Effective Leadership Qualities: What makes a good leader?

Leadership qualities are crucial in both day-to-day life and in the workplace. Good leaders provide direction, and inspire and motivate others to drive positive change.

Understanding what makes a good leader is key to making a real difference in your personal and professional life. Leaders need to be able to communicate well and empathise with their team, as well as excel in planning, delegating and problem solving.

Read on to learn more about becoming a good leader and explore how to showcase your leadership skills and qualities with Adobe Express.

What are leadership qualities?

Leadership qualities are a set of skills and traits that are vital for effective leadership. These qualities are important in all aspects of life and can help you navigate numerous situations, both personally and professionally.

In day-to-day life, strong leadership skills can empower you to take charge of challenging situations and provide direction and vision. They can also help you inspire and motivate others to make positive change. Similarly, strong leaders in the workplace help empower and lead their team towards success.

Leadership skills can also make you stand out on a CV or cover letter, as many organisations often look for natural leaders to fill positions.

What makes a good leader?

An exceptional leader is authentic, compassionate and curious. It’s your job to support those you’re leading, whether that’s on the pitch, in the office or at home. A leader needs to inspire confidence and take care of those around them to help others perform their best.

Say you’re leading a team through an expedition. You need to keep the team motivated, engaged and excited about the path ahead. You’ll also need to actively listen and make sure you’re aware of fitness levels and any difficulties along the way, to make sure that everyone completes the route safely.

What makes a good team leader in the workplace?

In the workplace, a good leader fosters a collaborative and supportive environment. Your employees need to feel comfortable sharing feedback and receiving constructive criticism. You need to motivate your employees to feel inspired to reach company goals and complete their best work – so they can reach developmental milestones, and your business can reap the rewards.

8 good leadership qualities to cultivate.

Being a leader is a lot of responsibility. It’s up to you to engage and motivate your team and guide them through any challenges or conflicts. To make an impact on your team, you’ll need to embody strong leadership qualities.

Here are some of the best leadership skills and qualities to learn to become an effective manager of people:

• Authenticity. To be a good leader, you need to embody the best version of yourself, and always remain authentic. Being relatable will help others to connect with you and allow you to build relationships with your peers. It’s important to be human and honest.
• Curiosity. Leaders need to be constantly planning ahead so you can guide your team into whatever’s coming next. A healthy level of curiosity can also help you continue to expand and develop the best leadership qualities.
• Critical Thinking. As a leader, you’ll need to have the ability to analyse situations on your feet. Being the one in charge is a lot of responsibility, and you’ll need to apply critical thinking to solve problems.
• Adaptability. All businesses undergo some degree of change. As a leader you need to embrace it and help your employees navigate uncertain times. You need to be adaptable in your approaches and openly communicate with staff, so you’re able to promptly address any concerns.
• Empathy. You need to lead your team with passion and empathy. A good manager cares about the hopes and dreams of their employees. If an employee is acting out of character or underperforming, rather than reprimand, a good leader will try to understand why and see how they can help.
• Communication. All good leaders must have exceptional communication skills. In fact, they’re the most important skills on this leadership qualities list. Without good communication, you won’t be able to deliver expectations and guidance effectively which may be frustrating for your team.
• Confidence. As a leader, you need to make big decisions. Sometimes you’ll need to make the call in high-stake situations. While it’s important to take other people opinion’s on board, not everyone will agree with you 100% of the time, so you need the confidence to stand by your decisions.
• Drive. The best leaders are driven, highly motivated and passionate about what they do. Afterall, you need the spirit to inspire your team to get behind you and follow your vision. Motivated leaders motivate their employees to work harder.

How to improve your leadership qualities.

Good leaders are constantly improving their skills. From seeking new experiences and practising to embarking on extra training courses, there are a lot of ways to develop your leadership qualities:

1. Put yourself forward for new opportunities to lead.

If you want to gain experience in leadership – take every opportunity to lead that comes your way. It could be as simple as leading a small team on an upcoming project, or volunteering to lead a sports team. The more exposure you have, the more confident you’ll feel, and you’ll be able to practice your new skills. Plus, the more you lead, the more employees or team mates will start to look to you as a leader.

2. Look to practice and enhance your existing soft skills.

Practice is key. Every leadership scenario is different, but the more hands-on experience you get, the more you’ll develop your skills. If you’re not sure where to start, try focusing on your soft skills – such as communication and critical thinking – that can be applied in a host of different situations.

You’ll get to try out what works and what doesn’t in certain conflicts. Plus you’ll gain experience dealing with different types of people – which is essential in leadership.

3. Identify your leadership style.

Understanding your leadership style can help you to recognise your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and identify where to improve. Whether you’re an affiliative leader with a focus on building positivity or a results-driven pacesetter leader, understanding your style will give you a better insight into your decision making. It will also enable you to communicate more effectively.

4. Ask for feedback from the people you lead.

Ask for honest feedback from your team on your current leadership style. Find out what they like or dislike about your leadership qualities and what personally motivates them. This will help you to refine your style and tailor your approach to better suit your team.

5. Take a leadership course or extra training.

There’s always room for improvement and new ways of doing things. Take leadership courses or extra training sessions to build your confidence and gain new skills to apply to your team. Finding a mentor can also help you to learn from example.

Showcase your leadership qualities with Adobe Express.

With Adobe Express, you can ensure your leadership qualities shine – in person, on a job application and even on your socials. Use the free tools available to highlight your skills as a leader:

• Choose a CV template that emphasises your skills. Use an Adobe Express CV template to impress your potential employer. Make sure to have a dedicated skills section to showcase your best leadership qualities.
• Include examples of your leadership in a cover letter. Your cover letter is a great chance to go into more detail about your leadership experience, and main qualities that’ll make you a great leader. Adobe Express offers a range of editable cover letter templates for you to customise with your own experiences and qualifications.
• Update your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your leadership qualities. Post about your leadership qualities on Linkedin to build connections and network with people in your industry.
• Create a presentation to showcase your leadership. Craft a presentation for free with Adobe Express to explain your leadership style to a new team or impress a potential employer with your leadership qualities.

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Good to know.

What are the 5 Cs of effective leadership?

The five Cs of effective leadership are seen as the essential qualities for any leader. They include communication, confidence, commitment, creativity and credibility. The combination of these five qualities is what makes a good leader and a positive leadership style.

What is the most effective way to develop leadership skills.

One of the best ways to develop leadership qualities is to identify your current strengths and weaknesses so you can understand yourself better. Then you can embark on leadership training to provide you with knowledge and skills to become an effective leader.

What are some examples of bad leadership qualities?

A bad leader has poor listening and communication skills. This leads to miscommunication and a lack of trust between you and your employees. It can also damage your employee’s motivation and engagement levels as they don’t feel they can communicate their ideas or provide feedback.

Is Adobe Express free?

Yes, our free plan offers many core features including thousands of templates, photo editing and effects, animation, and 5 GB of storage. See our pricing page for details and to compare plans.