3 Crucial Leadership Traits You May Be Overlooking

When we characterize the most prolific business leaders of our time, we often project an image of a Jack Welch-esque persona, making sweeping, revolutionary, difficult changes across the board to help move their companies forward. Fists are pounded on tables, voices are raised, and companies' needs are put before those of employees. That's all fine and dandy, because at the end of the day, leaders do need to make those tough decisions, and in business, sometimes the needs of the company (which come first) don't align with what an individual employee would choose. However, there are some oft-overlooked attributes of leadership that also drive performance, from the other end of the spectrum. They are more of the Obi-Wan Kenobi-esque persona, rather than that of Jack Welch, but the best leaders are able to blend the two types seamlessly.

Empathy: Being able to understand and share the feelings of your team members is vital. If a person comes to you with a problem she's experiencing, you need to be able to relate to that situation and put yourself in her shoes, to fully grasp why she would be upset in the first place. Whether it's a problem with another employee, an operational process, a strategic vision-based decision, or even something in her personal life that has affected her, it's crucial that you listen to her needs and give her issue its deserving attention.

When employees feel like their leader is on the same page (and understanding as a result), they're more willing to come forward with problems when they arise. While at first blush, this may sound like a nuisance to have more one-on-one meetings, it's the easiest way to drive performance forward. In any organization, good news should travel fast, but bad news should travel so quickly that it leaves the good news in its dust. By being empathetic to your team, you'll be "in the know" about issues sooner, with ample time to course-correct.  Because of this, you'll also be able to avoid problems entirely, if you pay close attention to what your team members have to say.

Active listening: There's a difference in hearing someone and actually listening to his words. If you are trying to be empathetic toward an employee, you'll need to be an active listener. This means asking pointed and open-ended questions based on their remarks, taking notes, and offering guidance when prompted. Being a leader often means being a mentor, so in times of difficulty for an employee, view those moments as opportunities to help that person grow. As each individual on your team makes progress, remember that the sum gain is greater than the parts individually.

Open-minded: As these conversations take place, it's crucial that employees feel as if you're open to considering their ideas, both about ways to fix problems as well as ways to move forward positively. If you have made it clear that you're not 100% open-minded (at least to consider an idea), people will stop coming to you with suggestions. With that stagnation of ideas, you'll experience a parallel stagnation of progress in general. When that happens, your competition beats you. Instead, make it abundantly clear that you want to hear ideas and that you want to make an effort to incorporate team members' feedback into the company's plans, since everyone is a stakeholder. You'll be amazed at what comes forth.

Fist-pounding machismo may have been effective in the simple days of the past, but today's challenges are more complex and nuanced.  Embrace these crucial skills, and you'll be well on your way to defeating the dark side.