5 Super Powers the Best Leaders Have That You Can Learn杰出的领导人似乎只有透视. You can master the skills that make them deeply insightful.

ByDixie Gillaspie

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

danni4keeps | Foap.com

Everyone has their own ideas of what traits make a good leader. Generally they focus on confidence, integrity, honesty, humility, empathy and so on.

But superior leadership requires going beyond personality characteristics and qualities. Exceptional leaders have developed abilities that, if you didn't know better, you'd swear were supernatural. The good news is, you don't have to be born on another planet, bitten by a spider or have a Greek god as a parent in order to develop these powers. They require self-awareness, observation of other people and events and a whole lot of practice, but they are available to anyone.

1. The best leaders can see around corners.

Not the physical kind, of course, they're just as likely to walk into oncoming traffic as you or I. But in business they can predict what will happen next with uncanny accuracy, allowing them to be proactive rather than reactive.

They achieved this with a heightened form of pattern recognition. These leaders assimilate thousands of nuanced "this happened and this was the result" data points. So, what looks like precognition is really a leap from precedent to probability based on numerous prior observations.

Related:Tap Your Hidden Strengths to Unleash Your Leadership Skills

2. They can hear what you didn't say.

I call it "listening between the lines," that ability to read between the lines of a conversation and get to the heart of a person's desires, fears and conscious, or even subconscious, agenda. Leaders with this superpower can tell when someone is not being truthful,especiallywhen they are not being truthful with themselves. They will use this ability to get to the heart of what is really being said so that everyone can be on the same page.

This power is honed by really engaging with people and focusing on what they are saying, overlaying that with what they choose to do or how they behave. Voice tones, body language and frequent pauses or rambling are clues as well, but the key is in noticing when what you're being told doesn't align with behavior and physicality.

3. Insightful leaders can blaze the trail for one person or hundreds.

All leaders are able to move forward and persuade people to follow them, otherwise they wouldn't be leaders, they'd just be movers. But the really good leaders make leadership scalable. They can connect with a small following and lead them to success, but they can use the same ability to connect with unlimited numbers of people, showing them the way to move forward toward a commonly desired destination.

Leadership is a personal relationship based on people relating to the leader and sharing the vision for where they want to go. Whether it's company leadership, community leadership or global "thought" leadership, a great leader is able to relate to one person as well as hundreds or thousands of people.

This superpower requires two skill sets. First, the leader must be able to imagine walking a mile in anyone's work boots, heels or moccasins. They have to relate to the other person's journey, their experience, challenges and deepest desires. Second, the leader must become savvy about communication techniques and tools for communicating effectively and evocatively one on one or across the world.

Related:7 Leadership Qualities of a True Champion

4. They can see you when you're working, even if they don't know you.

Like Santa Claus or the gods on Mount Olympus, the best leaders have their ways of knowing when you're making progress and when you're off chasing the Mad Hatter. That's why they are so confident delegating – they have checks and balances that tell them when the system breaks down, or when someone breaks the system, before a crisis reaches mission critical.

These leaders have honed their instincts and intuition. They rely on quantitative and qualitative measurements to keep their fingers on the pulse. Knowing what intel is vital to success, and funneling that data to their desk or screen in the most streamlined and accessible manner possible, means these superheroes are always aware of current status and shifting trends without tying up one more minute of their time than absolutely necessary.

5. They have a cloak of invisibility and know when to wear it.

All leaders like to be recognized and appreciated but the most able leaders know when it's best to disappear and let the people say, "We did it all ourselves."

If you aspire to great leadership, or to superhero status, you'll want to develop these superpowers. Pick one and work on it until it begins to be second nature, then move on to the next. It isn't easy, but at least it doesn't require a quick change act in the bat cave, nor will you be exposed to radioactive spiders or threatened with kryptonite. You will, however, have the deep satisfaction of knowing you had tremendous impact in the world.

Related:Are You a Leader or a Follower?

Wavy Line
Dixie Gillaspie

Writer, Coach, Lover of Entrepreneurship

Ever since she was a little girl, Dixie’s least favorite word was "can’t." It still is. She's on a mission to prove that anything is possible, for anyone, but she's especially fond of entrepreneurs. She's good at seeing opportunities where other people see walls, navigating crossroads where other people see dead ends, and unwrapping the gifts of adversity and struggle. Dixie also contributes to Huffington Post and is a senior managing editor for The Good Man Project.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business News

'This Is My Life Now': Man Hysterically Documents Elon Musk's 'X' Sign Blaring Flashing Lights Into His Bedroom Window

The sign, reportedly put up without a permit, is shining bright at X HQ in San Francisco.

Business News

'Awful Advice': Barbara Corcoran Slammed For 'Tone Deaf' Business Advice to Interns

The "Shark Tank" star shared tips on social media about how interns can increase their chances of getting hired full-time, but the public reaction didn't go as planned.

Leadership

These Outdated Habits Are Leading to Workplace Inefficiencies And Taking a Toll on Your Productivity

No wonder companies are having trouble collaborating effectively digitally.

Growing a Business

3 Ways Leaders Can Use Data to Grow in Shrinking Economies

Business leaders need to find a way to make sense of this dynamic environment and use it to their advantage — and they can do so with data. Here's how.

Money & Finance

Want to Become a Millionaire? Follow Warren Buffett's 4 Rules.

企业家是不能过度指狗万官方望太多a company exit for their eventual 'win.' Do this instead.

Business News

An 81-Year-Old Florida CEO Just Indicted for a $250 Million Ponzi Scheme Ran a Sprawling Senior Citizen Crime Ring

Carl Ruderman is the fifth senior citizen in the Miami-Fort-Lauderdale-Palm Beach metropolitan area to face charges in connection with the scam.