10 qualities that make a great leader

by Tech Collective, Feb 1, 2018

What makes a great leader?

Great leaders have conquered lands, built empires, and changed the course of history in their lifetime. But what truly made them great?

We spoke to founders and entrepreneurs to find out what they think makes a great leader, and we’ve distilled their answers into 10 different points. To make this more structured, we’ve further divided the pointers into tangible and intangible.

First, let’s start with the tangible

The ability to make a quick decision that gives people focus and a goal is essential to not being a bottleneck for development and growth of a team.

A good communicator

Having great ideas and knowing what to do is useless unless you’re able to communicate that to your team and keep the communication channels open on both sides.

Being accountable

Bosses who pass the blame to their staff or take a small piece of the blame to look like their being held accountable are not leaders.

Being patient

Patience is a virtue. It really is, especially in the fast-paced startup world. A great leader can be patient when it is deemed appropriate to ensure that the team moves forward.

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Here’s the intangible

Be passionate

Passion can keep the team motivated, even during the dark days that almost every company goes through. A great leader has to be passionate about the company’s mission. No great company started by focusing solely on revenue, they always had a bigger mission in mind.

Stay focused

To be a leader, you need to stay focused on your goals at all times. By staying focused you can keep your company on the right path towards achieving greatness.

Always inspire

A team works towards a goal. Most of your employees don’t have tangible ownership of your company. What they can have is ownership of your mission, so work towards inspiring people to be great.

Be slightly crazy

Crazy might be a negative word, but it is also a good way to describe ideas that go against the grain. Imagine starting a company where you record random videos only a few seconds long that disappear after 24 hours. That’s kinda how Snapchat started.

Be authentic

Inspire through honesty and authenticity. You have to genuinely believe in your mission. Find a voice that is your own and embrace it rather than copying others around you.

Always empower

Leaders don’t do everything. They do enough to make sure everyone around them is able to do their job in the easiest and most efficient manner. Learn how to delegate and empower, rather than micromanage and build a company of yes-men.