Qualities of a Great Leader

Source: Journal of Accountancy

Alexandra DeFelice interviewed CPAs who have risen to roles of considerable leadership and responsibility about the qualities required to become a successful leader. Following are highlights from those interviews.

According to the CPAs interviewed, good leadership requires:

• A strong ability to communicate, including the ability to respond to questions or clearly explain an idea in the moment and to inspire others in the midst of challenging circumstances.
• Sensitivity toward the emotional aspects of a situation and the people involved – that is, having emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence includes understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, addressing those areas in which you need growth, relating well to others, and the ability to see a situation from another person's perspective.
• Considering other's needs before your own.
• An ability to manage time well, including balancing work and personal responsibilities. That may require keeping a basic “to-do” list, creating work boundaries to protect employees from logging too many hours, or literally scheduling time for your own family to keep from consistently working too much.

For the complete article, read “What Does It Take to Lead?”

From Journal of Accountancy, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, April 2011, http://www.journalofaccountancy.com/Issues/2011/Apr.