however, exhibiting empathy will help prevent unscrupulous behavior in business dealings, thereby improving communication skills and demonstrating dignity in the workplace.