The Nine Traits of Great Leaders: An Ode to the Best Boss I’ve Ever Had

Last week, the best boss I’ve ever had left to go to work for another company.

While I’m extremely happy for him, I’m a little sad for myself, my teammates and all those who didn’t have the opportunity to work with him.

Notice I said “work WITH him,” not “work FOR him.” And though it’s only a single word difference, that one word is what really made the difference for our team.

My boss, Robert, was never really a boss; he was more of a friend and a teammate. That’s what made him so awesome.

Robert truly believed that team meant just that—team.

We all worked on everything together. We kept each other updated on what we were working on. No decision was ever made without the approval of each team member. Each team member had a say-so in everything.

There was never a boss-type relationship between our team and Robert. He always kept things on an equal level. He treated us all with respect and was so humble, always downplaying his part in our project and, instead, holding the team up.

He never told us what to do; he led us. He never stood above us; he walked beside us. He was never a control freak; he always turned to us for our expertise.

Robert is a rarity in the workplace. But he’s a shining example of what leadership should look like.

He embodies all of the nine characteristics of effective leaders. Robert had:

1.       Excellent Character—Great leaders instill trust and are trustworthy. They “walk the walk” and “talk the talk.” They never make promises unless they intend to keep them. And people respect them because of this.

This was Robert to a “T.” Our team had 100 percent trust in him and in his vision for our projects. We believed in him and he believed in us. There was a level of trust and respect that was indescribable.

2.       Passion—Great leaders are passionate about their work and about their roles as leaders. They are viewed as working for the good of the team. This passion inspires others (namely, the people the leader is leading) to respond in a positive way.

Everything Robert did he did with the utmost passion. His vision for himself and our team stemmed from a passionate desire to affect change. He made it so much easier for all of us to get up and come to work in the morning because we knew we were working toward something for the greater good of our team, our company and the business world.

3.       Confidence—Great leaders are confident and they inspire confidence in those who they lead. And confidence is often the maker or breaker in a situation.

Robert was extremely confident, which made us more confident. He could see the big picture of everything and always had a plan of action for how to get us from point A to point B. Saying he was a visionary isn’t even truly doing him justice.

4.       Organization—Great leaders are organized. They know what’s what. They have a plan. They know (for the most part) each move they need to make in order to reach their end goal.

Robert was totally organized. If you asked him about our project, he could show you PowerPoints, worksheets, diagrams, whiteboard charts and detailed descriptions he had written up. He made it easier for our team to remain organized and on-track.

5.       A Purpose—Great leaders know what their purposes are: in life and in their work. They remain focused on those purposes and use them as the driving factors for their successes. Being purpose-driven is necessary when leading a team, and is especially important in uncertain times and situations.

This was probably the most inspiring thing about Robert. He was incredibly purpose-driven. He knew what he wanted; he knew what he was capable of. Best yet, he knew what we wanted and what we were capable of. And he used his skills and our skills to drive us toward a goal.

6.       Tolerance—Great leaders are extremely tolerant—of ambiguity, of “storms,” of politics, of anything that will get in the way of their success and the success of the people they lead. This tolerance helps great leaders stay calm, collected, professional and focused on the main purpose.

As with most workplaces, Robert was put up against all kinds of things—politics, ambiguity, resistance. The kind of things that could make a normal person freak out and lose their mind. But not Robert. He was so very tolerant. He knew what we were driving toward and he knew we were on the right track so he never allowed any of the “noise” derail us.

And he never, ever lost his temper. He always accepted people for who they are and worked with them, not against them.

7.       Analytics—Great leaders are able to view situations and projects as a whole, and can also break them down into steps needed to take, in order to reach their goals. Great leaders are “big picture” thinkers and planners.

Robert was definitely a big-picture thinker. He could see all the details that none of us could see. He had a vision for our project that was bigger than all of us combined. And he had a plan that would get us to our end-goal.

8.       Commitment to Superiority—Great leaders maintain high standards and set the bar high for themselves and those they lead in order to achieve excellence. They refuse to accept anything but the best.

Robert was all about adding value, high-quality customer service and an amazing final product. He set the bar high for us as a team, and we greatly exceeded his standards because he always pushed us to be better than we ever thought we could be.

9.       A Positive Attitude and Mindset—Great leaders are positive thinkers. They focus on the end result and rarely deviate from that thought, regardless of circumstance. They use phrases like “when it happens” instead of “if it happens.” They turn limitations into possibilities.

Without a doubt, Robert is the most resilient person I know. He always had a positive attitude and he always spoke positive words. He kept our team happy, motivated and productive. Everything we accomplished as a team we accomplished because of his guidance and leadership.

So how can you and your company benefit from my ode to Robert?

By taking on these nine characteristics—embodying them, becoming them and refusing to deviate from them. 

These nine traits will not only make you a more effective, efficient and successful leader, but they will spring-board you to a level of leadership you never imagined possible.

Robert is a perfect example of this. 

In this ode to my former boss, I detail the nine characterstics that make great leaders great. He embodied every single one of them, and you can, too.