The Accountability Guy®
What characteristics distinguish an effective leader? While the answer to this question varies greatly depending on the industry, the findings of several studies show that effective leaders share five essential skills. Regardless of how you define a leader, the outcome is ultimately determined by the success or failure of a team.
Leadership skills are one of a variety of soft skills required to succeed in many workplaces. They fall under the category of talents that cannot be demonstrated solely through paperwork or qualifications. Leadership skills, which are non-technical in nature, are exactly what they sound like – they are the skills required to be a good leader, whether that is acting as a team leader, working as a manager, or taking on a more senior position.
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Words have an incredible power to motivate and inspire teams, not only when spoken but also when written and listened to, so it should come as no surprise that communication is one of the most fundamental, yet crucial, skills of a good leader. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, one of the most important skills for leaders to have is the ability to communicate information and ideas.
Being a good listener is a prerequisite for becoming a good communicator. Listening is an active activity. It necessitates the use of not only your ears, but also your eyes and heart. Consider the message from the perspective of the person who is delivering it.
In any industry, innovation typically entails constantly looking for ways to improve the organisation. An innovative leader prioritises quality over quantity in their own work and seeks ways to improve in all areas of their organisation, from human resource management to supply chain efficiency to customer service.
Leaders must create an environment in which people feel psychologically safe to try new things, see how they go, and even fail. People are hesitant to try new things in today’s fast-paced world. Once again, setting a good example is essential.
Delegating is one of the most important roles of a leader, but it can be difficult to do effectively. It’s not just about freeing up time for yourself; it’s also about empowering your direct reports, improving teamwork, providing autonomy, improving decision-making, and assisting them in growing.
To effectively delegate, you must first build trust with your team. A delegating leadership style is best suited to someone who is both confident and capable of performing. Even a minor level of leadership input (e.g., making suggestions) may be perceived as untrustworthy. This could result in a decrease in both task-related performance and motivation.
Positivity goes a long way toward developing a great leader with exceptional leadership abilities. Simple team building activities, positive reinforcement, appreciation and recognition of both team and individual accomplishments all contribute to the development of a positive environment and raise morale among staff members.
Employees who believe they work in a positive environment are more likely to want to come to work and, as a result, are more willing to work long hours when necessary. It’s also a good quality to be able to laugh at yourself when something doesn’t go as planned; this contributes to a happy and healthy work environment, even during busy, stressful times.
‘Values maketh a man’ – this statement holds true even in leadership situations. An intrinsic feeling to lead your team to newer heights everyday can be the difference in your team succeeding and the failure of your team.
This is important in everyday scenarios where a true leader will go out of their way to right some wrong doings and take accountability for the projects they are working on. An accountable leader is important as they take every opportunity to make sure the job goes the right way and the team sees success!
With strong leadership in such high demand, honing your leadership skills can give you a competitive advantage, because, contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be in a C-level position to be considered a leader. At every level of business, strong leaders exist and are highly valued for their ability to inspire, engage, and influence their colleagues and stakeholders.
Darren Finkelstein is The Accountability Guy®. This involves being an International Accountability Coach, Business Advisor, Mentor, Author, and Speaker.
Darren works with high-performing teams and individuals across Australia/NZ, UK, USA, Latin America, Europe and Asia to help get results, achieve their wildest dreams, and smash goals. He does this by leveraging over 30 years of experience working in the corporate world and small businesses.
A successful business owner himself, Darren won the Australian Entrepreneur of the Year award for Dent Global after building a wonderful lifestyle business, successfully sold and exited after 15 years.
Before this, Darren worked for over 10 years at Apple Inc. as ‘Manager of Commercial Markets’ during the inspirational Steve Jobs era. While there, he was awarded the prestigious Golden Apple Award.
Darren’s lessons in accountability can help individuals and teams at all levels of a business or organisation across the globe, and are based on actions and results:
Know what to do first
know what to do next
know what to do more of
1. Take the Accountability Scorecard
How accountable are you? Discover your accountability score and increase the probability of smashing your goals and Getting Sh!t Done. Take the quiz
2. Read my book "The Accountability Advantage - Play Your Best Game"
Eliminate procrastination and overwhelm and start playing your best game.
Buy a copy
3. Book a complimentary Accountability Assessment
Invest 15 minutes now and avoid months or years of struggle. If you genuinely need help becoming more accountable, it can’t hurt to find out. Book here.
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"You can't buy happiness, but Getting Stuff Done is pretty much the same thing"
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