Don’t be fooled by the seemingly mercurial qualities of great leaders like Steve Jobs and Sir Alex Ferguson – leadership isn’t something that is impossible to measure or account for.

Quite the contrary, there are certain characteristics that repeatedly show up in the most effective leaders, as demonstrated by various studies.

The next time you’re seeking future managerial talent with the help of recruitment companies in Ireland, keep a lookout for these traits in your candidate pool.

1. Initiative

A great leader won’t start endless projects that they don’t finish – they’ll see things through from beginning to end. They’ll act at the appropriate moment, even if they don’t have all of the information to hand, and are highly decisive – you don’t see these people dithering over a simple judgement call.

2. Collaborative mindset

The most effective leaders, by definition, also realise that they can’t achieve everything on their own. They’ll therefore be able to build great teams – just think of the league-winning Manchester United sides or the development teams behind the iPhone or iPad.

The members of these teams were loyal and trusted in the vision of their leader, who realised the importance of relationship development – including getting team members to bond through shared goals and beliefs.

3. Trust-building and accountability-fostering abilities

No leader can be truly influential without winning the trust of their team. The best of them hold themselves accountable for how their team fares, which sets an example for those workers. They keep their promises and don’t commit to anything that they don’t follow through.

If such a leader does make mistakes, they are honest and take responsibility, instead of making excuses or looking for others to blame. What’s more, they focus on avoiding any such errors happening again – all of which is a standard for lower-ranking employees to aspire to.

4. Critical thinking

Merely capable managers might assume, but the best leaders question. They are very critical and analytical, resolving problems in a reasoned and systematic way so that the minimum time and energy is wasted.

These people are always learning, and have the ability to identify patterns or themes that others may have missed.

Incorporate questions tailored to picking out these characteristics into your interview process, and you’ll find yourself taking on so many more talented future leaders in your work with recruitment companies in Ireland.