While there are varying opinions from leadership experts across various fields, I have come up with a few key characteristics that I believe will lead to a successful leader today. 

Growth-Centered Mindset

To be a leader, one must have a growth-centered mindset. The leader must learn, unlearn, and relearn continually. If there is one guarantee in leadership, it is the leader is going to fail or make a mistake. The difference is a failure occurs when the leader encounters and setback and stops without evaluating the situation. On the other hand, if the leader strategically considers the setback and learns from the mistakes or discovers what parts of the situation were good and builds upon them, they have a growth-centered mindset. The setback becomes an opportunity for the leader to grow.

Courageous

To be a successful leader, one must be courageous. I am a fan of the quote, "leadership is simple, but it isn't easy" (unknown). Leadership requires the leader to make courageous decisions resulting in a huge win or a crushing disappointment. The leader must be able to push through these moments and do what is right even when facing fear. 

There will also come a time when the leader is challenged with a difficult situation with an employee. In these moments, the leader can shirk their responsibilities or face the discomfort and deal with the challenge at hand. I have found that just taking a step to get started always helps me do the right thing and be courageous. I recently had a difficult situation with an employee that I knew would require me to have some difficult conversations. I started the process and felt 100 times better as soon as I progressed in the right direction.

Visionary Communicator

Without a sense of direction, a team will never know where they are going. The team will change directions at the slightest breeze and then change again as the tide shifts. A leader must have the ability to set and communicate a vision for the organization or team. A visionary leader will have a lofty goal of where they want the organization and the team to be in one, three, and five years from now. The leader can communicate that vision to the team to excite them and inspire them to want to work to achieve the big goal.

I have worked in organizations where the leader had no vision of where they wanted the organization to be in one year, three years, or five years. There were never any goals or strategies for progress. Everything in that organization went with the flavor of the day.

Heart

I see leading with "heart" as one of the most excellent qualities that a leader can have. John Maxwell (leadership expert) says, "people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" (Groeschel, 2021). I find this quote to be so applicable in the world of leadership today. Gone are the days of autocratic leadership where the boss is barking orders to everyone without a care in the world as to how they may affect the team. An effective leader in today's world knows their team members inside and out, someone who sits down with their subordinates and talks about their family, someone who remembers their team members’ birthday. This leader recognizes when somebody is having a bad day and cares enough to ask how they can help. A heart-centered leader is an effective leader.

This past week I sat down to have a conversation with one of my subordinates about a work-related issue. The conversation eventually led to a personal challenge the employee is facing with a teenage daughter. We talked for nearly an hour about a private matter, but we connected on a whole new level where both of us will now have more trust and understanding than ever before.

References:

Groeschel, C. (Host). (2021, January 21). Q&A with John Maxwell: Inside His Best Quotes (No. 85) [Audio Pocast Episode]. In Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast. Life.Church.  https://www.life.church/leadershippodcast/q-a-with-john-maxwell-inside-his-best-quotes/