What Do You Want From Your Leader?

You know that feeling when you just want to work with someone? They’re the leader who makes you feel like you’re part of a team and not just another number. They can be inspiring and give you the confidence to take on new challenges. We all want that kind of leadership. And here’s some good news: we all have the opportunity to become that kind of leader ourselves—if we know what our people need from us as leaders.

The ability to provide clarity

Clarity is the ability to provide direction and explanation. It’s about having a clear vision for the future, explaining why you’re doing something, explaining what results you want to achieve, and outlining each step that needs to be taken in order to get there. Clarity also means being able to listen effectively so that your people feel heard and understood—and understanding how they think helps you clarify your own vision.

Consistency in their expectations

This means when a leader says something, they stick to what they say. If you want your team members to perform at a certain level and give their best every day, then it’s important that you do the same. Be consistent in your own behaviour—if you expect people to be reliable and show up on time, then you need to model this behaviour as well. This will help build trust between yourself and your team members; if they see that you are trustworthy and dependable, it will make them more likely to take risks (such as asking for feedback) themselves with confidence that there won’t be any negative consequences if things don’t go exactly right initially (which often happens).

Empathy for the team

Empathy is the ability to understand and share an emotional experience with another person. It’s a key ingredient for effective leadership, because it allows you to put yourself in your team members’ shoes, but it’s not the same as sympathy. Sympathy is feeling sorry for someone else; empathy allows you to understand what they’re going through and why they may be feeling that way.

Empathy can also help you improve your own performance as a leader by making sure that the team’s needs are met—as well as by building trust among the group members themselves if they know their leader understands where they’re coming from when it comes time to make decisions or solve problems together.