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The best leaders exhibit certain traits that make them hugely successful. According to ‘The Leadership Guy’ Peter Economy, being a good leader isn’t easy. While a leader’s actions may be scrutinized when things are going bad, it is their leadership qualities that shine through the worst of times. It is these same qualities that employees look up to, respect, and work very hard for. Tanya Prive, (CoFoundersLab.com) believes that as soon as you hire your first employee, you become a powerful leader.

Let’s have a closer look at the new workforce we are hiring. Millennials are now the largest living group, according to the Census Bureau. Due to the quantity of Millennials are in charge of buying decisions, the world is changing and business trends will have to cater for a consumer that craves success and technology. 10 years ago, you may have never even heard of a remote employee. Nowadays, meetings can be done via video conference platforms, services like customer service, social media and programming only require access to a computer and Internet. Talented Millennials can be hired for positions no matter where they live. Due to that, offices are becoming a thing of the past. Work is morphing from a place into an activity, so much so that it can be done without even going into the office. With globalisation and ever-improving technology, the workplace is becoming increasingly virtual and connected.

The question remains on how to lead a group of highly successful remote employees? Lets use Synergy Consulting Australia (SCA) as an example. 15 years ago, SCA was your typical brick and mortar business. To stay competitive in an ever-changing world, SCA had to morph into a modern, streamline online business utilising modern technology. With a team of experienced network partners as well as a remote operating SCA Specialist team, the company is able to deliver superior business solutions to clients by utilizing cutting edge information technology. SCA developed a smart GPA (Global Project Access) system which is a highly efficient communication set-up, enabling clients to be part of their project by easy 24/7 access to their files as well as communicate with the team at a time convenient for them.

So, what makes a good leader, specially with a team of remote people, operating at different times in different time zones? Actually, the key qualities of a good leader are the same, doesn’t matter if one operates a brick and mortar business or a modern, streamlined online business. Lets have a look at certain key qualities a successful leader needs to have:

Honesty – Whatever ethical plane you hold yourself to, when you are responsible for a team of people, it’s important to raise the bar even higher. Your business and its employees are a reflection of yourself, and if you make honest and ethical behaviour a key value, your team will follow suit.

Communication – Not all human beings are the same. You have cultural perspectives, language barriers, different educational backgrounds, personality traits and varying value systems with which individuals come pre-conditioned that greatly affects how information is processed and interpreted. In order to optimize your effectiveness as a leader, you must have the ability to customize your approach on a person by person basis, based on the situation at hand.

Confidence – As the leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the team feeling the same. Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude a level of calm damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling. The key objective is to keep everyone working and moving ahead.

Commitment – If you expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, you’re going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level.

Positive Attitude – You want to keep your team motivated towards the continued success of the company, and keep the energy levels up. Whether that means providing snacks, coffee, relationship advice, or even just an occasional beer in the office, remember that everyone on your team is a person.

Creativity – Some decisions will not always be so clear-cut. You may be forced at times to deviate from your set course and make an on the fly decision. As a leader, it’s important to learn to think outside the box and to choose which of two bad choices is the best option.

Intuition – When leading a team through uncharted waters, there is no roadmap on what to do. Everything is uncertain, and the higher the risk, the higher the pressure. When something unexpected occurs, or you are thrown into a new scenario, your team will look to you for guidance. Drawing on past experience is a good reflex, as is reaching out to your mentors for support.

Inspire – Creating a business often involves a bit of forecasting. Inspiring your team to see the vision of the successes to come is vital. Make your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the company.

Humility – While confidence is a very attractive trait in leaders, there’s nothing like a humble character for creating a lovable persona. Great leaders admit when they are wrong and take criticism as an opportunity for growth. Show the world how grateful you are to be where you are. This, in turn, will demonstrate how much you deserve the leadership role.

If you would like to improve your Leadership skills or need assistance with Human Resource why not engage an experienced business consulting firm like Synergy Consulting Australia to take the stress out of the entire business growth process.

We provide a large range of business consulting services which includes Legal, Accounting, Marketing, Project Management & Migration services. This also includes a full market research and feasibility report before investing. www.synergyaustralia.com.au

Synergy Consulting Australia is led by Ilona Solinska. Ilona has over 15 years’ national and international business consulting experience. She has coached hundreds of businesses in the area of Marketing, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Operation, Change & Project Management and is a highly sought after presenter on a wide variety of business topics.