7 Core Instincts of Great Leaders

What are the core instincts of great leaders? These are the inherent and innate qualities that drive successful leaders. They define who a great leader is and contribute significantly to the success of such individuals.

This post will show you what leadership is and seven core instincts of great leaders. Without further ado, let’s dive straight in. 

What is Leadership?

Leadership is one word that has been misconstrued and bastardized. Many times, we define leadership in terms of the position a person holds. Interestingly, you don’t need to hold a position or have a title added to your name to be a leader. If all of these do not define leadership, then what is leadership?

In the real sense of the word, leadership is being able to act as a source of empowerment or encouragement for others. The result is always to ensure that those who are led become better versions of themselves. Successful leadership will also result in helping an organization or team achieve desired outcomes or set objectives. 

Leadership involves seeing the bigger picture and taking steps toward translating it into reality. This will include making decisions, saying the right things, and taking the necessary actions for the greater good of the organization rather than oneself.

Core Instincts of Great Leaders

So many people refer to themselves as leaders today, but not all make a positive impact. Before one can be viewed as a leader, one must possess and display certain qualities. These qualities are the core instincts of great leaders, and we will discuss seven of them below:

Resilience

Leadership is stressful; uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Despite the challenges that come with leadership, it is essential to note that you must keep moving forward. You cannot let the challenges weigh you down or cloud your sense of judgment. Yes, you may sometimes feel frustrated, but as a good leader, you must ride your frustrations to lead your team in the right direction.

Drive

You cannot be passive as a leader. Drive is one of the core instincts of great leaders that you should possess. It is essential that you stay highly motivated. Passion is contagious, and your level of motivation will determine how motivated your followers will be.

Creativity

A creative leader makes use of innovative, unique ways to solve problems. They always seem to devise solutions for problems where everyone else has given up and is void of ideas. Creativity for a leader means thinking out of the box. Sometimes, the solution to a challenge will require stepping out of the norm. The leader must take the initiative, think things through, and facilitate the rest of their team to take the step. Sometimes, it doesn’t work as planned, but the leader is ready to take responsibility to stop, retrace their steps, and steer the team in the right direction using innovation.

Communication

Communication is easily one of the most important of all the core instincts of great leaders. This is because, without this quality, none of the other instincts mean much. To inspire your followers, respond to their needs, and lead them in the right direction, you must be able to communicate effectively. Poor communication results in frustration with effort and poor productivity. If a person must lead, they must first develop solid and effective communication skills.

Integrity

Integrity refers to holding up the values of your organization or the body that you lead. It also involves treating others fairly regardless of who they are or where they stand in the pecking order. When a leader acts with integrity, you can rest assured that their followers will display the same attribute.

Teachability

For someone to be promoted to the leadership position, they probably know a lot already. However, knowing so much is not the end of learning; there’s still so much to learn. Our world is continually evolving, and it is the leader’s responsibility to keep up with the latest trends. As a leader, you must be on a constant quest for new knowledge.

Empathy

Last, but not least, is empathy. Great leaders should be compassionate and be able to connect with their followers. They must care about how their team members feel, watch out for their welfare, and seek to meet their needs. Doing this will require the leader to possess very high emotional intelligence. People are different, so the leader must be equipped emotionally to deal with each follower based on their peculiarity.

Conclusion

There you have it for the core instincts of great leaders. These are just a few of the qualities leaders should possess. Do you know any others? Kindly share them in the comments section. Meanwhile, visit GodKulture for other inspiring articles about leadership.