7 Signs You Will Be an Effective Leader
What are the signs of a good leader, and how the heck are you supposed to become one? It’s not like there was a “Leadership 101” course in high school.
Speaking of school, remember what a shock it was when you graduated?
Up to that point, youโd been learning English, math, science, and history for most of your life. You were tested, grilled, and graded on those subjects as if your whole future depended on them.
Then – rather abruptly – youโre out in the real world and expected to make serious choices, like an adult, that can affect the rest of your life.
What are you going to do for a living? How are you going to achieve that? How are you going to finance it?
And how does knowing the first five decimals of the Pi formula help with any of this?? ย
Weโre all just sort of expected to figure it out.
** My blog posts contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission on purchases you make after clicking on those links. (At no extra cost to you!) Full disclosure here. **
Getting promoted can be a similar shock. For months, perhaps even years, youโve been shown how to do your job, and you know it so well that you could do it in your sleep.ย
Maybe you even know how to do everyone elseโs job in your sleep. You know how to act professionally and pick out the perfect corporate outfit for that big meeting coming up.
But when you get promoted, there’s a sudden realization that this has little to do with your new responsibility, which is managing a team of people.
Knowing the business operations like the back of your hand is one thing. But managing and leading? When did anyone ever show you how to do that? How do you even know youโll make a good leader? Do leaders really eat last? (And why??)
At least, I know this is how I felt when I first got promoted.
These days, there are some fantastic online resources that you can utilize to start learning the skills you need to be a leader.ย
The Top Signs of a Good Leader
If you’re still worried you might suck at it, donโt panic. Take an honest look at your career history. There are a few less obvious signs that you might be better suited to leadership than you think:
1. You truly want the business to succeed
For you, the opportunity to lead isnโt just about a bigger paycheque. You genuinely care about the company vision and want to contribute to its success.
You might even have ideas for how to streamline workflow or make improvements to existing processes.
Believe it or not, youโre part of a minority. And while that doesnโt automatically mean youโre the ideal leader, youโre starting out with the right foundation.
2. You adapt well to new situations
As we’ve talked about before, adaptability is one of the most important soft skills you can have. This is all the more true for those in a leadership position.
Leaders need to be able to forge ahead and try new things to improve the business. Not only that, they need to know how to react to the unexpected with a level head – such as when thereโs a big change in work volume, or their star team member resigns out of the blue.
Especially in todayโs work environment where people rarely stay in the same role for more than a few years, you have probably already experienced your fair share of change. Think back to a few of those instances. How quickly did you adapt?
3. You are receptive to constructive criticism
Although leaders and managers are often associated with people with โstrong personalitiesโ who can be stubborn in their views, a truly good leader needs to have an objective perspective on whatโs going on within the workplace. This can be one of the most difficult parts of the job because we often think weโre being objective when weโre not.
Itโs in these moments when actuallyย listeningย to criticism – whether it comes from your superiors or your reports – that makes or breaks your ability to manage effectively.
Sometimes itโs painful or feels like a blow to your ego, and thatโs normal. But if you can still see the truth in what is being said, and then take the necessary action to improve things accordingly, that is the difference between managers who are effective and those who put their pride ahead of the greater good.
4. You care about and value the team you work with
One of the trademark qualities of a good leader is that they understand they canโt succeed without their team. If you have a collaborative attitude, youโre more likely to know and value the individual strengths of your coworkers.ย
You donโt take the credit for other peopleโs wins, and you donโt blame mishaps on any one person. Having a good rapport with your team members while they are still your peers builds their trust in your integrity, and are more likely to rally behind you once they become your reports.
5. Youโre not afraid to make decisions
Leaders are expected to make decisions all the time – and sometimes these choices are hard. Even though up to this point in your career, you may not have had to make any big decisions, you still make smaller decisions all the time in your day-to-day.
You donโt panic if you need to make a call on a time-sensitive issue. You make the best choice you can based on the information you have. Even if it ended up being the wrong choice, youโre at least confident in your explanation as to why you made the call you did.
6. You either want to lead, or your superiors want you to lead
If youโre reading this, it means youโre either aspiring to one day lead a team of people, or your superiors have hinted at or offered you a leadership role. Believe it or not, part of being a good leader is just being willing to do it.
Thereโs a lot of people out there who would simply rather not have the responsibility. (And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that either!)
Maybe you feel you fall into this category, and it is your superiors who are nudging you along to leadership. Chances are this is because theyโve seen the signs of a good leader in you, even if it’s something you haven’t seen in yourself.
Donโt discount that!
7. The #1 sign of a good leader is if youโre worried that you wonโt be a good leader
One of the signs you will be a good leader is that you’re terrified you’ll be horrible at it. It may sound counterintuitive but hear me out:
You already recognize the fact that knowing the work inside and out doesnโt directly translate to effective leadership. The fact that youโre aware of this and are worried about being anย effective leader already puts you ahead of many people already in leadership roles who still havenโt made this connection.
Remember that everyone who leads starts out having never led anyone before. But if you want to, you will figure it out, just like your bewildered, high school-graduate self-did.
No, being in a leadership role isnโt easy, and knowing how to effectively manage a team isnโt something you can learn overnight. Iโve been in a leadership role of some kind for the past five years and Iโll be the first to admit I still mess up sometimes and am still learning every day.
So long as you continue to rise to the challenge and strive to be better than you were before, youโre already a wiser leader than many!
Do you show any of these signs of a good leader? Did I miss any? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Related: 11 Resume Tips to Keep Your Application From Getting Deleted
14 Comments
Ronulo Pegado
Amazing atticle Corrie!
Corrie Alexander
Thank you Ronulo! I’m glad you liked it. ๐
Venkatesh
Good article
Corrie Alexander
Thank you for taking the time to tell me, Venkatesh! ๐
Chris
Thanks Corrie! Great comments and just what I needed to read today.
Corrie Alexander
Thanks Chris, I’m glad you found it helpful! ๐
Laurie Fitzpatrick
This is an excellent article on what it takes to make the shift from individual contributor or technical expert to someone who is responsible for getting work done through others. I like how you point out how vulnerable many if not all leaders feel. Leadership can be learned and everyone can be their own brand of leader, especially with the right feedback and training. Leadership development programs can speed up the learning process! Laurie Fitzpatrick, Managing Director, Gestalt International Study Center
Corrie Alexander
Thank you Laurie! I agree 100%, I couldn’t have put it any better! ๐
Denisa
Very interesting article! I was thinking about studying Management in University of Greece so, this one helped me clear out some things! Thank you Ms Alexander!
Corrie Alexander
Hi Denisa, I’m so glad you found this post helpful! Studying management at the University of Greece sounds exciting – best wishes to you! ๐
Bomi Doctor
Corrie, Wonderful. A very practical way at looking at Leadership. Some qualities made me realize why I was chosen in a Leadership Role years ago.
Corrie Alexander
Thank you for stopping by Bomi, and glad you enjoyed the article!
Manny
Thank you for your inspiration Corrie as an engineer at the cross roads and my superiors hinting to to to your point number 6. I know now what actions to take!
Corrie Alexander
I’m so glad you found this helpful, Manny!