There are leaders and there are leaders. We have good leaders, bad leaders, great leaders, and we also have ordinary and extraordinary leaders. If you want to be an outstanding leader then you need to know the attributes of extraordinary leaders. 

They Praise

Outstanding leaders love to praise. They praise their team, they praise everything and everyone around them. They know the power of praise, that it makes people go the extra mile to get results. Ordinary leaders on the other hand prefer to criticize. They feel that praising a subordinate is a sign of weakness. 

They take responsibility

The leader is responsible for the success or failure of her team, it’s very saddening that most of the people occupying leadership positions today tend to put the blame on their team members each time something goes wrong. 

Challenge Ideas

Truly outstanding leaders don’t believe in norms. They are creative people who are always looking for better, faster and more productive ways of getting things done. They challenge every idea and ask questions like: “Why this?” “What if we did it this way?” “Is this the best way to make this?” “What if we add this feature?” “Will this be relevant in the next ten years?” and so on.

Lead by Example

A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. Outstanding leaders don’t give their followers impossible tasks. If an extraordinary leader tells a subordinate to walk on water, it means he must have walked on water himself. Outstanding leaders ‘walk the talk’, they don’t say what they can’t do and they don’t do what they can’t say. They are people of integrity and great character.

Give Feedback

Outstanding leaders give feedback to their followers, ordinary leaders don’t. 

Seek Help

Ordinary leaders don’t like to ask for a helping hand especially from a follower. They don’t want to look weak or incompetent. They are full of pride and believe that they are always right or that they should always be right. They discard everyone’s opinion and hold on firmly to their beliefs even if it will cost them their lives. Outstanding leaders are humble and patient. They ask for their followers’ opinions on almost every matter even when they might already have the answer. They understand that learning is continuous and respect their followers’ knowledge and areas of expertise. They make better, more logical decisions than the ordinary leaders who depend solely on their own knowledge.

Lead Leaders

Outstanding leaders lead leaders. They don’t leave the people they lead without leaving them better than they found them. They share knowledge freely and cheerfully and they don’t hoard experience. They love to teach, impart and impact. They want their followers to know everything they know. They are always thinking of the future and what it will be like without them. They ask: “if I’m not here, will this work continue?”

Outstanding leaders live better lives, create better opportunities, impact more people, believe the best about everyone and everything, shape the future and ultimately make the world a better place. WHAT KIND OF LEADER ARE YOU?

Source: Lifehack.org