In the book, Lessons From the Top: The Search for America's Best Business Leaders, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, made the following observation:

In the book, Lessons From the Top: The Search for America's Best Business Leaders, Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks, made the following observation:

"I think it's very difficult to lead today when people are not really truly participating in the decision. You won't be able to attract and retain great people if they don't feel like they are part of the authorship of the strategy and the authorship of the really critical issues. If you don't give people an opportunity to really be engaged, they won't stay."

So let's explore the five key attributes that will help you become the kind of leader people love working with.

Key Attribute 1: You must have a vision.

• As a leader, you have to learn to communicate your vision to the people you want to follow you.
• Learn to paint a picture with words. Speak it, write it, draw it, touch it. Whatever methods you can use to create a picture, do it. As they say, "A picture is worth a thousand words."
• As you work, your vision should be in your mind every day, and you should re-evaluate it occasionally so that it stays current with the changing times in which we live. And remember, your team needs to be just as involved as you in keeping it up to date if you truly want them to buy in on the vision. Be sure to keep your key players involved.

Key Attribute 2: You must have passion.

Your team wants passion; in fact, they'll go to the ends of earth because of it, live and die for it.

To build an extraordinary team, you've got to light the "fire in their bellies," to get them to feel passion about the company and connect to the leader's vision and in the creative sector, passion is a real driving force, so harness that passion!

And passion is infectious: When you talk about your vision, let your passion shine through. Others will feel it and want to get on board with you. If you don't have passion for your vision, you need to recreate your vision or reframe your description of your vision so it's connected to your passion.

Key Attribute 3: You must learn to be a great decision maker.

Some leaders have a set process, and others fly by the seat of their pants. But you don't want to be one of those leaders who consults no one before making a decision, announces it the next day and then gets frustrated when no one follows it.

Key Attribute 4: You must be a team builder.

To become a great leader, you must develop a well-oiled machine. Make sure you hand responsibility to your team for the team goals and letting them run with it. Don't breathe down their necks and definitely don't micromanage, but make yourself available if questions or problems come up. Give your team the freedom to work through their own decisions.

When projects aren't on track or your team is falling behind on deadline, it serves no one if you start pointing fingers. This is when you need to rise to the occasion and inspire confidence, to let them know you support them and ready to help. Be ready to alter plans and make new ones. Don't forget to use humor to keep your team's spirits up during a crisis. When an emergency hits, your team will look to you to be a tower of strength and endurance.

Key Attribute 5: You must have character.

Without character, all the other "keys" are for naught. That's because your innate character strengths and limitations play a critical role in your leadership style. The real question is, are you aware of just what role they play? All great leaders have taken steps to learn about their individual personality and what part it plays in their leadership style.

Exercise

So what's your leadership style? If you don't know, there are many leadership style assessments available on the market. A popular one that has been around for many years is the Myers Briggs Assessment. There is also this survey at Mind Tools on your motivation to lead. It's a good way to do a "character check" on yourself and your leadership skills.

Then, once you've done the assessments, ask yourself the following question:

Do you feel your character matches what the assessments are pointing out to you?

If you feel the attributes don't match who you think you are, then look a little deeper and be honest with yourself. Sometimes our first response is defensive. You might want to assess yourself with a different type of profile and then compare the results.

So are you a great leader? Or do you have the desire to become one? When you speak about your vision, it should be with a passion you feel in your heart, a passion that creates so much enthusiasm that your team will want to jump on board. And you should be continually assessing your own character and never stop growing, personally or professionally.