Leadership – The Success Ingredients Part 2

In part 1 we looked at some of the ‘know how’ and skills that leaders need.   This article will examine some of the attributes that are so vital for success as a leader.  In many ways these attributes are even more important than simply knowledge.  So what are these attributes?

Success Ingredient 1: Ambition

Most of us have some ambition and part of that ambition might be to be successful in our career.  Yet in truth, success in your career is not just about climbing the ladder.  There are many examples of people who become experts in a field and are seen as the thought leader on that specialist area.  Look at the people who have made it big in areas like internet marketing.  Are they leaders in the traditional sense?  When it comes to your career ask yourself if you really have that burning ambition to lead and if so go for it.

Success Ingredient 2: Drive and determination

Leading is tough without a doubt.  If you are to succeed you need to have a high degree of personal drive and determination to succeed. You need to be willing to tackle the uncomfortable stuff and push through the numerous barriers.  Where would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest) when it comes to drive and determination?

Success Ingredient 3: Self confidence

We all have times when we have doubt and fears but those that excel as leaders have confidence in themselves and their abilities.  They are not arrogant, nor do they believe they are flawless, but they do believe in themselves and what they can offer.

Success Ingredient 4: Balanced risk taker

Success in any area of business or life depends on taking some risk.  Many professions produce highly intelligent individuals who have been trained to take a cautious approach to risk and focus on the downsides.  Entrepreneurs who are great leaders take balanced risk.  They weigh up the pros and cons and at times may just act on intuition or gut feeling.

Success Ingredient 5: Decision taker

Not everyone will like and support every decision you take as leader but they will like you even less if you procrastinate.  Successful leaders know that until a decision is taken, nothing happens.  Decisions lead to some action which might or might not work out as expected but at least they are moving forward.  If you want success as a leader, make sure that taking decisions is one of your strengths.

Success Ingredient 6: Relationship building

Leaders know that to get results they need the support and help of others inside and outside of the organisation.  They focus time and energy in building relationships with others.  In addition they build relationships within their professional network with people they admire and trust.

Success Ingredient 7: Resourcefulness

Achieving success as a leader takes time, energy, commitment, sacrifice to name just a few.  Are you willing to make that investment to achieve success as a leader?  If so, you need to find ways of balancing achievement at work with a balanced lifestyle.

Success Ingredient 8: Empathy

Contrary to what many may think empathy is not about being soft.  It is about being able to recognise and appreciate others feelings, concerns and worries when making tough calls.  In many ways it is being human. 

Success as a leader is as much to do with your personal attributes as it is your knowledge and skills.  So what attributes do you need to work on to achieve more success?