As an experienced recruiter, Jason Hanold understands the importance of being able to recognize key leadership traits in potential candidates for promotion or when hiring new talent. Recognizing leaders is of vital importance to the long-term success of a company, as leadership continuity is a factor that a firm cannot afford to take lightly. Leaders are one of the most important agents of change and play a key role in the company’s never-ending attempts to overcome market challenges and to fulfill their own expectation by achieving their goals. Individuals with credibility and the ability to motivate and guide the workforce to meet organizational goals are absolutely necessary and always in high demand. One of the problems companies may run into when looking for leadership, is the fact that they may overlook their own team members and try to find outside talent to fill those key positions. This may not always be a great idea, as promoting from within can work wonders for a company in many ways, from boosting morale to saving a lot of money by not having to train an individual in some aspects that can only be obtained with the experience of someone who already knows and understand internal processes, systems, organizational structures and work culture.

Today we want to take a look at some of the most common traits found in individuals that can easily become leaders within the organization or that have what it takes to be given the chance to receive further responsibilities to help the company achieve its goals.

Accountability

A person who takes responsibility for their actions and own up to their mistakes displays some one of the most valuable traits of leadership. It is important for a person in charge to understand that they are ultimately responsible for the decisions they make and for the performance of their team in general. Someone who hides away when things go wrong and who is unable to accept their mistakes are not meant to lead.

Ability to multitask

Leaders must wear many hats and must be able to perform at a high rate while doing so. If you want to test someone’s ability and potential to lead, try giving them extra responsibilities and see how they perform when their attention must be divided between multiple tasks. Multitasking is something leaders must be prepared to do in the daily basis without even breaking a sweat.

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence denotes the ability to maintain your cool while under pressure and having the empathy to engage with others in a respectful way. Great leaders understand how to talk to others and are mature enough to maintain their composure during times of stress. The business world is an environment of constant changes and stressful situation, being able to handle these changes is important to lead others successfully.  

Communication skills

A good leader has to be able to make their point across effortlessly and with great efficiency. People who are able to explain concepts in simple terms and understand how to engage different personalities and explain things in a way that best suits their target, have a potential for great leadership and are able to take on those responsibilities.

Engagement

A potential leader looks beyond themselves as individuals and sees themselves as an important part of the company, so they measure their success based on the organization’s ability to meet their goals. Engaged individuals always find ways to make processes more efficient and think about the team in terms of “we” instead of “I”.

Focus

Leaders have the ability to concentrate and to utilize their time in the most effective and efficient manner. A great leader knows time is valuable and always make their best efforts to focus on whichever activity the may be involved on. As the day passes, people who stay focused and efficient through the workday make better leaders.

Integrity

A person with integrity can be counted on to tell the truth, to act with honesty, to stay away from gossiping and talking behind other people’s back and to keep their promises. These traits are extremely important in a leader, as integrity in highly valued and admired by employees when they look up to their leadership.

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Humility

People who aren’t both arrogant nor self-righteous display security and confidence in their own skills. Beware of individuals who always need to be rewarded and mentioned for their good deeds, as this is a sign of insecurity. An insecure leader will make bad decisions and not think about what is best for the organization.

Courage

Employees who are courageous are able to take chances without creating disruptions. These people are very important in an organization because a leader cannot be afraid to try new things and to innovate. Lack of innovation and a willingness to take risks can be disastrous for an organization, so always pay attention to those who take calculated risks and understand the need to shake things up every once in awhile.