What are the qualities of a successful leader? Here are my thoughts on 5 qualities of a successful leader—the lazy leader way.
Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. – Colin Powell
Lazy leaders influence people and are influenced by others. They control the crowd—when there is crisis—but are willingly controlled. And lazy leaders motivate teams, they do not coerce. They achieve results by developing a shared vision and communicating it to the team whilst influencing with passion.
Lazy leaders have self-esteem, initiative, and commitment. They are self-aware and continually learn.
Qualities of a Successful Leader—The Lazy Leader Way
Over the years, I've been influenced by a few successful leaders. Through their guiding, I’ve learned to recognize key characteristics and qualities of a successful leader.
Take a look at the list. Do you see these characteristics in others and in yourself? What would you change?
Lazy leaders create an atmosphere of trust
Lazy leaders recognize that they earn trust. Therefore, they walk-the-talk consistently and treat people with respect. Successful teams are confident, trusted, and supported by their leader. Lazy leaders look out for their team.
Lazy leaders build the right team
Lazy leaders build strong teams: groups of people who work together in cooperative effort. They adapt their style to suit any given situation and create an environment where the team flourishes. They also know their strengths and weaknesses—they are self-aware—and those of their team. Not only that, but they play to their team’s strengths.
Lazy leaders keep their mind on the big picture
A lazy leader doesn’t lose focus and keeps the end goal firmly in mind. They have vision and tirelessly pursue it without getting sidetracked. They are proactive and remove obstacles which get in the way of achieving the vision.
Furthermore, they show people where they’re heading. People connect with lazy leaders.
Lazy leaders monitor performance and give feedback
Successful leaders know that setting clear goals and monitoring progress motivates the team and leads to better performance.
Furthermore, lazy leaders readily give feedback—since it costs nothing—to positively encourage or to tackle an area of weakness. They never belittle, criticize or degrade a colleague.
Lazy leaders maintain open communication
Lazy leaders know that teams succeed when there is open and honest communication. They encourage creativity, innovation, and productivity by opening up communication channels between customer and service provider. They don’t hide problems. Rather, they let people know straight away, turning a problem into an opportunity for the team to shine.
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