Traits Successful Leaders Possess

Traits Successful Leaders Possess - Initiating

Improving leadership skills increases the performance of those you work with and enhances your opportunities (and the opportunities of those you lead) for advancement within a company.

As a leadership communications coach I have identified 18 traits successful leaders possess. Over the next few months I would like to discuss a few of these key traits that can help you grow and develop as a leader.

Today let’s talk about Initiating

Initiate – Initiate conversations to help find solutions. Don’t always dictate change. Initiate change by creating atmosphere where creative juices can flow freely. Asking questions is a great way to initiate conversations. Try asking open-ended questions to help people focus on solutions, for example: “What can we do better as a company?” Encourage suggestions for improvement. Set out a suggestion box and reward good suggestions. Continually strive to Make the future better than the present..

An optimistic attitude from a leader can carry over to others. Next time we will talk about Being Positive

Do you have any successes or questions about been an initiator as a leader? Let me know and I will share them with my readers. E-mail me click here - E-mail Patrick

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Five Active Listening Skills

A good leader understands the key role communication skills play in their success. Talking is great but listening is where the real learning takes place. Here are five ways to become an Active Listener: 1. Do an Internal Summary - Concentrate on what is being said and try to summarize the main points in your mind. Listen to understand, not to respond. 2. Ask Questions - Yes this is part of being an "Active Listener." If you don’t understand, wait for a break, politely interrupt and ask a question. 3. Take Notes - Engage yourself by taking notes. 4. Timing - If it is not a good time to talk, say so. Reschedule when you will be more focused 5. Listen with Your Eyes - Eye contact helps you stay focused and to see the non-verbal part of the message. Any mismatched signals could give you more insight. (See blog post Effective Leaders Communicate Effectively! ) ACTION Try using some of these techniques in your conversations this week. The key is to catch yourself not paying atten...

Building a team “Family Style”

Building a team “Family Style” I come from a big Italian family. All four of my grandparents came to America from Italy (okay my Mom's father came from Sicily!). My extended family, just on my Dad's side (including aunts, uncles, cousins…), totaled almost 100 people. So I am very well versed on the concept of working together in groups. When I look at team building I think of it as ‘family building”. Here is what I mean: 1. First, think of the group as “Family” not a team. Family in this context is a group whose members are related in origin, characteristics, or occupation. So since you are related in occupation, you qualify as a “family” I’ve always considered my co-workers, clients and other business relationship as my “business family”. I have used this concept with organizations when I have served: as president, as committees chair and on committees/teams. I find it more powerful to think “family” versus team. 2. Find ways to get people to work/play together. You build stro...

Effective Leaders Summarize

A good leader understands the key role communication skills play in their success. Effective Leaders Summarize. A summary is a good way to close a dialogue. The longer or more complicated the message, the more important it is to summarize what was said. People tend to remember the most recent information presented. So in a longer conversation or meeting be sure to do a brief summary. This is also a great way to check for understanding. ACTION: An effective way to close a conversation or meeting is by going over the key points that were discussed. Either you can summarize or you can ask the others to summarize from their perspective. For any action that needs to be taken, be sure to mutually discuss deadlines for their completion. In the meantime, if you have any successes or questions about leadership communication let me know and I will share them with my readers. E-mail me by clicking here

"Communicating with IMPACT" - Patrick Donadio, MBA

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