We place a lot of expectations on those we lead. From their actions to their qualities, we want them to be Superman. We know they can’t be, yet the expectation is often there.
I covered the qualities a leader should expect from their team in a previous post. Now, I’m flipping the script. We will look at the qualities team members should expect (and receive) from their leaders.
This one might sting a bit, but it’ll help you become the leader you want to be and the leader your people need you to be.
10 Qualities Team Members Should Expect From Their Leaders
1. Attentiveness:
Your team members need you to be attentive to their needs. When they bring an issue to you, respond. If they need something, find a way to get it to them.
Without your attention, your team members will feel lost and adrift in a leadership void.
2. Supportive:
Your team members are the face of your organization. Many leaders are never seen by the customer. This means your team members are taking the brunt of a customer’s anger or frustration.
Great leaders are supportive leaders. They look for ways to support them, even if there’s a ranting customer on the other side of the phone.
3. Growth mindset:
An organization that is stagnant is useless. The same goes for a leader. If you’re not growing, you’re not leading.
Your people need you to have a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset means studying the craft of leadership, finding courses and other leaders to grow from, and not being content with where you’re at.
Continue to grow so you can continue to grow your people.
4. Empathy:
Empathy is a great quality for a leader. With empathy, you can put yourself in the shoes of those you lead and understand how and why they’re feeling the way they do.
Imagine if an angry leader you had as you were rising up the ranks had this quality. You may have avoided many issues as they put themselves into your shoes and figured out what needed to be done.
Learn to grow your empathy skillset.
5. Open-minded:
Close-minded leaders rarely get far. They are closed to new ideas, different kinds of people, and trying new things. They figure if things have worked in the past, they’ll work today.
That’s not the case. New leadership ideas are presented every day. Some of them are what I would call whack-a-doodle, yet there are great ideas coming down the pipeline.
You may also have to be empathetic and open-minded when there’s a conflict in your organization. You have to look at the situation through multiple lenses and figure out what’s really going on.
6. Self-aware:
If you’ve ever had a leader who wasn’t self-aware, you know the train wrecks they caused. They were oblivious to the way they treated others, their tone while talking to others, and beyond. These leaders thought they were the bee’s knees, but they weren’t.
Pay attention to what you say, how you say things, and how you’re treating others. The more self-aware you are, the better you’ll treat your people.
7. Humility:
Leaders get things wrong. Did you know that? Every day, you make a mistake or your judgment may not have been correct.
Humble leaders are willing to apologize. To say they’re sorry.
Humility means a lot to those you lead. They see someone above them who is self-aware of their foibles and owns up to them.
It’s not a weakness to be humble. It’s a strength.
8. Integrity:
A leader who lacks integrity may get far, but they will bring down everyone around them. Remember Enron?
Team members seek leaders who will tell the truth, do the right thing, and apologize. Integrity is the ultimate standard for a leader.
9. Present:
Team members long for a leader who is present. They’re looking for someone who will ask insightful questions, push them, and treat them with respect.
Being present can show your team you care and are there for them. When you step away and out of sight for extended periods, your people will wonder what’s happening.
Be preset.
10. Resilience:
You have a lot of crap thrown at you as a leader. You will have to bounce back from those tough situations.
If you’re not resilient, you’ll quickly fall. However, if you learn how to bounce back from difficult situations and conversations, you will have a long leadership journey ahead of you. Plus, your team will be excited to see someone is able to take on the hard stuff.
