Do you think that a decent helping of intelligence and technical skills will be enough to make you into a real leader who can motivate a team and propel it to success?
Think again. Knowledge and training are not the only key ingredients for making a manager into a real leader according to Doctor Travis Bradberry, the author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and co-founder of the prominent consultancy firm TalentSmart®.
When it comes to leadership qualities, the secret lies in emotional intelligence. In other words, it is necessary to work on your interpersonal skills in order to become an empathic, positive and charismatic boss who is capable of filling the whole team with energy and enthusiasm.
We have put together a list of ten areas to work on so that you can go from being a simple boss to leading your team from the front.
Let’s start with the first five:
1. A positive attitude
Every situation – no matter how complex it may be – can turn into an opportunity for a charismatic leader. An urgent meeting with the board of directors, can be seen as a chance to share information about the progress being made at work. An unplanned business trip is a good time to get some new input. Rather than passively enduring events, top leaders grab the reins and make sure that they benefit from them.
2. Knowledge sharing
I know what you’re thinking: weren’t we talking about charisma and personality? Indeed we were, and the first step in getting your team to listen to you, is to grab their attention and engage them, but what do you do next? A real leader must have genuine substance and value to offer to the company. How can this be done? Idle small talk is not the way to go: a memorable leader must organize regular meetings for flowing communication that is always constructive.
3. Promoting self-esteem
What is the difference between a boss and a leader? The former looks for approval, while the latter helps people to believe in themselves and develop their self-esteem, which is the best way to build up a motivated, confident and successful team.
4. Affability
Real leaders realize that their positions are reliant on networks of relationships, which are their only genuine sources of strength. Charismatic leaders stand out because of the way in which they manage these relationships: magnetism and charisma are essential innate qualities in these figures, as is the ability to treat colleagues like human beings and strike an empathic chord through dialogue on an emotional level.
5. Approachability
Some bosses act like celebrities. Their diaries are always off limits and their secretaries are taught to fob off any requests for meetings. Meanwhile, likeable leaders never miss an opportunity to devote time to the people in their networks. Learn from them by being open and approachable and by appreciating the true value of all of your resources.
Are you keen to find out about the other five qualities of charismatic leaders?
