Leadership is sometimes made out to be something mysterious, when it doesn’t need to be. You can take leadership seminars, courses, classes and more. Truly, leaderships possess a few distinct characteristics and qualities. If you master these qualities, you will succeed as a leader.
What are these qualities?
1. Focus. Leaders have the ability to focus. The modern workplace is filled with noise, overloaded with too much information coming in from multiple sources, and constantly busy. In this environment, many people find it difficult to focus. If you’ve interviewed for any job recently, you’ve probably been asked whether you can multitask. The average good employee can multitask. This is an essential trait for many different jobs, and is not something that will probably change in the near future.
A leader has to do more than multitask however, although this is essential. A leader has to focus and prioritize not just on their job, but on the entire company. A leader is constantly having to work with distraction. This distraction may come from employees, from corporate crisis, from meetings, from challenges, from the next big thing. Focus instead. This focus will allow a leader to get the job done.
2. Recognize what won’t work. There is a lot of nonsense that happens in a day’s work. Many people will come up with ideas, and clients will offer proposals. Not all of these will work. One of the critical jobs of a leader is sorting out fact from fiction, so the company can succeed. Corporations and organizations as a whole rely on leaders to sort out fantasy from fiction. The role of a leader includes recognizing what will work from what won’t work. This is true whether a leader is evaluating a promising project, mission, and even people for recruiting purposes. If you can distinguish what will work from what won’t, you are well on your way to being very valuable, and a good leader.
3. Inspire. Leadership is more than a position. A true leader is one that jumps in hands first, and spends their time working for people within the corporation as a whole. Someone that inspires others to achieve their best ultimately will make the most, and make the best impression not only on the organization, but also on the people that work for the organization, and on clients and customers. The common denominator that the best leaders have is their ability to inspire others. Good leaders inspire others to succeed, and do their best.
Become self-aware, and recognize what skills, talents, and abilities you have. Once self-aware, then you can inspire others to serve others and use their skills and abilities best.
4. Build relationships. True leaders must be able to communicate well, and achieve much. Communication is the crux of modern society. Today’s organizations work in a global marketplace. Without strong communication and relationship-building skills, good leaders will flail. Great leaders much learn how to build solid relationships. Solid relationship building skills help leaders develop within the organization, and help leaders network with outside entities.
Relationships help organizations grow. When troubled times come, organizations can also pull together thanks to the solid relationships that have developed within and without an organization. Thus, the leader that has nurtured solid relationships is most likely the leader that will have the most respect, and will be the most highly valued in an organization.
In the event a leader wants to move on, or grow and expand, relationships can prove extremely valuable in networking and finding other organizations to work with.
5. Accomplish more. Successful business leaders typically want to accomplish the most. Many do not become successful by sitting at their desk and doing the minimum. Rather, the best leaders achieve the best by going above and beyond the call of duty. If you have ideas that will enable your organization to become the best, then share those with people that can make a difference. You should also empower your people to do the same. Find people to work with that will help you grow as a leader. Any good leader knows that the people under them will help propel them and the organization they work with toward the future. Don’t put your head in the sand. Achieve everything you can with the tools you have available to you.
Great leaders are sometimes born, but often grow by using the tools available to them. Make the most of your situation, and develop as a person and as a leader.
