Being an exceptional leader is not an easy task, which is why only rare people can do it. All great leaders have some common traits that define them and help them be successful at what they do.

These traits mostly come into focus during times of hardship, when it is extremely important to take the reins and lead without any hesitation. This is exactly how you deserve the respect, admiration, and trust from the people under your governance.

We’ve recognized five main traits all great leaders have, so we’re sharing them with you in the text below. Read them and see if you can recognize yourself in some or all of them.

Humility

While confidence is a very important and very attractive trait of all great leaders, humility plays an equally important role. If a leader wants to be respected and loved by their patrons, they need to show humility when the situation requires it. It’s important to be able to realize and admit you are wrong and to take cues from other people. You must allow for your actions to be scrutinized and criticized if you want to have enough room for progress.

Courage

Being a successful leader and being remembered as such is impossible without being courageous. Oftentimes, courageous people are born with that trait, but this is also a virtue that you can practice and learn. When the situation requires bold and risky moves, it is the leader who needs to take initiative and responsibility. If you are still not as courageous as you wish you’d be, faking it is a good start to get into that mindset.

Passion

Not being passionate about what you do means that you will never become a leader. Leaders need to be inspirational figures who are going to motivate the people around them to work harder than before. However, it’s very difficult to motivate others if you are not motivated yourself. Therefore, if you wish to become a leader one day, aim for an area you feel passionate about and not for one where you think it would be easy to succeed.

Clarity

As a leader, you need to have a clear vision of the direction in which you want to be going. Leaders are concise and clear at all times and have very few doubts. This is important because it gives people the opportunity to understand your goals and to be able to decide whether they want to side with you or not. Overall, few people actually know what they want; thus, they want someone who will clarify their own desires.

Decisiveness

Hesitation is not a trait that will get you far as a leader. A leader needs to be decisive and not to be afraid to commit fully to what they believe is right. Unless it is absolutely necessary, great leaders rarely change their minds or back out of their decisions. Remember, we mentioned that you need to be courageous as a leader and decisiveness is one of the ways in which you’re able to express your courage.