The 7 Qualities Every Leader Needs to Cultivate

Posted on June 06, 2022 by Chrisa Zindros Boyce , One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.

The 7 Qualities Every Leader Needs to Cultivate
by Chrisa Z Boyce

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it. " —-Andrew Carnegie

Sure, many of us are gunning for the big promotion, the title, the new office, the bigger paycheck, etc. We’re out to be noticed, to (certainly) not get bypassed, to be given the opportunity to prove ourselves, and the chance to lead others to do the same. And should we finally hit the motherload with the promotion, we should feel proud, psyched, pumped, right? After all, we’ve proven ourselves. We were seen by our higher ups as smart, trustworthy, and capable. Skills have been mastered. Deliverables have been met. We’ve got the goods, no?

Not always… The truth is many of us know how to manage and do our jobs well, but we do not know how to lead. Leading is a whole separate skill set and sometimes the qualities that leaders needs to cultivate are not that clear.

Before becoming a coach, I worked in the fashion industry. Between my work ethic and ability to deliver on whatever task was asked of me, I had moved, within a few years, from manager to senior manager to director to vice president. With each promotion, my salary, capacity, and responsibility increased and my ability to be effective in my own job decreased.

Yes, you read that correctly: decreased.

You see, I was really good at MY job. Yes, period. No matter what position I rose to, I kept my focus primarily on doing my job well and focused little on leading the team to do their jobs well. I winged it most of the time and even assumed everyone should like me. I read books and blogs on leadership. I listened to audio books. I took seminars. And, as far as I knew, my winging it was working as my department was meeting our goals. So, naturally, when my company was selected to be a part of a
360 review pilot program, I was excited. That is, until I got my report back.

Here’s a taste of what my direct reports, colleagues, and superiors had to say about my leadership style and ability to lead my team:
-She doesn’t know what the bigger goals are and she’s not connected to the vision.
-She looks overwhelmed and scattered.
-I like her but I need more support and she’s hard to pin down.
-She needs to empower the team more.
-I need her to be able to lead through influence not by doing.
-I am not sure what she wants from the team

Yup, that was me! At the time I had no idea that leading was different than managing and certainly had no idea which leadership qualities I needed to cultivate for myself. (Let’s just say I was missing a few).

In my own evolution as a leader and in my work with clients, I’ve found that there are 7 leadership qualities that you need cultivate to be a successful leader.

Ingredient #1: Transparency
When leaders (and companies) are not transparent the disintegration of culture starts to take shape, silos form and gossip runs rampant. Transparency is when people are allowed to TRULY be in the know. To embody this quality a leader must be willing to tell the truth, deal with whatever needs to be dealt with and believe that honesty is the best policy.

Quality#2: Integrity
The difference between being true to yourself and being a fraud lives right here. As a leader, you must both like and respect yourself. A leader with integrity is clear that they are there to serve people. To embody this quality, leaders must focus on the WE (the collective) and ensure that their decisions create opportunities and betterment for all.

Quality#3: Humility
Contrary to popular opinion, humility does not mean to downplay your strengths. It means that you are able to see yourself as human and own your mess ups, failures, shortcomings and faux pas with grace and levity (not shame and guilt). A leader who embodies humility models accountability and demonstrates the importance of both asking for help and the importance of surrounding themselves with great talent that they trust and empower.

Quality#4: Passionate.
You are clear on your goals and dreams. You can’t stop talking about your mission.
You are inspired, proud of it, and love what your mission provides. No matter what it is. There is something you want to bring into the world that is an expression of yourself.

Quality#5: Courageous.
You take risks. You even chase risks. You put your ordinary-ness through hell to be extraordinary. You can walk up to anyone and feel totally comfortable. You’re not afraid to ask for anything. Better yet, you can easily and happily get a yes or a no. You like either. Because, first and foremost, you like the truth.

Quality#6: Self-Aware
You understand that you need your head under new management. You are clear that you often don’t. You are a student of yourself and you model self development and the importance of personal growth.

Quality#7: Championed & Championing
You understand that your support structure is critical. You surround yourself with people that love and support you. You ask for the truth from your circle and take feedback openly. In addition, you champion your people. You guide them, mentor them and believe in them even when they don’t believe in themselves. You know that your success is a function of those around you and you cherish each relationship be it your boss or your colleague equally.

So many times, people fail not because they weren’t willing to do the work to become a great leader but because they didn’t know what work to do. It’s no one’s fault, we did not learn this stuff in school so therefore we need to learn on the field. In my coaching, I help you work on your emotional (feelings), spiritual (thoughts) and physical (actions) integrity.

I know it’s not easy being a leader. But great leaders are not born – they are made. Make yourself into one that you are proud of.