What are the best traits in an authentic leader?

1-Self-awareness: Authentic leaders are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, and they are willing to acknowledge them. They are also aware of their own biases and prejudices and work to overcome them.
2-Transparency: leaders are open and honest with their team. They share information, even when it's difficult to do so, and they don't hide behind a veil of secrecy.
3-Integrity: leaders act with integrity and follow through on their promises. They don't compromise their values, and they don't make decisions that go against their principles.
4-Empathy: Authentic leaders are empathetic and understand the needs and concerns of their team members. They are good listeners and are able to put themselves in their team's shoes.
5-Vision: leaders have a clear vision of where they want to go and how they want to get there. They are able to inspire their team to follow them and are committed to achieving their goals.
6-Humility: Authentic leaders are humble and recognize that they don't have all the answers. They are open to feedback and are willing to learn from others.
Resilience: Authentic leaders are resilient and are able to bounce back from setbacks and failures. They don't give up easily and are able to stay focused on their goals.
7-Courage: Authentic leaders have the courage to make difficult decisions and to take risks. They are not afraid to stand up for what they believe in and to challenge the status quo.

To mitigate overthinking the best traits a leader should consider if not possessed already. Ive opted to focus my attention on a “Top 3 Approach” for which each leader has embodied throughout my career. Firstly would have to be the most utilized characteristic as nearly every interaction between leadership and their subordinates most likely would entail some degree of relating with specific aspects of one’s life whether it’s a persons hometown or the school both parties would have attended previously. Being able to communicate efficiently with those that work under you is arguably the next best attribute for a leader to have at their disposal. This means after the instructions are distributed top to bottom those in charge do not have to repeat their instructions on a consistent basis. This is quite possibly the most common way for people to stand out amongst their peers while also being the most common type of failure amongst a group or team. The final skillset Ive chosen to include outlining great leadership is consistency. To conclude, the top three attributes a great leader typically exhibits are empathy, communication and consistency which if combined can provide the leader and their team some additional strength as they navigate the challenges ahead.

A good leader is always a good follower. You cannot lead if you do not know what it feels like to follow.
A good leader KNOWS his strengths but lets them show through the way they teache and train not by verbally expressing to all who can hear.
A true leader can tell what each of his subordinates need to succeed and ensure they are properly trained to elevate and succeed.
A leader has the disposition of strength and structure yet approachable.
A true leader strives to train future leaders

Servant Leadership Style - Taking care of your people to be successful to include properly equipping them to accomplish the mission. This also includes a measure of progressive discipline such as verbal reprimands, written corrective action plans and training. The success and development of a subordinates heavily weighs on the first-line supervisor. The thought of Servant Leadership should be in that the preparation of a subordinate to replace the supervisor.

Discernment - It's important to understand other's point of views, utilize empathic listening, and apply the communication needed to accomplish the mission. More can be accomplished using sugar then vinegar. Especially with newer generations where their thought is more of 'what can be done for them rather than what be done for their organization or mission tasked.

Humility - This is where most leaders may fall short. It's understandably tough to set aside personal leadership beliefs and trust others in 'taking the reins.' Leaders can absolutely grow subordinates by mentoring them and letting subordinates fail at times but getting them back up. Growth usually comes from failures and not as much from successes. Positive reinforcement, and when needed, negative reinforcement mentorships support that leader's humility and the development of subordinates.

Situational Leadership/Critical thinking - Obviously the situation dictates courses of actions. Leaders need to be dynamic to what's evolving, forecast worst case scenarios, and adjust accordingly. Critical management/leadership are absolutely essential in authoritarian style leadership. There is no time to be touch-feely in consideration to subordinates when rapid action is necessary to critical situations.

In summary, it is my opinion that Servant Leadership, discernment, humility, and Situational Leadership/critical thinking are the best traits in an authentic leader. In application of these traits, I believe subordinates will feel a sense of respect, understand the mission, and realize their roles in accomplishing a mission. In essence, 'vision casting' is what I see coming out of the application of th

1. Leaders set the example for those under their responsibility.
2. Real leaders listen to their troops as well as to those who are above them.
3. Leaders know how to communicate clearly the tasks they assigned to complete.
4. Leaders encourage and teach those underneath their responsibility in order that they may progress.
5. A leader will never "correct " (unless it is a life or death situation) an individual in front of others, at the same give a the person a kudos for something they have done or the progress they have made in in some area that shows they are part of the team.
6. A real leader asserts strength.

I believe that servant leaders exemplify the best traits of an authentic leader. Servant leaders do not seek power or authority over others but instead strive to be of service to them. The servant leader prioritizes the needs of those individuals under their charge above all else including above the needs of any company or organization. The servant leader also commits themselves to the development and success of their charges. The servant leader takes responsibility when their team encounters a failure and gives them their credit when successful. The servant leader understands that their success depends on the success of every individual under them and takes care to invest the time, energy, and resources necessary for each individual to achieve whatever level of success they desire.

Loyalty experience and caring

Leadership:
Knowing you have trained your team to complete the mission in your absence.

Know your business . Know the people working for you.Train personal to do job efficiently.

Leaders need one thing...followers. So, the real question is why anyone should follow us. For me it's the 3Ps. Leaders protect those in their charge, leaders provide for those in their charge and when those in their charge stumble and fall (we all do because we are human) leaders pick them up, dust them off and encourage them to try again, but this time let's do it together. I have used the 3P method over my 22yrs in the military. It is simply amazing the type of culture you can create if you protect, provide and pick-up.