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Stand out from other applicants and highlight your leadership skills
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Leadership adjectives are words you can use on a resume to describe your motivational and supervisory skills. These key terms can be a great way to sell your experience to hiring managers and convince them that you’d be a great pick for a leadership position. We talked to executive life coach Guy Reichard and certified career, leadership, & happiness coach Manuela Pauer to learn the qualities of great leaders and how you can become one yourself. Keep reading for more!
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Section 1 of 5:
Best Leadership Words to Add to Your Resume
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Empowering The greatest leaders instill confidence in their team and inspire them to feel in control of their responsibilities and futures. Using “empowering” to describe your past achievements can emphasize your experiences with helping your team members learn, grow, and improve. [1] X Research source
- “Empowered employees to meet weekly goals by implementing a new performance tracking system, which resulted in a 60% increase in production.”
- “I empowered my team to establish and run a successful outreach program, which raised $1 million and aided over 200 children and teens in the community.”
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2Passionate Good leaders tend to have (and show) a lot of positive feelings about their work, which motivates them to persevere in difficult times and inspires others to do their best. For hiring managers, using this phrase can be a good way to show that you actually love what you do and that you’ll put that energy toward your success. [2] X Research source
- “Passionate self-starter with a love for solving complex problems and years of experience in self-stack software development.”
- “I’m a passionate marketing professional who loves creating compelling campaigns that resonate with and inspire audiences across the world.”
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3Decisive Making decisions quickly and confidently is one of the best qualities a leader can have, which is why the word “decisive” can be beneficial on a resume. While some leaders may constantly put an issue on the back burner, good leaders follow through and don’t freeze up in uncertainty when a decision needs to be made. [3] X Research source
- “As a project manager with over 10 years of experience leading others, I am known for making decisive choices under pressure that drive revenue growth.”
- “When our viewership dropped, I decisively implemented new marketing strategies that increased our monthly revenue by 35% in just three months.”
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4Compassionate To become a powerful leader, Reichard says you need to “lead with all your heart, with deep love, care, compassion, honesty, courage, and bravery.” Adding “compassionate” to your resume can show hiring managers that you not only have the skills to be a leader, but you have the heart, too.
- “As a compassionate sales strategist, I excel at addressing customer needs and fostering collaboration among my team members.”
- “I’m a compassionate team leader with experience creating a positive work environment that prioritizes productivity, communication, and collaboration.”
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5Accountable An accountable leader not only takes complete responsibility for their actions but is willing to give others a satisfactory explanation for them. [4] X Research source Adding “accountability” to your resume highlights your experience with making informed decisions that benefit the team and the company as a whole.
- “In my previous position, I was accountable for managing 20 team members to produce high-quality products.”
- “I held myself and my team members accountable for meeting monthly goals, which improved sales by 28%.”
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6Flexible In a constantly changing world, flexibility is an important trait for leaders because it shows that they can switch gears easily according to each situation. Words like “flexible” can show that you quickly adapt to new technology or rules and that you think of change as an opportunity to grow. [5] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source
- “I’m a flexible manager with years of experience. In my last role, I oversaw a company-wide shift to develop a new product and expand our target customer market by 32%.”
- “As a flexible leader, I developed and managed our onboarding practices to incorporate emerging technologies, reducing the projected implementation time by 2 months.”
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7Observant Observant leaders are constantly aware of their surroundings and listen to their team, understanding each member’s strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. [6] X Research source As a result, hiring managers tend to look for an applicant who takes time to look at their employees’ working conditions and takes steps to address their concerns.
- “Experienced and observant senior program manager who boosted new-hire retention by 8% by improving communication and implementing a new onboarding process.”
- “I’m an observant and dedicated support manager who raised employee engagement from 68% to 80% by identifying and implementing new team bonding initiatives.”
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8Approachable The team members of great leaders may feel as though they can come to them with any issue because they know their leader will work with them to find a solution. They know they won't be punished for speaking their mind, and their leader knows that their team has valuable insights that can improve the workplace for everyone. [7] X Research source
- “As a team lead for nearly 15 years, I developed an open door policy to appear more approachable, which increased productivity.”
- “As a dedicated, approachable leader with over 30 years of managerial experience, I held open office meetings once a week to encourage team members to share their input.”
