Three Characteristics of Successful Leaders and Employees 

leadership Feb 09, 2022
Life Success Academy

From my year's experience of being a leader and training people through Positive Psychology Coaching and providing them with Positive Psychology tools, I learned three essential things that make a successful leader. The same three characteristics make successful employees—knowledge, skills, and attitude. Knowledge and skills are given. Attitude is something that differentiates good leaders from great leaders. Because of that, let's start with attitude.  

I. Attitude

In my Positive Psychology Coaching program, we always talk about the attitude of gratitude. Without saying, we know that a positive attitude toward life and work is what we are genuinely looking for from our employees and ourselves. As an organizational leader, I trust that you have developed this attitude over the years; now is the time to mentor and coach your employees to do the same. 

Here are eight "Attitude Rules" I believe you should follow to succeed in business.  

1. Nothing is hard to do

For some people, everything is hard to do, "I gotta work late tonight; why do I have to go to that meeting? I have to be early in the office today. Why?" And so on. Please don't be like that. I know you're not; otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this. When you come with a "Nothing is hard to do" attitude, which I used to call "I do windows," to let my boss know that I am ready to do anything to help them and the business, you are establishing yourself as a true leader.  

2. I am available any time to help my boss and the business

If all you want is a job (say 9 - 5), do only what you have to do and nothing else, then do not expect anything extra from your company either—no promotions, No additional bonuses. No perks. You give no extra - you get no extra. That's fair. But if you want to succeed at your work, grow, create a career, then make sure you let your boss know you are available any time to serve your business and the clients. When you come with this attitude, your bosses will most likely do everything they can to support what you need and help you get the position you deserve.

3. I can accomplish anything

This attitude is helping organizations and employees succeed. Did you know that based on the research by Bruce Lipton, when we believe in something, truly believe, our body changes all the way down to the cell level? So yes, believing you can do anything can help you accomplish your own and big organizational goals. 

4. My role is to help my boss become successful

For some folks, this one gets tricky because they focus on themselves rather than seeing a bigger picture. When you do your best, and always your best, you are also helping your boss succeed in their role. And when they thrive, you grow with them. Do not worry about who gets the credit. If you have a fair manager, and I assume you do, even if it looks like they are getting the credit for your work, chances are they will find a way to show appreciation for what you do. And if they never do, that is a different story. 

5. I am here to serve 

This should be your and your employer's attitude. I am not here to be served. I am here to serve. Unless you go to get a coffee or have dinner, that's fine. Have somebody serve you. But when you do what you're supposed to be doing anyway, in this case, I am talking about your job, always think about what can I do to serve? What can I do to help others? As a leader, what can I do to help my employees become even happier? How can I serve them even better? And as an employee, what can I do to serve my leadership team, my manager, and the organization as a whole.  

 6. Most things that help the company bottom line help me as well

What do I mean by this? The company's bottom line is the reason why most companies exist. Right? Sometimes, they do things that we may or may not agree with. But the bottom line is that the company profitability will help you keep getting that paycheck. So we have to figure out how do we align? How do we align with the company's bottom line? How do we align with that approach? 

For example, If the company takes away some perks, cuts the bonuses, or increases the price for the health plan, trust that they are doing that to increase profitability, which will help everyone in the long run.

7. We are all here together 

When working in an organization, small, medium, large, it doesn't matter; an attitude of "we are all here together" is the key to success. We are all here together. You're not going to accomplish much by yourself. If anything, let's be honest; we are all accomplishing things together. And that really should be your attitude.

8. What I do is not work, is not a career, is my calling 

Ideally, what you do for a  living is your calling. And even if it is not, try to do anything to connect it with your calling. Maybe this job is helping you do what you love to do; perhaps it is preparing you for your true calling; the money you make may be allowing you to volunteer evenings and weekends to help others. Whatever it is, try to connect your true calling with your job. This connection will help you perform at your top level.  

II. Knowledge

Having knowledge in your particular field is undoubtedly a base for your success. So all I can do here is assume you got the knowledge. When we talk about business and happiness, leaders who truly understand this connection between these two are the ones who are very successful.  

Are you aware that a considerable amount of research shows that happy people are successful? Can you use this knowledge to help your organization improve its button line? Yes, you can. All you need to do now is expand your expertise in this area. What will help?  

Start learning scientifically proven happiness tools by studying Positive Psychology and Positive Psychology Coaching. You may want to look at the areas of happiness, relationships, positive emotions, engagement or flow, meaning and purpose, achievement, mindfulness, etc. 

And of course, regardless of your expertise, understanding business, finances, human relations, personal development, etc., will help you become an even better leader. 

III. Skills

I am sure that you are highly skilled in performing all the necessary work to make your company successful. Let's go over some other skills that a successful leader should have to create a happy organization and help employees become happier while working there.  

Once you know the employees and Organizational Wellness (Positive psychology), you will get the skills by practicing the tools you learned. Remember that it has to work for you before introducing these skills inside your organization.  

Many ways successful leaders introduced happiness tools to their employees. You can try "lunch and learn" sessions, workshops, 1x1 coaching, webinars, etc. There is no right or wrong way to get the skills out to your team. Do what you think will work the best for your organization.   

Braco Pobric is an Internationally Recognized Positive Psychology Expert, Executive Coach, and Corporate Trainer. He is the bestselling author of Habits and Happiness: How to Become Happier and Improve Your Wellbeing by Changing Your Habits. Braco is a founding member and Chief Happiness Officer of the Life Success Academy, Certified Positive Psychology Master Trainer, and former globally Certified Trainer and Business Coach for Dale Carnegie Training. He trained over 60,000 Students in 172 countries.

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