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**Do you have what it takes to be a great leader?**
Being excellent at communication helps, and of course, you need to be skilled in planning, problem-solving, and delegation. You must also be able to navigate any challenge that comes your way.
However, beyond these skills, the qualities that distinguish great leaders are more elusive and can sometimes seem otherworldly. Exceptional leaders possess a certain “X factor” that makes it seem as though they inherently know what to do.
But according to **Linda Hill**, a professor at Harvard Business School and one of the world’s leading experts on leadership, star leaders are not born with superhuman abilities. Instead, they tend to deliberately place themselves in situations where they must learn, adapt, and grow—crucibles for developing the resilience and perseverance needed to motivate and guide others.
Hill says, “Leadership is a process of self-construction. No one can teach you how to lead. You must be willing and able to learn how to lead. Most of us learn from our experiences and facing adversity. Stepping out of spaces where we feel comfortable is a powerful teacher.”
Here are eight essential traits for successful leadership, according to Hill, along with ideas on how to cultivate them:
1. **Authenticity**
Being authentic and true to who you are is crucial for success in any role. As a leader, you must embody the best version of yourself—one that is not only highly effective but also inspires and motivates those around you. Competence alone is not enough. People need to trust your character and connect with you; otherwise, they won’t take risks with you. This is deeply tied to your ability to be self-aware: “You must figure out how to create the conditions for your own success and not assume others will do it for you.”
**How to show up as your best self:** Understanding how others perceive you is vital for growth. Seek feedback in low-pressure situations first, then move to higher-stakes scenarios. Ask questions like, “I’m trying to understand my impact and the experiences I create for those I work with. Can you share what I should continue doing, start doing, and stop doing?” Focus on the positives and build on them.
2. **Curiosity**
Curiosity is a mindset: it’s about exploring the unknown and understanding the art of the possible. Great leaders have an “outside-in” perspective of their organizations and teams, meaning they can view situations and issues from the standpoint of external stakeholders like customers or competitors. This helps them make more informed decisions.
**How to cultivate curiosity:** Embrace new experiences and engage with people outside your immediate field. Don’t shy away from asking basic or naive questions. Think broadly and ambitiously: “Always ask moon-shot questions—what could we do?”
3. **Analytical Ability**
Leadership requires breaking down complex problems, identifying root causes, and devising new solutions. Trusting your gut isn’t enough. You must develop analytical skills by focusing on cause-and-effect relationships and recognizing patterns and trends.
**How to build an analytical mindset:** Remember that data is created by people and is just another source of information. Dive into the complexity of data collection, understand its implications, and be aware of potential biases. Work with digital natives to decode the stories hidden in data.
4. **Adaptability**
The world is changing faster than ever, partly due to emerging technologies and AI. As a leader, you must adapt to these ever-shifting demands. Adaptability fosters an agile team culture, enabling you to respond quickly to different dynamics and embrace new opportunities and challenges.
**How to boost adaptability:** Seek assignments and experiences that require flexibility. Step out of your comfort zone and work in new environments with diverse people. Stretch yourself to grow personally and professionally.
5. **Creativity**
Creativity is about generating ideas that are new and useful for the organization. Some ideas are incremental, while others are transformative. The most innovative ideas often come from the “adjacent possible”—the realm of possibilities immediately within reach. Diversity of thought drives true innovation.
**How to foster creativity:** As a leader, your role isn’t necessarily to come up with all the great ideas but to create an environment that nurtures creativity in others. Encourage diverse perspectives and embrace the concept of learning from failure.
6. **Comfort with Ambiguity**
Managing ambiguity involves holding conflicting ideas in your mind and dealing with competing priorities that are equally important. Great leaders develop a systems mindset, helping them understand how things are connected and navigate uncertainty.
**How to become more comfortable with ambiguity:** Immerse yourself in complexity and ask “what if” and “so what” questions. Practice mindfulness or yoga to clear your mind and think deeply.
7. **Resilience**
Leaders must recognize the fluid nature of situations and adjust their course when necessary. Resilience is about regrouping and asking, “Is there another way?” when things go off track.
**How to build resilience:** Take on assignments with unclear definitions of success. Volunteer for roles where you have little formal authority and where measuring your impact is challenging.
8. **Empathy**
Understanding and connecting with others on an emotional level is a key trait of strong leadership. Leaders must build relationships, foster trust, and actively engage with their team members. Empathy allows you to appreciate the challenges others face and create a supportive environment.
**How to develop empathy:** Seek out people beyond your usual circles. Ask about their work preferences, pressures, strengths, and weaknesses. Aim to build mutual understanding and connection.
According to Hill, becoming a great leader is a journey of continuous learning and growth. It’s about embracing challenges, seeking feedback, strengthening connections, and fostering understanding. She says, “Your goal is to develop the mindset, behaviors, and relationships that allow you to take on challenges and opportunities and do extraordinary things.”
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