The best leadership skills bring out the best in your entire team. Here are 12 skills to cultivate.

What are some of the best leadership skills to cultivate in yourself or in your janitorial managers? And will these skills really make a difference for your business? 

Good leaders are one of the best business assets you could ask for. Employees work hard for a leader they respect, and they stay with a company longer when leadership is attentive and fair. But to determine what, precisely, some of the best leadership skills are, it’s helpful to step back and get a broader view. 


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Best Leadership Skills

What is good leadership?

The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu suggested that a leader should quietly guide people so that when a job is done, they will feel proud that they did it themselves. 

Five-Star General and former United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower said that “By leadership we mean the art of getting someone else to do something that you want done because he wants to do it, not because your position of power can compel him to do it, or your position of authority.”

Industrialist J. Paul Getty pronounced that employers get the employees they deserve. 

It’s clear that, throughout history, some of the best, most successful leaders are those who understand that they are there for their team as much as their team is there for them. Leadership is a negotiation where everyone comes out ahead. So, what are the skills that “lead” to that success?

The 12 best leadership skills and qualities to look for in a team leader

1. Respectfulness. Respectfulness is one of the best leadership skills you can ask for. Treating your team well ensures loyalty and honesty. Plus, your customers will notice, which pays off nicely in retaining contracts. 

2. Integrity. Leaders do the right thing. They give credit to their team, don’t cut corners, and focus on the safety and well-being of everyone around them.

3. Accountability. A good leader holds themselves and their team accountable. They aren’t afraid to admit when they’ve made a mistake and will do their best to correct it right away. Similarly, they expect their team to be accountable. 

4. Good communication skills. Some of the best leaders across industries are excellent communicators. Good communication keeps people engaged and helps everyone maintain a sense of ownership in what’s going on. 

5. Good teaching skills. When you’re leading a janitorial team, you have to be a good teacher. Whether it’s on-the-job training for a new employee, helping employees learn better interpersonal skills, or explaining something to a customer, a leader has the patience to teach. 

6. Empathetic. Some of the best leadership skills can be taught, while others, like empathy, are more associated with someone’s personality. Empathy is essential, too, since leaders will encounter employees with any number of personal issues. 

7. Balanced. A leader needs to balance the needs of clients, employees, and the business. That’s not always an easy thing to do, but it’s vital if you want a successful commercial cleaning company. 

8. Approachable. For a team to thrive, they have to be able to share the good and the bad. That means a strong leader has to be open to feedback from employees and listen to their ideas about what may not be working, how things are running, or why changing something could improve the work. 

9. Consistent. If you’ve ever worked for a boss who was your best friend one day and angry at everybody the next, you understand the need for consistency in a leader. That’s not to say that a leader can never get mad or has to be perfect all the time. But they also can’t leave employees wondering what the workday will look like because they don’t know what to expect from team leaders. 

10. Service-oriented. Of course, your entire business is service-oriented. That’s how you keep customers and attract new ones. But good leaders are also in service to their team. They stick up for them when they need to, they try their best to promote good employees, and they do what they can to help the team succeed. 

11. Transparent. Transparency is practically a catchphrase these days, but it’s also incredibly important to a team. People want to know why certain decisions are made and even what the process is for those decisions. 

12. Trustworthiness. Trustworthiness is at the very top of the best leadership skills ladder. People want to work with someone they can trust, and there’s really no substitute for that. 

While good leadership isn’t the only factor to business success, it certainly plays an outsized role. Therefore, it’s essential to cultivate these leadership qualities. Your business will be better for it.


If you’re ready to increase the professionalism of your cleaning operation through better organization, easy access to important data, unparalleled tracking, and more, schedule a call with JM today!