Michael Dadoun, the CEO of UpClick

1. Michael Dadoun, the CEO of UpClick, has high emotional intelligence Michael Dadoun

2. A leader possesses the natural ability to inspire people to work towards a common goal or objective. He is a good motivator who does not use force or coercion to make people adhere to his wishes. Michael Dadoun, the CEO of Montreal-based payment processing company, UpClick, is a natural born leader who leads by example, motivation, and his relationship building skills. • Good leaders have the ability and willingness to step up to challenges and accept responsibility for their actions. They are good listeners and value the ideas and opinions of their subordinates. • Some of the other qualities that a leader of any modern organization must possess to achieve success in a highly competitive business environment are as follows:

3. Delegation • A true leader is a person who does not suffer from the feelings of insecurity. Insecure people, on the other hand, can never make good leaders, as they are busy all the time in machinations that will guarantee their own survival. • A good leader secured in his or her own knowledge and experience never hesitates in giving up control in certain areas. • They know that in order to make the organization more flexible and responsive, a good leader has to delegate some of his or her authorities. • The art of delegation has assumed added significance, owing to the changing market dynamics and consumer preferences.

4. Leaders must delegate, as lower-level managers are closer to the real action than the CEO. They have the first-hand experience of the things happening around them, and taking their inputs apart from helping the organization will also keep the lower-level employees motivated.  Michael Dadoun, the CEO of Montreal-based UpClick and principal of Solaria fund, strongly believes in sharing of power. This has made his organization flat and faster, where input from different people enables quick decision making.

5. Good listening skills • A person who believes that he or she knows everything can never make a good leader, as leadership is all about continuous learning • It can be potentially fatal for the organization, if the hubris sets in its CEO. A feeling of infallibility can make a CEO treasure his or her own voice over everybody else’s. • A feeling in a person that he or she knows everything will compel him or her to discard the opinions and views of subordinates. • Employees of an organization will feel alienated, as they will feel frustrated by the fact that they are not involved in any decision that has direct bearings on their lives. • A leader with poor listening skills is also unlikely to know much about the happenings around him or her. Devoid of the knowledge of the current business and economic environment, such leaders are sure to make poor decisions.

6. Inclusiveness and participative decision making • A leader like any other normal being cannot be expected to know everything. Good listening skills, coupled with a collaborative decision making process, can make a lot of difference. • Good leaders are comfortable delegating important decisions and tasks to their subordinates. They know that decisions can be taken quickly, if a lot of people are involved in it. Michael Dadoun, the CEO of UpClick, is a visionary planner who uses delegation and inclusiveness as catalysts for generating enthusiasm among his subordinates.

7. Responsibility and accountability • Things cannot always go according to ones wishes and preferences all the time. There are bound to be certain bottlenecks around the way. • Certain decisions by the top management can go awry and things may not work according to the original plan. • A good leader is not one who will start pointing fingers at others, if an unforeseen problem crops up with the potential of hampering the productivity of the organization. • Leadership is basically about accountability and responsibility. A leader is given credit for the success of an organization, likewise he or she should accept responsibility for failures as well.

8. A strong ability to motivate • Leaders do not use stick approach to compel employees to listen to their commands and wishes. Respect is something which you command and not demand. • Good leaders motivate people to follow their vision. Their persuasion power makes people to want to help them. • A strong feeling of empathy and equality are some of the strong motivating factors that can be used effectively by good leaders to motivate their employees. • A good leader must also understand the things that are valued most by his or her employees. Some of the employees may be motivated by financial rewards, while others may prefer praise from the boss to be highly satisfying. • The trick for good leaders is to know and employ those motivational tactics that are sure to spur their subordinates into action.

9. High emotional intelligence along with IQ • A person can be a good manager with a high IQ, but to be a good leader, that person must possess Emotional Quotient (EQ) in ample measure. • Leaders with high EQ are more compassionate about the feelings and needs of others. • Leaders with high EQ know what they are doing and are passionate about bringing a change in the lives of their subordinates.

10. Conclusion • Leadership in modern times is more about ‘soft skills’ than ‘hard skills’. Leaders who can get their subordinates to give their best without any use of threat or force are the ones who create winning organizations. • Michael Dadoun, as the CEO of UpClick, has high EQ and sincerity, dedication, and experience to make some distinctive changes in the lives of his subordinates as well as his clients.