~by Anita Ginsburg~
The path to being an outstanding leader is paved with hard work and lots of experience. While it can take time to build the necessary experience to fill the shoes of an exceptional leader, there are other qualities that an outstanding leader should strive to develop. With the right qualities, a leader will naturally provide direction to others that leads to genuinely successful outcomes.
The following are 3 essential qualities that outstanding leaders possess.
Outstanding Leaders Listen to Their People
It is much easier to lead people down a path of success when a person listens to the concerns, complaints and insights of the people they are leading. Just because someone on the team is a subordinate, this does not mean they will not provide a leader with valuable insights that are drawn from their experiences.
Keeping an ear out for the truly good ideas and insights, by carefully listening to the team being led, makes leading a team work so much more smoothly than when a leader ignores what their people are trying to tell them. Additionally, when team members believe their leader is listening and taking them seriously, they are often more motivated to give their best to their leader.
Outstanding Leaders Grasp the Law of Sacrifice
The law of sacrifice teaches that a person must be willing to give something up in order to get ahead or move forward in a significant way.
Leaders that know what to sacrifice to achieve their end goal will find that they tend to succeed where others fail. The reason is because they understand that you must give in order to gain. Sometimes this giving process is costly to the leader in time, resources, and other areas; however, sacrifice is key to opening doors to vast opportunity. Leaders that leverage this law will make the necessary sacrifices in order to forge opportunities that produce significant results.
Outstanding Leaders Invest in Their Own Continuing Education
Continuing education will generally help a leader to stay on top of current trends in their industry and area of expertise. While a decision to embark on keeping up with continuing education may be costly, it is a step that will make a leader more valuable with each academic achievement they obtain. In today’s competitive market, a leader cannot afford to ignore investing in their continuing education. Doing so will help them remain on the cutting edge, and without having to quit their job to study.
For example, you can pursue an online bachelor’s degree in radiology if you want to move up in the medical field. By getting an online degree, you can schedule your studying around work and other responsibilities.
Final Thoughts
The move from a mediocre leader to an outstanding leader will often come when a person takes their role as a leader far more seriously. This means learning how to listen, understanding what sacrifices to leverage to obtain success, and investing in one’s own continuing education to keep on top of their game. Developing these fundamental qualities becomes a solid foundation which will ensure a leader is heading down a time tested path of consistent success as a leader.
Meet the Author: Anita Ginsburg
Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO and often writes about business, education, finance, and family. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family when she isn’t writing.
