Leadership at its best can be viewed at its basic core or at its ultimate goal, but regardless of the explanation or presentation, many find it difficult to completely understand it. As a result, when true leadership is needed, it is not always readily available. This reality in turn produces a modern-day paradox: “What does the business professional need to know about leadership in its simplest form?”
There are 5 simple traits that are important to master. These are: leadership presence, vision, encouragement, decision-making, and growth.

Leadership presence is the foundation that deals with the leader and his or her influence on issues, individuals, or being in the moment. Presence also embodies authenticity: being who you are on and off the stage as well as “walking the talk”. It is being positioned to be in the right place at the right time in order to demonstrate a critical action that underscores the ultimate responsibility of creating a new reality or building a concise mission. It is knowing what it is like being on the “front lines” of interaction by virtue of personally visiting those “front lines” and becoming educated by what is ongoing. This is in essence “leadership by walking around”; and, in the process, getting “dirt under your fingernails” so that the leader gains through functional learning. Leadership presence is also responding, not reacting to immediate challenges. In responding, leadership presence is proclaimed when confronted with a stumbling block. The present leader takes action in building a bridge over the issue, finding a pathway around the issue, or confronting the issue head-on to turn the stumbling block into a stepping stone to gain success. Unless leadership presence is evident and is firmly entrenched, the other traits and their impact will fall short.
Our second simple trait is vision. It is a leader’s responsibility to take others to places they have never been before. The critical ability to look ahead in the journey or to gaze at the countryside and see vast development in the reality of wastelands is the true sense of leadership vision. Its intentional focus is squarely on what is being built. Once it is fundamentally reached, expressed, conveyed and agreed upon, it provides an unyielding fuel to drive the organization or individual to heights never before expressed. Thus, knowing what you want and what you are pushing toward are the ingredients that produce vision. It is much like the old Lehman Brothers advertisement that brought vision to life. It said, “Vision is having an acute sense of the possible. It is seeing what others don’t see. And when those with similar vision are drawn together, something extraordinary occurs.” As longtime and legendary GE CEO Jack Welch once said, “Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”
Next comes encouragement. The famed motivational speaker and sales champion Zig Ziglar once said, “You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.” Encouragement breeds an unyielding sense of performance attitude that propels even the most novice individual to higher levels of achievement when it is delivered authentically. In leading, those responsible must always be on the watch for ways to impact the mental and physical well-being of others. Recognition and praise are powerful arrows in the quiver of leaders that will help them build affirmative relationships with those whom they lead. People tend to live up to the compliments they receive; thus, leaders should utilize such opportunities to stimulate action which makes the best fundamental use of their people’s potential abilities. There are three well-known questions every leader needs to address daily:
“What will I do today to express faith in people?”
“How will I give people the courage to do their best?”
“What specific actions will I take to recognize people for who they are and what they can
achieve?”

As co-founder of AmWay Richard M. De Vos once said, “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push. A smile. A word of optimism and hope. A “you can do it"
when things are tough.” Encouragement of others does make a dynamic difference.

Fourth is the trait of decision-making. Perhaps nothing short changes leadership more than a leader who fails to make decisions. People listen to what a leader may say but more importantly they watch what the leader actually does. Does the leader act? Further, there is also a disconnect that can occur as a result of a leader who fails to make tough decisions personally. The fear of making a personal mistake guides their personality so strongly that the leader does not want to be directly associated with situations that may sour. By pushing the final decision to another, potential confrontation is avoided in that leader’s mind. Deniability becomes an often-toasted position. How sad for this leader and also those who are subjected to the leader’s guidance. Followers want leaders who will make decisions. Not that they will agree with the ultimate outcome or directive, but at least they know their leader walks his or her talk. Leaders who have the courage to stand the criticism and take their organizations where the environment is going will find themselves and their organizations better positioned to dominate the future.
Finally is the trait of growth. In any business enterprise, there must be growth if that business is to be sustained. Growth comes in many forms. Some growth examples include sales and profits from products or services, expansion of the business model, awareness of the business brand, or the development of the people connected with the business organization. In essence, individuals or entities will not develop into what they need to be by remaining what they currently are. Therefore, having a detailed plan regarding growth including viable action plans to pave the way will better ensure that positive outcomes can be obtained. Challenges to most growth initiatives however can arise from failure to put plans into action, improperly managing the growth experience, or lack of full commitment. Those are almost always attributable to the face of leadership. Growth is much like a plant; if it is given minimal nourishment, it will live, but it may not grow. If nourishment is given regularly, the plant should live and grow to most expectations. If nourishment and care are given abundantly, not only will the plant live but most likely it will produce the most beautiful blooms. That abundance and care is where superior leadership comes into play. A leader’s hand is the dominant secret to a “blooming” result.

There are many sides of leadership and also many opinions regarding leadership as to how it best works. The end result links closely to the outcomes that leadership brings. Those outcomes will most often determine success or setback not only for the business but more importantly for those impacted by the leadership presence. Leadership is thus more than a position; it is a way of life.