Last week, I shared part I of the top qualities I see in the most effective business leaders. 

They do everything they can to see people how they want to be seen.
They don’t need to use “compliment sandwiches”.
They are consistent and reliable.
They hold themselves and others accountable out of a place of love.

This week, I’m continuing the conversation with a few more leadership qualities that stand out to me above all others. 

They model courage and authenticity
When under stress, people might behave in somewhat irrational ways. They might avoid conversations that need to be had, take things too personally or create unnecessary drama that leads to them being less productive and less happy. 

More often than not, summoning courage and authenticity in these situations leads us to showing up as our best selves. As a leader, you have the opportunity to regularly model these qualities in your own behavior and interactions, underscoring their importance and providing a permission structure for others to follow your lead. 

They Trust AND Verify
The best leaders trust their people…but they don’t trust to the level of not ensuring that the job is being done or the goal is being achieved. 

In the end, when things go wrong, the responsibility always falls on the leader - as it often should. 

With that in mind, you want to ensure that you are empowering and trusting your people to get the job done. But, it is also important that you hold them accountable to your expectations. 

As they say, “inspect what you expect”.

They support their team to the same level they expect them to perform
I often use the example of rock climbing to visually describe this concept. When you are rock climbing, you want to ensure that your anchor is going to support you if you fall, therefore as you are scaling the mountain, you want to continue to move the anchor up with you.

In essence, if you are going to climb 200 feet up, you will be continuously setting anchors as you scale the rock. 

Leadership is similar. As you expect others to perform to higher and higher levels, you want to ensure that you are supporting your people as they are asked to perform to higher and higher levels. Any leader that demands performance but isn’t to support their people when they struggle or need help, is going to lose support of their team sooner rather than later. 

They communicate the Clouds and Dirt
It is critical for any leader to be able to balance big-picture planning and action (the “clouds) with the day-to-day tasks (the “dirt”) that need to be completed and accounted for in order to move the business forward. 

As a leader, don’t forget about this balance when you communicate with your team. More than anything, people want to feel like they are “in the loop” and they are contributing to a larger purpose. 

When you implement changes or ask them to pursue certain projects with enthusiasm, make sure you help them to understand WHY they are doing it. That doesn’t mean that you send out notes to each executive leadership meeting, but it does mean that you proactively fill in your people with information that is OK for them to know and can help provide context for the work you are asking them to complete!

They meet them where they are and guide them toward their next step
Always do your best to remember that every person you manage is unique. They have their own strengths and areas for development. They have their own history, childhood, trauma, relationship challenges. 

When people come to the office, they bring ALL of them to the office - whether company policy “allows” it or not. 

Try to remember this reality when you are speaking with each member of your team. Some things you do or say will impact some team members in ways that it doesn’t impact others. 

Meet them where they are. Do whatever you can to help them feel seen, heard, and understood. 

And then guide them to the next best step for them to address the issue. 

By cultivating these various qualities, leaders can create an environment that fosters productivity, happiness, and success for both themselves and their teams. It is a continuous journey that requires self-awareness, empathy, and commitment, but the rewards are immeasurable in terms of personal growth and organizational achievements. As a leader, strive to be the best version of yourself, and inspire others to do the same.