With the new year in full swing, now is the perfect time to reevaluate where your business stands. As part of this review, take a second to analyse your leadership style. Ask yourself, do you have what it takes to lead your business to success? Below we outline the top five characteristics we believe all successful leaders need to possess.

Extreme ambition

As business leaders, we are all ambitious. If we are not, we probably would not be in the position we are in now. However, what truly sets successful leaders apart from the rest, is their extreme, unwavering drive to reach their goals.

This extreme ambition guides them as they move along the often complicated road of growing a business. Without this drive, chances are you will find it hard to keep the laser-like focus you require to take your business to greater heights.

To maintain this drive, it is critical you have a clearly defined mission and long-term goals that define what success looks like. Not only will this give you something to pursue, but it will also hold you accountable and ensure your desire and ambition never wavers.

Natural confidence

Generally, successful leaders are individuals that possess high levels of natural confidence. This allows them to push forward in the face of adversity, accept challenges and attract top talent who want to follow them.

As a business owner possessing true, natural confidence is key to not being held back by fear or doubt. There are countless stories of businesses either failing or stagnating due to fear of taking a risk or doubting the business’ mission. However, if you are confident in yourself, your team and your business, having the confidence to take a risk, even an unintended one, could be the catalyst for greater success.

Goal orientated

Under every truly successful individual and business lies a set of concrete and well-defined goals that guides every action. They not only have big, long-term goals but also a set of smaller, shorter-term goals that underline their overarching mission.

However, successful leaders also understand that along the journey to achieving these goals, chances are there will be unforeseen obstacles or challenges that need to be overcome. Instead of waving and thinking it is too hard, they possess the confidence in themselves to look for another route in order to overcome the challenges and continue on towards their goals.

This goal orientated mindset is critical to being successful in business, without it chances are the business will be moving forward without any direction. With the new year starting, now is the perfect time to either reevaluate your goals or design a set that will help you visualise what success looks like this year.

Never settling

In business, if we are not constantly moving forward and pushing the envelope, we are unfortunately being left behind. Successful businesses are lead by individuals who are not satisfied with okay or what is perceived to be the ‘right way’. Instead, they are curious, always looking to evolve and better themselves, their employees and thus their business.

Poking your neck out and asking ‘why’ or taking a different route to others in your industry may seem risky but the rewards if it pays off are worth it. This is where having the confidence in yourself and the business is key.

Remember, every major breakthrough came from someone asking ‘why’ or looking to break the mould. If you feel there is a better way to operate this year or a hole in the market, look into it more. Do your research, speak to your customers and have a go.

Cool under pressure

Successful leaders are individuals that are comfortable when the pressure is on. As a business leader chances are you are constantly under pressure. Being pulled every which way, being asked to make tough decisions, all while appearing like you have everything under control.

This can be a tough trait to gain and for some, and it may take years to master. However, the key is to approach pressure situations with a positive attitude and with a clear plan of attack. This will stop you from becoming overwhelmed and ideally lead to the best outcome being reached.

These five key leadership characteristics are essential for any business owner who is looking to take their business to the next level. With the new year in full swing, now is the perfect time to review where you stand and set a plan in place for working on these characteristics.

If you are able to work on these throughout the year, chances are when you conduct your business’ yearly review it will be in a much better position than it was.

At Deployed, we understand what businesses need to push forward and succeed. They need a strong and committed leader and a dedicated and passionate team behind them. Our goal is to help businesses achieve success by connecting them with a high-quality remote team that is capable of managing a wide range of tasks.

Whether you need a one-man admin support team or a dedicated development team, we can facilitate your requirements. Now is the perfect time to start the process of building a remote team for your business. If you are interested, do not hesitate to contact us today.