A Leader Is as a Leader Does: Leadership styles, traits, skills and more by Donny Metcalf, Electrical Contractor
Let’s set the scene. You are approached by your supervisor, who says management feels you are doing very well. You have the respect of the rest of the crew and are ready for a leadership role. The question becomes, what does that look like? What do you look like as a leader?
Key leadership styles and traits
If you are given the opportunity to prove yourself as a leader, it is likely because you are good at your job and someone saw potential in you. But before you can be an effective leader, there are some key leadership styles and traits to identify.
In my opinion, two distinctive styles of leadership stand out: transformational and transactional leaders. A transformational leader inspires and motivates the team to innovate and work toward the goal. This usually results in high-performing teams with high morale.
A transactional leader focuses more on structured goals and rewards. This type of leadership style emphasizes clearly defined roles and performance metrics. Everyone knows the part they play, what needs to be accomplished and what is expected. Things are more black and white.
Regardless of which type of leadership you choose to practice, below are a few traits all good leaders possess:
- Professionalism—We should carry ourselves as professionals, from the way we talk (profanity is not necessary every other word) to the way we dress (consider wearing a shirt with a collar and buttons and a clean pair of khaki pants or jeans).
- Compassion/empathy—Remember that we were once in our employees’ shoes. Understand that everyone is at different levels of experience.
- Knowledge—Know the project and process for what you are trying to accomplish. As leaders, it is not necessary to have all the answers, but we must be willing to do some research and find them.
- Dependability—A good leader strives to do what they say they will do.
- Motivation—Be the person your team can look up to when times get tough.
- Problem-solving—Be creative with solutions to problems, especially with more complex projects with shorter completion times. Think of them as chances for excellence.
- Accountability—Leaders hold the overall accountability for a project’s results (whether good or bad). We also hold individual team members accountable for their portion of the work.
And, one of the most important skills—and often the most neglected—in leadership is communication. A Leader Is as a Leader Does: Leadership styles, traits, skills and more | Donny Metcalf – Electrical Contractor Magazine
