Congratulations! At a younger age than most, you’ve taken the leap into entrepreneurship and started your own business. I started my first company (an advertising agency) when I was 25 years old and have been on my entrepreneurial path for 20 years. So I truly respect your drive and ambition.

But if you’re like many of the young entrepreneurs who hire me as their business coach, you may be struggling with managing and leading your employees.

Many business writers and motivational speakers have codified the attributes they believe are essential for leaders. Frequently, however, their descriptions focus on traits that make a leader personable, affable and well-liked. It’s nice to be liked, but leadership is not (just) a popularity contest. As a young leader, you’ll have to make decisions that won’t make everyone happy. And that’s OK. As long as your employees respect you, the ones who were not happy with your decision typically will get over it.

Almost everyone can describe the characteristics of an exceptional leader. Their descriptions may be based on a single great boss they had or on a collage of desirable features they recognized among several leaders, but most people seem to have some idea of what’s essential. However, whatever else might be true about the role, you’re not a good leader unless you have followers who respect–rather than fear–you.

In my book, Millennials Into Leadership, I discuss more than 100 tips and strategies to help Millennials become effective leaders. Here I’ll share seven attributes of respected leaders to help you on your journey to becoming one. They are reflections of character and personal integrity. And they must be developed through self-discipline, time and desire; they are not inherited and cannot be faked successfully . . . at least, not for long.

1. Sets high standards. Leaders set high standards for their followers–and for themselves. Successful leaders are consistent in demanding compliance with the standards they espouse. Those who do not are only fooling themselves.
2. Lives up to those standards. Leaders live up to the standards they’ve set. Nothing disqualifies a would-be leader faster than a double standard, one for them and another for those under their authority. Subordinates will quickly see through the duplicity, and loyalty will rapidly be replaced by disgust, grudging obedience and resignation letters.
3. Mentors those who follow. We all need guidance. However, many mediocre leaders expect their followers to attain the standards set by their leadership without being taught how. Effective leaders, on the other hand, invest themselves in their followers. They make a concerted effort to communicate verbally not only what is expected but how to achieve it.
4. Creates and shares a vision. Effective leaders are driven by a singular vision, not of what is, but of what will be. And they make sure that everyone around them understands and buys into that vision of where the organization is going and what is necessary to attain that goal. A splintered vision, or one that is implemented in a fragmented manner, will always result in competing interests within the organization, people vying for resources and each person thinking his or her particular function and sphere of effort is most important. This is when employee morale takes a plunge.
5. Makes the hard choices when necessary. Effective leaders are characterized by a willingness to make hard decisions–sometimes under extreme pressure. In the face of crisis, it is human nature to stall and try to keep all options open. True leaders don’t stall. They assess and execute. They know that stalling, or going into a state of denial, just makes things worse.
6. Is visible. Do your customers and staff have a clear and constant sense that you are really in charge? Respect is a key component of trust. And trust, in turn, is essential for creating followers. To command respect, leaders must be highly visible. I know many business owners, of all ages, who stay hidden in their office, rarely meeting with employees, avoiding customers–in fact, avoiding anything that remotely looks like a leadership quality. Don’t let that be you.
7. Instills hope in those who follow. The final attribute of successful leaders is their ability to instill hope. None of us can continue to grow, develop and perform at our highest potential without hope. Hope for success, hope for recognition and reward, and–most important–hope that indeed we can make a difference in the long-term outcome. Hope supplies the essential fuel that enables the human spirit to continue moving forward, especially in the face of adversity. Be a young leader who instills hope in your team, as a group and as individuals, and you can build a loyal following.

Two thoughts to sum up. One is a quote that’s been around forever: “People don’t leave companies, they leave managers.” Don’t be a boss whom people want to leave. Second, traditional management and leadership styles have created a work force where 60 percent of employees are dissatisfied and disengaged.

I challenge you, savvy Millennial entrepreneur, to bring in a new era of leadership that reduces that statistic.

Source: FoxBusiness.com