8 Leadership Qualities You Need for 2021

8 Leadership Qualities You Need for 2021

As we move into 2021, it’s important that we continue to adapt and grow as business leaders. In this article we will explore the 8 leadership qualities you need to adopt this year.

Competent leadership is in demand now more than ever. Companies have to find a way of wading through the prevailing economic challenges. Health issues are escalating across teams and it’s harder for companies to maintain momentum.

Hudson-Searle, a serial business consultant, says, “Every business has to reinvent. Most of our strategies failed and it’s now a period to reset.”

It’s now imperative that we continue to adapt and grow as leaders. The start is to discover our leadership styles. The next thing is to equip you with the leadership qualities that can keep your company soaring despite the uncertainty. These are the leadership qualities to adopt this year.

1. Strategic Foresight

Leading a company today calls for more than being a trailblazer. The business landscape has changed. You have to keep your eyes on technology, climatic change and evolving workforces.

With more volatility, leadership is seeking individuals skilled enough to cope with change. As a leader, you have to manage or maximise the unending change around you effectively. Strategic foresight has become imperative when leading a company.

Strategic foresight enables business leaders to evaluate the future of the workplace. With strategic foresight comes responsive planning that’s essential for long term success.

2. Great Communication Ability

If you’re wondering how to be a great leader, pay attention to Warren Buffet. He says that an easy way to improve your worth by 50% is to hone your communication skills.

Most people who end up in top management exhibit signs of leadership from early on. Communication skills tend to be more discernable. These individuals appear more confident due to their well-thought-out and concise way of sharing their views.

Organisations can perform better with great communicators when employees lack motivation. By improving your communication skills, you can inspire your team better and get everyone to walk in one direction. One of the quickest ways to level up leadership is learning how to effectively communicate during a crisis.

3. Promote Collaboration

Most CEOs can admit that collaboration is an essential component in turbulent times. How a company copes during tough periods depends on its ability to inspire teamwork and feed from the pooled ideas.

Collaboration is also becoming more important as hyper-connectivity heightens. Businesses are now working with virtual teams to cut costs and maximise on abroad talents. The rise of collaboration tools and video meetings is a significant sign of the need for new leadership styles.

Adopting the right leadership skills is now necessary for surviving in the digital age. Most leaders have done away with the control-minded leadership styles. Effective leaders are exploring personal and interpersonal skills to inspire and influence their teams.

4. Sincere Enthusiasm

If you ask around about the signs of leadership, passion is likely to be one of the dominating answers. Passion shows up in leaders in how they handle issues and approach management.

Passion or enthusiasm is about exhibiting real interest in company matters. It’s essential for inspiring high ethics and achieving top performance. Truly enthusiastic leaders help to structure a culture around being highly motivated.

Sincere enthusiasm also drives leaders to identify problems and come with effective solutions. It sparks innovation by prompting leaders to resolve the key issues in their service.

5. Masters Decisiveness

Quick and effective thinkers are indispensable when adaptation is a must for survival. This is the time when leading a company means taking swift decisions despite high risks. Chances are they might not work, but as a leader, you don’t mind being accountable.

To be a decisive leader means you’re effective and reliable. Procrastination and overthinking will kill the progress of a company. Leaders who can make informed decisions within appropriate timeframes help create trust amongst teams.

6. Practices Empathy

One of the leadership qualities that most executives are learning to hone is empathy. Most companies are drifting from the task to the problem-solving model. Leaders have to put themselves into the shoes of their employees as well as customers.

During chaos, everyone is looking for a leader who can understand what they’re going through. Without empathy, you can’t predict how your decisions will impact audiences. You can also not build a loyal team or inspire loyalty.

Demonstrating compassion boosts human interactions and results in effective communication. Studies show that executives, as well as subordinates, view empathetic leaders as better performers.

7. Learn Risk Mitigation

Increasing change means businesses need to adopt new models. New players in the industries are also more aware and better prepared for the market. Your business needs to be agile and flexible to stay afloat.

Having leadership skills in risk mitigation is the key to help your company to navigate. This means having the ability to conceive better and sustainable frameworks and processes.

Usually, great leadership is more proactive in risk management. Most organisations that survive lean times have strong leaders who can see danger looming on the horizon. With risk mitigation skills, you’re able to see the potential impact of a problem and take circumventing measures on the spot.

8. Harness Innovation

According to McKinsey, 84% of senior executives agree that their future is dependent on innovation. Human behaviour is shifting rapidly and innovation helps to shape and keep up with these changes. Companies that can offer solutions with unique perspectives are more likely to become industry leaders.

Only with innovativeness will leaders stay relevant and help their companies meet consumer expectations. The ability to achieve agility, speed up customer service and solve arising problems demands innovativeness.

How to Become a Better Leader and Improve Your Leadership Qualities

The reality is leadership is evolving fast to align with the fast-paced demands of today’s workplaces. Understanding your leadership style and improving your leadership qualities is the key to elevating your value.

Get to know what your strengths are and where you need improvement. Take a look at our leadership programs if you’re a business leader wanting to improve and achieve your results faster.