The Top Qualities of Leadership

Leaders are trained, not born. Effective leadership involves leading others to reach their full potential and to help inspire the success of others. Training to be a leader must be intentional, and a good place to start is with the 6 Cs of Leadership, which are:

• Connection
• Character
• Consistency
• Communication
• Courage
• Competence

Let’s unpack these a bit.

Connection. Connection doesn’t just happen. You have to be available -- physically and mentally -- and you have to give your time if you want to be a leader. So, make sure that you are available. Time together conquering a shared adversity builds deep connections. Do hard things with those you’re leading, whether that’s your kids, co-workers or athletes. Working out, learning together, talking about the lessons learned from the losses, and managing the wins well are all ways to spend quality time together.

Character. A leader with a lot of character does right by others. Doing what’s right requires living out of a set of principles. Live out of principle not preference. Do you have a set of principles that drive your behavior? Don’t fall into the trap of being transactional. Don’t give others something simply for the sake of getting something in return. Instead, be a transformational leader.

Consistency. Be consistent in the following areas: 

• Behavior – how you carry yourself throughout the day
• How you treat people – all people
• Show up on time – be there, always
• Prepare the right way – have a system/routine for your meetings, practices etc.
• Pay attention to details –  the small details matter and add up to the big wins

Communication. We live in a distracted world. Even if you have the skills to stay focused, things are changing all the time. You must develop the communication skills to adapt to whatever comes your way. Ways to develop your communication skills:

• Talk in the mirror – Watch your facial expressions.
• Try to tweet your message – Twitter limits how many words you can use. Being able to communicate your message succinctly will foster better communication. 
• Plan ahead of time – Reacting in the moment will often produce the least effective words.

Courage. Courage is feeling fear and going anyway. Fear is part of the journey. And crawling, scratching, and grinding your way through all the adversity that comes your way is the only way to reach success at the end of the road. Courage can’t exist without fear. So, the next time you sense that adversity, welcome it and put into action the process you created to overcome it.

Competence. Do you continually develop your skills? Having complete knowledge of your craft and the skill set to coach, mentor, etc., it is paramount. You have to know how to close the gap from where you are to where you want to be. 

Mastering the 6 Cs of Leadership is what will get you the championship. The kind of coach you are matters, but the kind of person you are matters more.

Character counts.

Courage counts.

Communication counts.

Consistency counts.

Connection counts.

Competence counts.

Develop all of these skills, and you will become a great leader.