If you want to be a heroic leader, you need to have the right characteristics activated within you in order to impact the lives of others. In this article we will explore three characteristics that you need to be the hero of your company. Before you begin building your enterprise, it is vitally important to know and develop these character traits to be the heroic leader the world is waiting to see.

1. The Heroic Leader is Not a Boss! In the beginning stages of starting your business, panic and frustration can kick-in quickly. Especially when every sale means your survival and every customer is a big deal. Then, out of anger, you start cracking the whip and begin threatening your employees in an attempt to get them to realize that if they slack off, the business would go broke and they could be out of work. In his book "EntreLeadership," Dave Ramsey said that, "leading by fear and anger is not leading—it is bad parenting for two-year-olds. And if you lead like this, your company will perform like scared two-year-olds."

Now, if you want employees, then lead by fear and anger. But if you want team members who can lead, then start explaining why you do what you do. This is how you teach your team to think like you. You may have to explain several times, but when they get it, they’ll begin taking ownership for what they do. If they constantly refuse to listen, then it may be time for them to look for work somewhere else.

2. The Heroic Leader is Humble! Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty. If the truck with your supplies in it needs unloading, help unload. If there’s no paper in the copier, put more paper in. if the bathroom needs cleaning, clean it. Your title doesn’t make you better than the job that needs to get done. No one will love your business more than you. But when your team sees you getting your hands dirty constantly, they will follow your example and take more pride in their work. When you live by being an example, it validates your team’s job and they have more respect for what they’re doing.

3. The Heroic Leader is Focused! You need to focus on success instead of results. Money, big houses, fancy cars, etc., are results. But true success is making a difference in another person’s life. A heroic leader focuses on improving the lives of their customers, as well as their team. When you invest in training your team, it improves customer relationship and can bring repeat business. If you focus on results, you’ll only get results. When you focus on success; improving the lives of others, then the results will come automatically.

If you want to be the hero of your company, invest time into your team. Ask questions to find out from them what could be done better. After sifting through all the suggestions, get the best one and put it into action. Then acknowledge the one who gave the suggestion to the whole team. You may even want to give them a small gift. When you do this, they will feel appreciated and valued. They will do their best work because they know you care. As a result, when your customers interact with your team, they will have a better experience with your company. At this point, you would have become their heroic leader.