The Top Three Leadership Qualities Essential for 2024 Success
If you ask a group of people what makes an extraordinary leader, you’ll get an assortment of answers across the board, peppered in with constants such as empathy, self-awareness and confidence. But what leadership qualities do people need to focus on NOW… when the world and employee needs/wants have changed dramatically over the past few years?
The top three leadership qualities essential for success in our current environment are:
The Ability to Manage Polarities.
Do you encourage entrepreneurial activities within the organization but also meet quarterly targets? Is your team innovative while also meeting regulatory standards within your industry/internal corporate standards? The best leaders have figured out how to manage decentralization and centralization with ease and grace. Their people feel they have the freedom to be creative, innovative and entrepreneurial, but within the constraints necessary for productivity and growth.
The Ability to Reframe.
Can you find the lessons quickly in failures, mistakes and setbacks? Or do you dwell in the loss and find it difficult to get back on the right path? It’s a crucial leadership skill to analyze what was missing or needed when things go wrong, and truly view it as an opportunity. When you course correct speedily with a “Growth Mindset”, a culture of collaboration and innovation will flourish, as people aren’t afraid of failure scrutiny. Those who have trained their minds to reframe instead of blame are an indispensable asset to all organizations.
The Ability to Build Trust.
This is the most important leadership quality of our current times. The most effective leaders who people want to work with connect and create rapport at all levels of the organization. This sets the tone for authentic conversations, engagement, collaboration, recruitment and retention. Low trust organizations feel and act like disengaged bureaucracies –full of gossip, run by work politics and experience high employee turnover. Be personal, honor your word, be trustworthy and give trust to others. This is the main differentiator in your success as a leader.
Hone in on these three qualities in the upcoming year. Be intentional about it. The leaders who do not spend time on self-reflection and professional growth will not achieve breakthroughs in their performance. Create a 2024 where you – and your leadership qualities – create the best results for yourself, your team, and your organization.