Leadership Traits and Styles
An effective leader can have a great influence on the success or failure of a given business project or even a company as a whole. The traits and styles of an effective leader must be flexible and adaptable to convince as large a section of the workforce as possible to not only follow a leader's commands but work hard and have respect for that leader.
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Physical Leadership Traits
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An effective leader must possess vitality and physical stamina. Employees working for a person in a leadership position feed off of the leader's vitality and use that energy as motivation when working on a given project. Physical stamina is necessary for the leader to show she's willing to work just as hard, if not harder, than her subordinates to accomplish a task and achieve success. This stamina drives the work ethic for the team and keeps the group focused on project goals.
Clear Communication and Competance
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Clear communication is an essential trait for any successful leader. Job assignments and particular project roles should be made in easy-to-understand language so each team member is clear about the given task and how to accomplish its goals. A leader must also possess a thorough understanding of a given project as a whole to conceive of how each team member fits into the larger plan. This global view of a project helps a leader make adjustments to bolster weak areas of the plan and, therefore, achieve greater success for the whole.
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Adaptability and Flexibility
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Employees sense when a plan isn't working at the ground level. A leader must be adaptive in making changes to a given project plan to maximize the chances for the project to achieve success. This requires having an open ear for subordinates to voice concerns and ask questions about aspects of a project. Employees feel valued and more involved when a leader listens to them. Employees may invest more energy in a given project because of this greater sense of involvement.
Accepting Responsibility
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A leader must accept responsibility for the failures of a given project just as he accepts the successes. Since the leader is the person who assigned the project roles and developed the plan as a whole he has no one else to blame if the project fails. Employees notice when a leader shirks responsibility and attempts to disseminate blame amongst his team members. This can weaken a leader's ability to direct his employees and may encourage dissension.
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