5 Attributes Of The World’s Greatest Business Leaders

Theodore Roosevelt once said, "People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Those business leaders that care the most have the greatest impact on their employees and will, in turn, be the most successful leaders.
When your employees know that you care about what they think and about their lives, they will feel more valued. In turn, they will pay that back to you in the form of being a dedicated employee and giving you respect. What more could a business owner ask for? Now it’s just a matter of making sure you possess the caring attributes you need in order to lead.
Here are the five attributes of the world’s greatest business leaders.

Be of the people
People usually identify with leaders from within. This is because they believe there is a “get me” feeling. When you lead by being part of the crowd, you will be much more embraced. The ones who are “above the crowd” are seen as elitist, and it is difficult to connect with those people, or to like them.

Be humble
Great leaders know that no one, including themselves, is better or worse. Everyone brings their own value, and collectively there is power in that. Great leaders position themselves so that if they leave the group, the group stays just as strong. Great leaders develop strength in the crowd and free everyone from dependency on any one individual.

Be simple
To be a great leader, avoid communicating over people’s heads. Instead, communicate on the same level as everyone else. This, in part, will make you one “of the people.” Good communication with your employees can be a key component in helping to grow your business. Besides, when you talk to people rather than down to them, you show respect. That, in turn, will get you respect.

Block and tackle
Great leaders defend, protect and help their team. They know their most important job is to make everyone else’s job easier. And they gladly do the dirtiest of the dirty work when it supports the achievement of team goals. When you show you are willing to get in there and get dirty, you are demonstrating to them that you are humble, and you are one of them.

Believe in them
Forget trying to get the people to believe in you. Instead, get them to believe in themselves. Let them know you believe they can do their job, they can help the company succeed and that they will do what is right. That’s what great leaders do, and when you can do that, they will automatically believe in you.

Mutual Stance
Often times, entrepreneurs don’t realize that they will get what they give when it comes to their employees. You have no doubt heard the axiom that to get respect you have to give it; it works like magic in the business world. Treat your employees how you want to be treated, especially when it comes to being a part of their group, respecting who they are and believing in them. When you do this, you will make your job, and theirs, a whole lot easier.
Focus on showing your employees that you care, and you will see the rewards come back to you. People who know that their leaders care want to see them succeed. They will do everything they can to give them the support, and productivity, that is needed. What helps make a great business leader, in turn, helps to make great employees. And the cycle continues.

Source: http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-attributes-of-the-worlds-greatest-business-leaders 
            Article Author Mike Michalowicz