What makes a good leader? What makes people want to follow you? How do you become a great leader?

The traits below will guide you in the right direction to developing those positive characteristics that all successful leaders have in common.

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Top 10 Traits Of Successful Leaders

1) Be Genuine

Being yourself is key, it’s what will stay true until the end. People want to know they have a leader that’s real and honest, who won’t cut corners just to reach a goal.

Leaders have good morals and values. They don’t gossip behind people’s backs and they present themselves authentically to everyone they meet.

2) Be Energetic

When you’re the leader of a team, no matter how big or small, you have to be the one with the most energy as it drives the whole team forward.

When the team is down, they look to their leader for motivation and inspiration to move them forward.

3) Be Early

Leaders are always the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave.

Being early and staying late shows your team you value their time more than yours.

You put in the effort to wake up extra early to prepare and stay extra late to wrap things up while your team can rest up for another day ahead.

4) Be Hilarious

Who doesn’t like to be around somebody funny?

Sure it’s great to have a leader who is intensely goal focused and takes everything seriously to get the job done but it’s also a relief to have a leader who loves to crack a good joke.

Being around somebody who loves to have fun makes working together that much better!

5) Be Loyal

There’s a saying, “Blood doesn’t make you family, loyalty does.”

When you’re working with a dedicated team, your loyalty to your team says a lot about you and where you stand.

Nobody wants to follow someone who isn’t going to go through thick and thin with them and it works both ways.

When times are good, everybody comes around but when times are rough, you see who’s really there for you.

If you’re an entrepreneur building a business, there’s going to be a lot of bumps on the road, choose your team wisely and stick it out with them until the end.

6) Be Reliable

People want to know they can depend on someone.

Being a leader means being someone everyone can count on, always being there to support them no matter what they’re going through.

Being reliable means being responsible and following through with your words.

If you say you’re going to do something, people should have full confidence in you.

They know you will always get the job done.

Leaders must be close enough to relate to others but far enough ahead to motivate them
john c. maxwell

7) Be Empowering

Leadership is not only about leading by example and taking initiative.

True leadership lies in the power of influence.

All great leaders in history had the power to inspire communities and entire countries to take action with them.

They used their words, their thoughts and their actions to move them in a positive direction together.

Being a great leader is having great influence.

8) Be Likeable

Before you can influence and move communities, the first step is being likeable.

Do you think being trustworthy or being likeable is more important?

Well, they’re both important but people have to like you first to be able to trust you. If they don’t even like you to begin with, good luck gaining their trust.

9) Be Positive

Have you ever heard of the saying, “Your vibe attracts your tribe”?

Believe me when people can feel the energy you present yourself with.

When you’re having a bad day, that energy reflects off of you. Same goes if you’re having a good day, people can feel it and that can multiply quickly.

To be a great leader, be consciously aware of what kind of energy you’re walking around with; positivity is like a magnet.

10) Be Giving

Leaders are servants at heart.

They focus on who and what they can give every day.

I don’t know about you but I believe in good karma. If you focus on giving and giving and giving, the universe will send things back your way when you least expect it.

Give and give sincerely. Give with your heart and don’t ask for anything in return.

Focus on how you can help people, focus on how many lives you can touch in a day and let the universe do the rest.