What makes a good leader? What qualities make certain people find success as a CEO over other individuals? There are numerous elements that go into being a strong leader, but these three traits stand out.

Purpose

Without an idea of where they want the business to go, CEOs will struggle to lead their employees to success. Be confident in your vision. Purpose is important at every level of the business, and innovation should be encouraged. Innovation is what leads to creativity, which leads to breakthroughs and success. A CEO who has vision and can inspire it in others will cultivate a creative culture of success.

Delegation and Empowerment

A strong leader knows how to delegate. If the CEO is trying to do everything within the business, not only will they probably be both crabby and tired, but important tasks will begin to fall to the wayside. Quality will diminish. A good leader knows that they must trust their employees enough to do the jobs they were hired to do. They effectively delegate tasks, put the trust in their employees, and empower them to get the job done. They instill confidence in their employees when they give them responsibility. Empowerment is a necessary ingredient in this equation.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence plays a key role in strong communication, good conflict resolution, social awareness, and empathy. Emotionally intelligent leaders can connect with their employees on a deeper emotional level. Not only can they effectively control their emotions, they understand the emotions of others. They’re able to make level-headed decisions, which gives them greater influence in the office. They also tend to be better at resolving conflict than their counterparts who aren’t so emotionally intelligent.