Three Qualities that Make a Good Leader

On Tuesday, we asked our wonderful Facebook community what makes a good leader. Our followers responded with excellent, thoughtful answers. Three main themes surfaced:

1.    Passion. Repeatedly, our followers asserted that a good leader has to care deeply about their work. Enthusiasm is contagious. To ignite excitement in others, leaders must themselves be invested in their job, cause or project. As one of our followers put it, a leader should “be passionate about the very essence of what they do.”

2.    Respect for others. The ability to listen well - and to take the opinions of others into account - was mentioned as an important leadership quality. Indeed, you can lead through force or through inspiration. A leader who frequently makes unilateral decisions will likely be less effective than one who collaborates with others.

3.    Desire to support. Good leaders care about the growth and well-being of those they lead. To be effective, leaders should strive to inspire those who report to them and to nurture their development. In the words of one of our followers, “To be a good leader, you should be a good coach.”