The Top 10 Leadership Qualities
Leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others to willingly follow. Every organization needs leaders at every level. Leaders can be found and nurtured if you look for the following character traits.
A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."
A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.
A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.
A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But it’s not enough to have a vision; leaders must also share it and act upon it. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion."
A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate clearly and passionately, as passion is contagious.
A good leader must have the discipline to work toward his or her vision single-mindedly, as well as to direct his or her actions and those of the team toward the goal. Action is the mark of a leader. A leader does not suffer “analysis paralysis” but is always doing something in pursuit of the vision, inspiring others to do the same.
Analysis
Integrity is the integration of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity is the same on the outside and on the inside. Such an individual can be trusted because he or she never veers from inner values, even when it might be expeditious to do so. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity.
Honest dealings, predictable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of tantrums and harsh outbursts are all signs of integrity. A leader who is centered in integrity will be more approachable by followers.
Dedication means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great.
Magnanimity means giving credit where it is due. A magnanimous leader ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. Conversely, a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. This sort of reverse magnanimity helps other people feel good about themselves and draws the team closer together. To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership.
Leaders with humility recognize that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. Leaders with humility also understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders, and he pursued a “follower-centric” leadership role.
Openness means being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to others’ ideas, as well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision.
Creativity is the ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. Creativity gives leaders the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. The most important question that a leader can ask is, “What if … ?” Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, “I know this is a dumb question ... ”
Fairness means dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgment. He or she must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication.
Assertiveness is not the same as aggressiveness. Rather, it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. Along with assertiveness comes the responsibility to clearly understand what followers expect from their leader.
Many leaders have difficulty striking the right amount of assertiveness, according to a study in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, published by the APA (American Psychological Association). It seems that being underassertive or overassertive may be the most common weakness among aspiring leaders.
A sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie.
Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership traits.
Leadership is about creating and sharing a vision; finding the right people to execute; listening and refining both the vision and execution.
ReplyDeleteI'd say re-engineering my business and creating a business vision, mission statement, structure and culture may be the defining moment.
While everything is far from peaches and cream, we've opened (in some part) thirteen (13) offices from Boston to Boca Raton, and have about 55 individuals who have heard the vision, accept some part of the vision and have joined our company.
Time (and hopefully an improving economy) will see if we are successful.
On the downside, there are parts of the vision that just doesn't take, no matter how strong or logical or empirical the argument is I have provided. The group of people I need to buy into certain parts of the vision just won't accept it in action. They accept it cerebrally, but can not or will not act on it. It's due in part to the age group, and years of experience that takes a long time to overcome.
“What would you say is your defining moment as a leader?” I've found many leaders have an experience where they drew a line or set a boundary for the type of leader they would be. Have you? Care to share a brief story about your defining moment? What happened and what did you learn?
ReplyDeleteMy defining moment as a leader was when I recognized that leadership is a gift not a role or a position.
ReplyDeleteWhen I realized that the key ingrefient to be being a leader was as Wayne points out sharing a common vision with a team or group with the capabilities, but more important the capabilities and willingness to execute on that vision that is leadership.
They have to commit rather than comply and it is more about trust and personal credibility than credentials and expertise.
Real leadership is founded on and sustained by relationships. It also takes many forms and is defined organization by organization and culture by culture. There is no one defining leadership model.
Being in a position of respect & being heard at any stage of your career --- for me is leadership at that juncture.
ReplyDeleteBeyond, leadership for me is a stage, where you have a bunch of team members, who can trust you for what you do, take your views in its earnest & go around delivering the same. It's a position when you can command respect (not demand) from the team which is willing to walk the extra mile to achieve your target goals.
I've been lucky enough to have various groups of individuals during my various stages of entreprenuerial journey, who helped me in getting the organization moving from ground zero to multi-millions, stuck with me during crisis & continue to support vehemently without any questions asked.
It mayn't always be a vision statement, but an emerging behaviour, attitude, drive and the belief you could inculcate that the team could trust you for anything. All these emotional traits will definitely drive a sound team work around you, if you could achieve that space without any DEMAND, then I would say it's definitely a defining moment for any LEADER.