[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/17\/leadership-qualities\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/17\/leadership-qualities\/","headline":"How to spot a natural leader: 3 stand-out leadership qualities","name":"How to spot a natural leader: 3 stand-out leadership qualities","description":"Three leadership qualities are the traits of an employee who's a natural born leader. Know how to identify future leaders on your team.","datePublished":"2021-05-17","dateModified":"2022-05-04","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/johann-wrede\/#Person","name":"Johann Wrede","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/johann-wrede\/","identifier":135,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dda01bee4f0ac4e099c4f4614fc565e28051fce1e9c1a07a268101b597920bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0dda01bee4f0ac4e099c4f4614fc565e28051fce1e9c1a07a268101b597920bb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/promote-ftr.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/promote-ftr.jpeg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/17\/leadership-qualities\/","about":[{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/","name":"Customer Experience","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Customer_experience","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q984142"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/customer-experience\/employee-engagement\/","name":"Employee Engagement","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Employee_engagement","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q14937678"]},"Employee Experience & Engagement",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/thought-leadership-2\/","name":"Thought Leadership","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Thought_leader"]}],"wordCount":918,"keywords":["Employee Development","Leadership"],"articleBody":"Leaders can usually tell which individuals they\u2019re going to eventually promote.That\u2019s because certain employees start leading others long before they wear the title of manager, VP, or executive. They have natural leadership qualities that make them stand out:InitiativeCreates order where there’s noneAbility to motivate othersThey intuitively understand how to speak to people\u2019s wants and needs to drive action. They’re very good at picking up on subtle cues from team members and knowing where to step in and help. And, most importantly, they don\u2019t wait for someone else to tell them what to do or how to get started.Natural leaders are go-getters, and take it upon themselves to ask questions and avoid getting stuck.The key is to give these natural leaders opportunities for their skills to be maximized, and put them on a career path that allows their talents to flourish.So, whether you are a manager or department head thinking about who to promote next, or an ambitious employee questioning what you can do to unlock the next big opportunity in your career, it’s important to know the leadership qualities that separate the good from the great.      The Ted Lasso football pitch: Leadership lessons for professionals                Ted Lasso leadership is all the rage, with good reason. Learn about leading with empathy, kindness, owning mistakes, and helping others grow.      Top leadership quality: Doesn’t wait around for a title\u00a0One of the biggest mistakes people make in their careers is waiting for permission or formal appointment before doing what they see needs to be done.Said differently, you don\u2019t have to be a people manager to be a leader. You don\u2019t even need to be in a leadership role (project manager, team lead, etc.) to be a leader.There is only one thing you need to be a leader: followers. So the truth is, you \u201cbecome\u201d a leader the moment you have a compelling idea and can rally other people to say, \u201cHey, that\u2019s a great idea. How can I help you realize that? How can I best support you?\u201dA job title isn\u2019t what makes this happen.Positive energy, excitement, inspiration, and doing good work are what move people to take action.      What all good leaders know: Advice on seeking advice                All good leaders have times when they seek advice from peers and mentors. Do you know who to turn to if you have a professional dilemma?      Quality leadership: Creates structure, gets things doneDuring a previous chapter of mine at SAP, I had someone who always took charge when it came to the team-building and structure within our team.She didn\u2019t wait for me or anyone else to do these things\u2014she saw that we were lacking structure, and took it upon herself to provide it.What stood out to me though was that in past conversations about her career she had said, \u201cI\u2019m not sure I\u2019m ready for a leadership role.\u201d And all the while, she was acting as a leader.This happens all the time: leaders see leadership qualities in others long before they see it in themselves.Which is why, if you are in a people-management position, your job is to help these individuals become aware of their innate and natural talents. (And yes, she was promoted and has continued to rise in the organization ever since.)      The difference between a great work and a magnum opus: Often, it’s teamwork                To create something professionally with real meaning and purpose, we must find meaning and purpose in our work.      Inspirational: Motivates othersRegardless of where you are on the org chart, your job title isn\u2019t the reason someone will choose to follow and support you.The real reason people choose to give you their best is because you have found a way to speak to their wants, needs, desires, and interests. You have identified what motivates them, and found ways to draw connections between your objective and their intrinsic motivations. In some cases, people will feel motivated because they want to be part of something successful.      From LOL to leadership: Hamilton quotes for work                Who doesn't wanna be in the Zoom where it happens? Covering email replies you wish you could send, corporate life, and leadership, you'll wanna read these Hamilton quotes for work.      In others, people will just genuinely love the idea and want to see what happens.Whatever the reason, understanding it is the key to convincing them to follow you. Managers can order people to do things, but true leaders inspire others to action by showing them how, in some way, you both share the same goal.The ultimate leadership qualityAt the end of the day, innate leadership can be boiled down to one word: authenticity.The more you can see leadership as a part of who you are, and not something you \u201cdo,\u201d the more people will see you as a person to pay attention to. Leadership is not just about getting things done, or checking tasks off your to-do list, or feeling like the boss. It\u2019s about building connections with your team members and the people around you in a way that enables action.And the more effective you are, the more people will want to follow you.  Innovate with the best.We’ve got the solutions HERE.This post was syndicated from LinkedIn and is published here with permission from the author.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2021","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"05","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/05\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"17","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/\/05\/\/17\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How to spot a natural leader: 3 stand-out leadership qualities","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2021\/05\/17\/leadership-qualities\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]