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9Honest Great leaders are transparent about the company’s goals and actions with their employees, which can result in a more collaborative work environment that gives everyone the resources they need. [8] X Research source Ethical language like “honest” can make it clear to hiring managers that you are a high-character person who doesn’t cut corners to get ahead. [9] X Research source
- “As an honest and ethical CEO, I am committed to helping Longevity Enterprises achieve its financial goals, serve its clients well, and contribute to its mission.”
- “Highly organized, honest, and results-focused manager with 8 years of experience spearheading projects and mentoring teams of 10 to 35 employees.”
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10Delegative Delegation, or handing out tasks to team members, is a vital leadership skill that can be difficult when put into practice. Words like “delegative” can communicate that you play to the strengths and goals of your team members, provide the right resources they need to succeed, and embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and move forward. [10] X Research source
- “Managed and delegated responsibilities to 10 team members, tracked their progress, and provided feedback to help them improve.”
- “Effectively delegated tasks to employees based on their abilities and skills, ensuring the efficient and timely completion of each project’s goals.”
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Section 3 of 5:
The 7 Great Leadership Qualities
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Supports, facilitates, and motivates others Leadership isn’t just about seeking your own success—it’s about wanting others to succeed and helping them do so. Effective leaders aren’t afraid to take the spotlight off themselves and make their team members feel important and heard. [13] X Research source
- For example, an effective leader may make sure their team members don’t feel punished for telling the truth or taking risks and instead encourage that behavior verbally. [14] X Research source
- They also have respect for people at all levels in the company and embrace opportunities to mentor and develop the skills of up-and-coming leaders. [15] X Research source
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2Displays mindfulness and self-awareness Knowing yourself—your biases, dreams, and experiences—can lead to better decision-making and a greater ability to influence the outcomes of those decisions. Great leaders are authentic about who they are and see their own self-development as a continuous process. [16] X Research source
- To enhance their own self-awareness, a leader might write in a journal, practice meditation , and regularly seek feedback about their performance from others.
- However, great leaders also know they aren’t the smartest people in the room and surround themselves with people who aren’t afraid to challenge the rules and customs of the company. [17] X Research source
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3Creates and communicates a clear vision Highly effective leaders create a clear vision for the path of the company and connect it back to that company’s motives and mission. [18] X Research source By establishing a vision and gathering their team around a shared purpose, great leaders reduce uncertainty and provide focus and clarity in the workspace. [19] X Research source
- A CEO of a t-shirt company might envision a way to put their products in stores across the country, and every action or decision they make helps that vision become reality.
- At the same time, the CEO constantly communicates where they see the company going to their employees and uses it to inspire them to work harder.
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4Able to innovate and encourage innovation According to a survey by XBInsight, creative and innovative leaders are more likely to effectively manage risk, lead courageously, and take advantage of opportunities, all while maintaining a strategic business plan. They also tend to create an environment where others feel free to share their own ideas. [20] X Trustworthy Source Harvard Business Review Online and print journal covering topics related to business management practices Go to source
- For example, a good leader may create an open meeting where they talk about the current workflow system and ask team members how they would improve it.
- A good leader might also encourage their team members to create solutions to problems they bring to them.
- Innovative leaders also know that there’s always a better way to do things, and constantly strive to improve working conditions and increase productivity. [21] X Research source
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5Respectful of others and open to new ways to grow You may have heard the “golden rule”—“treat people the way you want to be treated.” This applies in the office, too. Knowing who you are, being open to change your methods, and wanting to treat others well are the traits that allow you to direct and guide your team members, who will help you build success. [22] X Research source
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6Curious, genuine, and life-long learners Strong leaders recognize that learning is a journey, not a destination. They find joy in finding new ways to do things, they’re open to diverse perspectives, and they acknowledge that they don’t have all the answers. This not only leads to better business dynamics but a better relationship with their team. [23] X Research source
- One study showed that curiosity is associated with higher levels of positive emotions, lower anxiety, greater satisfaction with life, and greater psychological well-being. [24] X Research source
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7Make themselves part of the action Although it can seem that way, great leadership is not about setting yourself above the rest and keeping out of the fray. It’s about taking action, regularly talking to team members, making decisions, and constantly finding ways to help out. [25] X Research source
- For example, an active leader might keep their office door open so they can help when they’re needed.
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Tips
- When writing your resume, try to avoid using the word “I.” Instead, go straight to verbs like “spearheaded” or “led” so that hiring managers jump right into the action. [37] X Research sourceThanks
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References
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