Traits of a true leader

Remain optimistic

Your subordinates look to you for leadership and your mood reflects on their morale: be it positive or negative. Success or failure in contingencies depend on how they are approached.

Set a clear direction

Unless you direct your team in the right direction seldom do they reach the right destination. Understand what and where you need to be and communicate them appropriately.

Create a work plan

Plan well and work optimally. While no plan should be set in stone and should be adapted as situations call for, it is universally understood that "one who fails to plan has ultimately planned to fail"

Secure sufficient resources

Just words and directives won't suffice but ensure you supply your team with the necessary resources to achieve their tasks be it time, money, tools or training.

Hear more than you say

Listen more and lecture less

Do not hold meetings without agendas

If you do not have clear cut agendas for meetings, do not hold one. Plan and communicate meeting agendas nefore setting up meetings and stick to them religiously. Meetings held just for the sake of holding meetings lose their credibility and with it the leader's

Do not criticize in public

Follow this religiously and avoid resentment

Praise in public

Follow this religiously and improve the morale to perform better

Do not ask a subordinate to do something that you wouldn't do yourself

Be it big or small, think before you delegate. Would you do it yourself if you could or are you just trying to pass the buck

Do not micromanage

Delegate authority to your subordinates according to their job profile and encourage them to accept ownership of their decisions. If you insist upon making every final decision, the progress of the organization will grind to a halt: even worse, making you the bottleneck. If you cannot delegate you have no business calling yourself a leader.

Give your team the credit

Make sure you give credit to your team when you succeed and try not to pass the buck to them when things do not go as planned. This in itself is a great trait of a true leader