Ever wondered what makes an effective leader? Or what it is about some people that inspires others to follow them? How does a leader bring out the best in others? It starts with having Emotional Intelligence. Leadership is a significant aspect of management. In order to ensure organizational success, co-operation from subordinates as well as greater efficiency, it is important for a manager to be a great, effective and a true leader.
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Explore what it takes to be a good leader
The required aspects of effective leadership are as follows:
- Motivation
- Integrity
- Enthusiasm
- Ability to Inspire
- Commitment
- Self-sacrifice
- Honesty
- Empathy
- Principles
- Determination
- Resourcefulness
- Daring
- Knowledge
- Good communication skills
- Passion
- Responsibility
- Judgment
- Diplomatic
- Tactful
Leadership means adhering to the following principles:
- Respect your followers.
- Acknowledge the followers efforts if there is success, and do not blame them for any failure.
- Encourage participation of all in decision-making.
- Make the goals clear to all.
- Support the followers in accomplishing the objectives and in reaching their potential.
- Discover efficient and economical ways of performing the task.
- Ensure proper and effective communication with the followers. There should be no place for misunderstanding and misinterpretations.
- Be a trainer and not an opponent/critic.
Read: Get Noticed at Work
Be confident
In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members.
Allow others to shine
Leadership often means making others look good. This could be recognising other people’s talents and making good use of them, sharing the credit for successes, or being inclusive of people who are often overlooked. Give compliments freely, and offer constructive criticism in a kind way when it will benefit someone else.
Leadership is empowering others to meet a shared goal; the supporting and harnessing of human potential.
Be Passionate
Great leaders are not just focused on getting group members to finish tasks; they have a genuine passion and enthusiasm for the projects they work on. Start by thinking of different ways that you can express your zeal. Let people know that you care about their progress. When one person shares something with the rest of the group, be sure to tell them how much you appreciate such contributions.
You always attract into your life the people, ideas, and resources in harmony with your dominant thoughts.
Stay away from the ABCs
Great leaders know that the ABCs—Avoiding, Blaming, and Criticizing—spell death to any leader. Avoiding things that need to be dealt with is the antithesis of leading. Blaming others destroys trust and prevents the real solution to a problem from being uncovered. Criticizing others never works…not even when it’s so-called “constructive criticism.” The ABCs kill trust, commitment, morale, and engagement, which, in turn, will kill productivity, innovation, and profits.
Purpose
Having a clear sense of purpose along with the drive and ambition to achieve success and the determination to overcome obstacles, the ability to focus on your goals and not be easily distracted. Your goal can be practical and short-term. It doesn’t need to be as grand or far reaching as a vision.
Lead by example
Demonstrate enthusiasm (it’s contagious!), refrain from complaining, and above all, avoid office gossip. These might seem like instructions for being a nice person, but they’re also a recipe for strong leadership.
Build teams and create Communities
Authentic leaders create workplaces that foster human linkages and lasting friendships.
I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people –
Mahatma Gandhi
Resourcefulness
Being able to know or find the answers to problems will always be valued. Also, making yourself available always gets the attention of upper management. The importance of data sometimes defines the success of the operation; however, all business systems still depend on human interaction.
Lead from the heart
Business is about people. Leadership is about people. The best leaders wear their hearts on their sleeves and are not afraid to show their vulnerability. They genuinely care about other people and spend their days developing the people around them.
Be a good listener and communicator
You can’t do this if you are always talking! Listening to the ideas of colleagues may generate new ideas while building up your confidence. Leading brainstorming sessions are essential in this process.
Continue to improve your leadership skills and qualities by practicing these things:
1) Read in your field. Always continue reading about the best practices and leadership skills that you can use in your personal development as a leader
2) Listen to audio programs on business and leadership success.
3) Attend business seminars. Gain new perspectives and ideas relating to your field. Put these ideas into action.
4) Share ideas in your business mastermind groups and gain ideas from others. If something is working well for someone else in your field, there is a good chance it will work for you as well. Use other people’s great ideas to improve on yourself.
These ten personal characteristics are foundational to good leadership. Good leaders believe that every team member matters and foster an environment that makes everyone feel important. It is no wonder they attract all the support they need to help them achieve their goals.
How have you found ways to be a leader within your organization? So what qualities do you respect in a leader? Maybe you are a leader yourself, in which case, what lessons have you learnt about managing staff in the correct way? Let us know below.
