10 of the Most Admirable Leadership Qualities in Today’s Entrepreneurs
YEC (Young Entrepreneur Council) surveyed some folks about the most admirable leadership qualities. Here are the responses.
What leadership quality do you appreciate most?
1. Self-Motivation
It’s important to me to empower my team to make their own decisions whenever possible. I frequently teach them to research to the best of their ability before they ask me for answers. This helps move client work forward and prevents bottlenecking.
– Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now
2. Empowerment
A real leader empowers people on their team to get things done. They listen to them respectfully, set challenging goals for them and let them know how they’ll be measured, and then get out of their way. Empowerment is much more sustainable than ordering people, and it’s much more sustainable in the long term. Everyone finds it more inspiring to work with a leader that makes them feel capable.
– Dave Nevogt, Hubstaff.com
3. Accountability
Accountability takes on so many different angles, yet it always boils down to one thing: doing what you say you are going to do. When aleader commits to doing the things they say they will do and is accountable for the results, it builds confidence and trust with everyone around them. Conversely, empty promises can be toxic to a team and it can lead to a lack of faith and trust.
– Andrew Thomas, SkyBell Video Doorbell
4. Intellectual Humility
Humility enables effective leaders to appreciate others’ strengths and contributions, learn from constructive criticism, take risks for the greater good, and empower others to learn and develop. Engaged employees feel included and have a sense of belonging, motivating them to go beyond the call of duty.
– Stephen Ufford, Trulioo
5. Credibility
Great leaders exude credibility both internally within their company and externally. Lead by example. If you’re going to lead a sales team, for instance, bring in the big clients to inspire and develop your team. Be honest about the achievements of those on your team and openly acknowledge them. Be confident in your own abilities and transparent about your development areas.
– Farzana Nasser, Gallop
6. Leadership by Example
I applaud leaders who only ask what they are willing to offer themselves. Leaders who sacrifice compensation in the early days, work long hours, are open to feedback, and respect good ideas from everyone in the company are the ones who can justify asking the same of their employees. This trait of service-oriented leadership is the one quality I hope to continue building upon.
– Kofi Kankam, Admit.me
7. Determination
A leader will not let anything get in his or her way — they are so determined to reach the end goal that any obstacle or setback that pops up is handled — and no excuses are ever made. I appreciate when someone puts their head down and doesn’t let anyone or anything get in their way. That level of determination is often unstoppable.
– Jonathan Long, Market Domination Media
8. Empathy
Empathy in many ways is a communication skill that not all leaders possess. Having empathy allows you to sense the emotions of your employees and respond accordingly. Being aware of their feelings and understanding their needs will garner a deep respect from others, as opposed to just instructing them to follow rules and regulations.
– Souny West, CHiC Capital
9. Honesty
I appreciate an honest, authentic leader. Even when all of the facts can’t be made public in a situation, knowing that a leader is honest, authentic and is sharing all that they can and their true vision or opinion is appreciated. An honest and authentic leader acknowledges when they make a mistake or don’t have the answers. Simply being truthful will create loyalty in the organization.
– Angela Harless, AcrobatAnt
10. Ownership
A leader should have the ability to take an initiative and see it through to the end. This requires responsibility and proactive problem solving. Leaders should spend time understanding obstacles on a deeper level and report back with informed solutions.
– Mike Seiman, CPXi
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Young Entrepreneur Council
Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective (http://businesscollective.com), a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.