How do you define strong leadership?
These 4 characteristics may redefine what you may traditionally think of as strengths.
So often we connect strength to physical capabilities, like muscles and power.
These can predispose us to correlating strength in leadership to a similar sense of power and aggression.
The real building blocks of leadership are based in humanity.
They motivate others through inspiration instead of fear.
1. Empathy is what employees want most out of leadership.
Empathy is the ability to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, to imagine what it is to be like them and to feel for their situation, as they perceive it. You will have to let go of your own perspective to embrace another one, and this requires letting go of ego.
2. Listening is the key component of communication.
Only when others feel understood will they be open to your voice. Only when the source of a problem is understood can it be truly solved. Listen without judgment and listen before you speak.
3. Humility connects us to our humanity.
It is a rope to empathy. If you have never been humbled, you have never allowed yourself to believe that you make mistakes. Humility is what allows us to take in feedback, which in turn creates awareness and growth.
4. Courtesy is the language of respect.
If you wish to be respected as a leader, you must respect others. Paying attention to your manners tells others that you agree to behave in a certain way in public because you value your shared space.