What does it take to be a great leader?

成为一个优秀的领导者需要什么？

Once upon a time, birth order and socioeconomic status were considered powerful determinants in who would successfully climb the ladder.

曾今，人们认为长幼顺序以及社会经济实力是决定谁能成功晋升的关键因素。

Lately, though, the focus has shifted to personal qualities.

然而如今，个人素质才是关键。

Guiding vision, passion, and integrity are well known leadership traits. But there are lesser¹ known leadership traits, as well--in fact, some historically have been perceived as weaknesses.

远见、激情和正直是我们所熟知的领导特质。但是还有一些我们不太熟悉的领导特质，甚至其中一些一直被误认为是弱点。

These hidden traits can be developed and nurtured³ to help further your career and your role as a leader, at work, in your community, or in life in general.

这些潜藏的特质经过发展和培养，能够成为你推进职业生涯的助力，帮助你在社会集体中或是生活中做好一个领导者。

See if you just might have some or all of these personal qualities that lend well to leadership:

看看你是否也具备下面几种对领导力有帮助的特质：

1. Empathy

1. 共鸣

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. This is incredibly important in any workplace environment and helps you to manage conflict and relationships. However, it's become even more important as businesses compete to better understand the needs of their customers. People don't want to be analyzed⁴ and marketed to--they want brands to understand what they want and need. Empathetic leaders function better within the company, but can also use this trait to power the business, as well.

共鸣是一种能够理解并分享他人感觉的能力。这在任何工作场合中都是非常重要的一点，能够帮助你解决冲突，培养关系。尤其当更好地理解消费者需求成为生产经营的重心，共鸣就更加重要了。消费者不想被分析调查——他们想要品牌了解他们的想法 需求。有共鸣的领导在公司内部能发挥更大的作用，但也可以利用这一点公司业务更进一步。

2. Optimism

2. 乐观

You might think of optimism as the quality of one being hopeful, but it also indicates confidence in successful outcomes. Of course, blind optimism isn't a good thing, but optimistic leaders can inspire and motivate teams.

也许你认为乐观只能代表对事物抱有期望，但是乐观也代表对成功的结果充满信心。当然盲目的乐观并不是好事，只是乐观的领导可以给整个团队灵感和动力。

3. Forgiveness

3. 原谅

No one enjoys the boss who lords every mistake they've ever made over their head. There is real power in allowing employees to take calculated risks, but they have to know it's not going to be held against them later. Doing so kills creativity and motivation--it causes people to think twice before bringing a new idea to the table, or experimenting with a new process or product. Learn how to forgive mistakes to nurture² creativity and inspiration and your team will pay you back ten-fold.

没有人喜欢自己的老板揪住自己的错误不放。允许员工承担可以计算的风险是真正的实力，但是他们也必须意识到风险最后不会造成危害。只是这样做就扼杀了创造力和动力——员工们在公开自己的新想法、试验新程序和新产品之前会三思而后行。学会原谅错误，可以培养员工的创造力和灵感，整个团队会以十倍来回报。

4. Altruism⁵

4. 利他主义

Altruism means you care about the welfare of others. In business, this means you want the people around you to do better, feel better, and perform better. You are not an island. You don't need to take all of the credit for yourself. You understand that building up the people around you makes you all look better. This is an incredible leadership quality, but not one you might traditionally associate with power or strength.

利他表明你关心别人的福利。在工作中，这意味着你希望身边的人做得更好，感觉更好，表现得好。你不是一座孤岛，不需要占据所有的功劳。你明白和周围的人建立好关系能让所有人更好。这是领导的重要特质之一，但是你可能从没有把它和权力联系到一起。

5. Eloquence⁶

5. 口才

The ability to speak and write persuasively⁸ has gained importance in the age of digital communications. People expect leaders to communicate and they want to be "wowed." An eloquent⁹ speech can close a deal. An eloquent memo¹⁰ to staff can quell¹¹ fears, dampen dissent¹², or inspire people to reach new heights. Practice your writing and speaking to become a more effective, persuasive⁷ leader.

在数字通讯的时代，说写具有说服力越来越重要。人们期待领导能和他们交流，有能力让他们被震住。一番慷慨陈词能搞定一笔交易。对员工有说服力的提醒能消除恐惧，排除异议，鼓舞员工达到新高度。练习你的写作和演讲能力，成为一个更高效、更具说服力的领导。

6. Discernment

6. 识别能力

Discernment is the ability to judge well, whether in relation to people, situations, or business decisions. If you are discerning, you take the time to understand a problem and walk your way around various solutions to find just the right one. You don't jump head first into every opportunity, but think critically and find the best option.

识别能力是能够鉴别人、场合和商业决定的能力。如果你有眼光，那么你能花时间理解问题所在，并从多个解决方案中选择最正确的。你不会抓住每个机会，而是冷静判断后选择最好的。

7. Modesty¹³

7. 谦虚

No one likes to hear how awesome¹⁴ someone else is all the time--especially when it comes from that person. Let your work speak for itself; don't fall into the trap of being the one who blows your horn the loudest. Confidence is a great trait, but must be tempered with modesty.

没有人喜欢总是听一个人的好话——尤其是这些好话还是从本人嘴里说出来的。让你的工作为你说话，不要掉入自吹自擂的陷阱中。自信是很好的品质，但是也需要谦虚来中和一下。

These qualities can be powerful tools for entrepreneurs and aspiring¹⁵ leaders who are willing to put the time and effort into developing them.

这些品质是企业家们最有力的助力，并且能让那些花时间和经历培养它们的领导更有追求。