Honesty and good communication skills are top traits of a successful business leader. A recent Regus survey among business people across the globe into the key traits that make a successful business leader has revealed that honesty and the ability to communicate with others are the must-haves in a successful senior executive’s arsenal.
Almost 40,000 business people globally, including 294 Hong Kong professionals, rated a variety of qualities and traits to help sketch out the portrait of a good leader. The results show that, as well as a strong moral fibre, business leaders need be naturally confident and able to motivate people.
But having the gift of the gab is not enough. Successful bosses also need to show commitment and not shy away from hard graft. Interestingly, ambition, financial competence and technical product knowledge ranked much lower on the list.
“Being a good leader is something that most workers aspire to, whether they are dealing with a small team and making their way up the ladder one rung at a time, or they are visionary entrepreneurs hoping to make it big.”
“Global business people report that the most successful leaders have a number of strings to their bow and are very well rounded,” said Natina Wong, Country Manager at Regus Hong Kong.
According to a report by Michael Page, here are few key secrets to become a successful business leader:
Brave leaders allow their team to explore new ideas and experiment with the status quo. Embracing progress and introducing fresh thinking allows businesses to open up new revenue streams. In many cases, innovative ideas can become mainstream ideas and underpin a new direction for an organisation.
See: How Can Business Leaders Promote Soft Skill Development Within an Organisation?
The strongest Australian business leaders understand how important it is to energetically pursue new business partnerships and customer bases. Those within a traditionally gatherer-oriented workplace have really pushed the button on behavioural change in the past 12 months to drive a business culture that supports the active pursuit of new commercial opportunities.
Great leaders know that they are never too busy to network. They stay aware of who’s ahead in their market sector in order to understand their competitors, but also look to draw inspiration from leaders across other market sectors.
This includes social media, of course. The best business leaders have put the time into understanding how to effectively drive social media profiles, such as those on LinkedIn, and include the right content to ensure 100% coverage in their sector. This has proven critical for many seeking thought leadership, networking opportunities and new business partners.
The strongest leaders have worked hard on staff development to ensure there are no talent gaps in their organisational structure. They know who the next generation of business leaders are and work closely with these individuals to produce success.
In turn, this ensures a proactive succession plan with often more than one strong option. Having a sound succession plan proves that leaders are ready to do more and move on to the next challenge in their careers.
“Not only are good leaders able to communicate well with employees and the outside world so they can share their vision, but they are also able to rally groups of people and motivate them. But being an impassioned speaker is clearly not enough, as business people expect real substance behind the mask and report that honesty and commitment are also key traits of success. A good dose of confidence also does no harm and presumably helps leaders deal with both the ups and downs of businesses,” Wong concludes.
Also read: Closed-Door Conversations at Work: What Do They Really Say About Business Leaders?
Image credit: uplandsoftware.com
