7 Traits of Influential Female Leaders

Over the last couple of years I’ve witnessed the growth of women’s leadership events and associations. Women who have made a significant impact on the fitness industry are coming together to share their stories and learnings, to mentor and influence the new generation of leaders. Why is this?

I believe that in most industries today, including the fitness industry, leaders are asked to do more, demand more and create more results with less resources, time and money than ever before. So, these leaders are looking for answers.

The key to sustainable leadership is influence — the ability to positively affect the behavior of others. Here are seven traits that influential leaders possess:

Passion: A deep desire, driven by emotion, that compels you to serve the world in the way that you do. Passion produces energy and vision and can lead you to your purpose.

Purpose: A reason for which something is done, or for which something exists. Great leaders know why they do what they do and they influence others by bringing a sense of purpose or belonging to their work.

Perseverance: The discipline to do something despite fear or hardship. It’s not giving up. It requires that you believe in yourself and your abilities.

Pathfinder: Someone who goes ahead and discovers the way — the path — and shows others. People follow leaders when they feel that leader will provide them with hope, a purpose and passion to change or move beyond the status quo.

Posture: Posture has to do with the way one holds themselves. It conveys a feeling about one’s self, the people and environment around them. It interprets the majority of what we communicate to others.

Planning: Leaders are planners but they also have a bias for action. They plan specific, measureable, action-oriented, relative and timely goals, however they have a low tolerance for excessive planning or over-stating detail. They just want to get started.

Practice: Performing an activity or exercise over and over until improvement or proficiency is achieved.

Mo Hagan is vice president of program innovation for GoodLife Fitness and canfitpro. Email her at mo@goodlifefitness.com.