Today, Australia goes to the polls to decide who will be leading our country for the next 3 years. Whatever the result, it’s clear we need a courageous and empathetic leader who is capable of looking after our small and medium businesses, our economy, and ordinary everyday Australians and their families, as well as steer us further away from the havoc that the COVID- 19 pandemic has caused us.

No doubt this will be a tough fight, but it has got me thinking about what kind of leader Australia needs. What kind of leaders we need running all the countries across the world. Every leader is different and every leader has their own strengths and weaknesses, some might be leading for the right reasons, they want to help the country they love, and others just might want the power that comes with the highest position in the country. Some lead with their hearts, others lead with their heads and their hands.

We need all our leaders to have the following traits:

• Courage
• Kindness
• Confidence
• Commitment and passion
• Empathy
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Creativity
• Loyalty
• Decisiveness
• Self-awareness
• Gratitude
• Be great communicators
• Have an open-door policy

This may seem like a long list, but it’s really not. A lot of these traits, like kindness and honesty, should come naturally to a lot of people. We need a leader who can govern the Australian people wisely and who can steer us out of disasters that threaten our lives and livelihoods like COVID-19 pandemic. We need our leader to have the best interests of Australians at heart, we don’t want them to use the position to obtain more power, rather they need to use their position for the good of the nation.

Not only should our world leaders have the above traits in spades, but so should our business and community leaders. Have a think about your leadership style. Does it match your business or organisation’s needs or do you need to change it up a little? Do you need to be a more compassionate leader or do you need to communicate more with your team? Or do you feel like
you have lost your purpose or passion? There’s no time like the present to change up your leadership style and be the leader your business needs.

How can you be the leader your business needs?

1. Talk to your team members.

Your team knows what’s happening within the business and they work directly under you. So, who better to ask if your leadership style is working than the members of your team. They may have constructive feedback on what you could do better. This might be communicating more, or holding more team meetings or working on building a more positive work environment for all team members.

2. Look at your business

Is your business doing as well as it used to? Are you adapting to change and getting with the times? Are you engaging with customers both on social media and in the real world. Have you gotten with the times? Are team members thriving or not working productively under your leadership. These are all questions you need to ask yourself. Is your style of leadership the best thing for your business?

3. Change up your leadership style

Sit down and write down a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Where you could improve and where you are performing strongly. What is working and what isn’t working. It’s important to not only work on improving yourself as a leader, but as a human being. By changing up you leadership style and learning to recognise what works and what doesn’t for your business, you will become an even stronger and more empathetic leader.

4. Don’t run from change

Change is inevitable and the mark of a great leader is their commitment and dedication to their values, mission, goals and purpose. True leaders also don’t run from change, instead they learn to evolve with the times and with what is happening in the world at the time, whether it be the COVID-19 pandemic, natural disasters, lockdown or more changes in technology and the digital age. Embrace change and don’t try and run and hide from it.

5. What kind of leader do you want to be

It also helps to reflect back on the reasons why you wanted to step into the leadership world and become a leader. Was it because you love motivating people or want to make the world a better place? By stepping back in time, you can recognise those moments when you decided to become a leader. This will help you pinpoint the ways you need to improve as a leader and what you could do better. We learn from our past for our future.

By Sonia McDonald – CEO Of LeadershipHQ And McDonald Inc. Leadership Coach, Global Keynote Speaker, Entrepreneur, CEO And Award Winning Author.

Sonia McDonald is changing the face of leadership across the globe. She believes we should lead with kindness and courage, from the heart, and is known for her mantra ‘Just Lead’. She leads by example in all these areas and through her transformational coaching, leadership training programs and cultural transformation for organisations and encourages others to do the same. Sonia has helped thousands of people on their leadership journey to become the best version of themselves and in turn, inspire and bring out the best in others.

Sonia is a founder and CEO of McDonald Inc., LeadershipHQ and Global Outstanding Leadership Awards and 2022 Courage Conference. For more than 25 years, Sonia has been on the front lines of leadership and she is beyond committed to her mission of building a world of great leaders.

She has held leadership positions worldwide and through experience, research and study come to realize what it takes to be a truly great leader. She has been recognized by Richtopia as One of the Top 250 Influential Women across the Globe and Top 100 Australian Entrepreneurs.

Sonia can speak bravely and authentically about her own development as a leader, and personal and career challenges in a way that resonates with her audience. She is a leading coach, an award-winning published author of newly released First Comes Courage, Leadership Attitude and Just Rock It! and has become an in-demand keynote speaker on leadership, kindness, and courage.

Sonia has become recognised for her commentary around the topic of leadership, kindness, empathy, and courage as well as for building outstanding leadership across the Globe.