Good leadership is one of the fundamentals of running a successful business. It is often said that a good leader is one who is capable of establishing a good rapport with his workers while enabling them to become more productive and efficient in their respective duties.
It takes more than experience and acquired skills to become a good leader; because leadership, in its broadest essence, is a virtue. It is an innate and extraordinary capacity to draw positive changes for the betterment of society.
What Are the Qualities of a True Leader?
The world is filled with resources and references that will tell you what a good leader is. Our mentor, Pierre Vincent, revealed to us the qualities of a true leader that he believes in.
Being a highly versatile individual who engages in a wide range of interests, Pierre focuses more on the human aspects of a leader rather than on the acquired skills and trained abilities.
Showing Compassion
Pierre believes in kindness and humanity. He constantly reminds us that “in order to make our business successful, we have to take care of our workers. If we take care of our workers, they will develop a sense of responsibility which will, in turn, drive them to give their best and to take care of our customers. When this is achieved, the business will take care of itself.”
It’s like a domino effect – as entrepreneurs, it is our duty to show compassion to our employees for them to show compassion to our customers and this will ultimately result in a profitable venture and successful business outcomes.
Acknowledging Each Employee
A true leader understands all aspects of his business – from the most menial job all the way to the most crucial responsibility. This is one of the best ways to earn the respect of your workers.
According to Pierre, making your employees feel that you understand what they are doing and acknowledging their task, no matter how small, will enable them to develop respect towards you as their leader. It makes the employees feel that they are important and thus they become more empowered.
Building a Pleasant Working Environment
There are many ways to establish rapport with your employees, but Pierre takes special mention about “knowing the names of your employees” especially the ones that you constantly interact with on a regular basis.
According to him, it accounts for a happy and healthy working environment when you, as their boss, address your employees by their names.
Understanding Your Employees Mistakes
According to Pierre, committing a mistake is different from being neglectful and irresponsible. We should learn how to identify the difference. Making mistakes is part of being human. There are times when even the most careful and reliable person does something wrong unintentionally or misses out on something.
That is why we, as entrepreneurs and leaders, must learn how to make our own adjustments and to practice understanding; because just like us, our employees are capable of making mistakes.
Instead of punishing them, the best way to deal with the situation is by asking them what they have learned from the experience and explaining to them the consequences of their actions.
Conclusion
Not all leadership skills can be learned from books, experience, and other references. Some of the most important qualities of a true leader come from goodwill, humanity, and innate virtues.
As Pierre would always say, behind every successful business is strong and effective manpower that consists of the leader and his employees working synergistically and systematically to achieve a single and common goal.