Leadership Credibility: Ten Qualities Your Employees Look For In A Leader

You are not a leader if no one follows you. For example, you may have worked your way into a leadership position by focusing solely on his performance and with a ruthless attitude, but those attributes will not serve you well as a leader.

Here are 10 qualities your employees look for to decide if you are truly a leader they want to follow:

1. Ability. Most employees won’t follow a clumsy idiot. To be seen as a leader, he must have the management and/or industry knowledge and skills required for the job or at least surround himself with others who can reinforce areas of weakness.

2. Credibility. Employees look for leaders they can believe and trust. If employees realize they can’t trust what you do or say, it will be a parade of one. Even in difficult times and difficult situations, true leaders must inform employees of bad news and have a plan to address the current situation.

3. personal commitment. More than anyone, a leader must give “everything” to carry out the goals and objectives of the organization. It adds to the credibility factor of him. More importantly, if you as a leader are “skating” while your employees are burning the candle at both ends, the employees will read that signal as the initiative is not that important and/or resent you for it.

4. Integrity. Employees expect a leader to “do what he says.” As a leader, you are a role model for everyone else. Employees will form their perception of your trustworthiness based on how well you do what you say.

5. Resilience. In today’s volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world, leaders will not last unless they are able to bounce back from defeat and adapt to the changing business landscape. As Darwin posited, “adapt or die.”

6. Serve the Organization/Others. Many of us have worked for the quintessential “narcissist” who only cared where he stood at the end of the day. In the long run, that won’t work with employees. A highly respected leader understands that he is there to serve the interests of the organization first, not his own. Some decisions that are right for the organization may put you personally in an uncomfortable position, but that’s the way it is. Employees want and need you to make decisions primarily for the organization.

7. Care about employees as people. You don’t have to be the caretaker or friend of your employees. Still, a good leader knows basic personal information about his direct reports. Furthermore, he also knows the career aspirations and motivators for them.

8. admitted errors. Mistakes and failures are part of life. Most of the time, they are our best teachers. As a leader, you are not immune to them. When you make a mistake or make a bad decision, acknowledge it and model how you would like your employees to handle such situations.

9. Lead by example. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. If your organization is going through tough times, or if you’ve just launched a new initiative, do your part to get involved, roll up your sleeves, and do your part when it comes to your position. While this doesn’t mean you have to mop the floor necessarily, you might, depending on how big the project or emergency is.

10 Seek respect over popularity. Being likable and being seen as friendly is a good thing, but not at the expense of maintaining proper respect for your position and the appropriate boundaries for it. As long as ingratiating yourself with your employees doesn’t compromise their role in the organization or the organization itself, being liked and popular is good. First, however, be respected.

So how are you? In what qualities do you excel? Which could you reinforce?