Article by surbhi jalan
Leaders are people who are self aware of themselves, they know themselves in and out and know what they value and believe in, and they act on these values openly. It is the qualities of a person which can either make him a leader or break him. He should possess such qualities that others should follow. Some say that leadership is an innate ability whereas some believe that over a period of time we can transform ourselves into a leader. According to followers their leaders are ethical people and they are born with such qualities. The effectiveness and traits of leader vary from culture to culture. Though a particular type of leadership can be seen effective in western culture but might not be acceptable to Asians. But there are few traits which are common around the world. The followers worldwide want to see these traits in their leader. Here is the list of top 10 qualities a leader must have:
10. Positive Attitude
Positive attitude is an essential element of the team. If a leader is looking for a long term relationship, it is a must to maintain positive relationship among the team and also with the team members. If the team is feeling positive, they are happy and satisfied, they never mind to stay back for extra work or to put in an extra hour to complete their task. The team members give their best and there is always effectiveness in the work. The optimistic attitude of a leader can take his team a long way together with new possibilities and opportunities to explore.
9. Creativity
Life is not always so clear cut, there are situations in life when we are not clear of our decisions or we are not sure of which way to go. In such situations a leader’s creativity is tested. How efficiently he can handle such situations or decisions of life. During these times the followers need a guide who can show them the right path. An out of box thinking and solution to the problem is what is expected out of a leader. Among all the possible ways the best way which can help us all in achieving our goal should be chosen and implemented by the leader. Creative leaders have trust and faith in their team members. They give them opportunities to explore their talent or capabilities.
8. Ability to Inspire
A good leader is one who shows the right path to its employees. He is said to be one who knows the way and shows the way to its followers. He feels so passionate about the mission and vision that he makes its followers feel the passion in the same manner. According to experts an ability to inspire others is an innate quality. It is something with an individual is born with. They connect emotionally to us and take out the best, they always strike the string within us from which we can connect the best to the situation. An effective leader walk miles into his followers shoes before taking any decision and then directly relating to their values, feelings etc inspire them in the right way.
7. Loyalty
A leader is nothing without his team and in return the team members only expect from his leader is loyalty. By loyalty we mean is standing by the side of your team in all the situations, however worse it might be. It strengthens the bond between the leader and its members, it motivates its employees to work harder and contribute to the work at their best. To be loyal to the team a leader must always speak truth. He must communicate each member’s responsibilities and roles clearly and together with all these he needs to be fair and unbiased. A loyal leader is acceptable to all, the followers blindly trust that whatever situation it might be their leader will be there to help them.
6. Patience
Leaders have to deal with people and people always want to be reassured when they are talking to their leader. They want their leader should hear with full attention and also give it worth consideration. Among various other characteristics of leader patience is an important one. In the modern world where everything can be done within blink of the eyes, to be an effective leader you need to deal with people slowly and patiently. Patience allows a leader to take right decision because ample amount of time he takes in understanding the problem and looking for solution. It is an important attribute of an effective leader.
5. Responsibility
A leader must understand his responsibility, accepting one’s own responsibility as a leader is very important. He must never complain and instead of giving excuses, should look for solution. During the times of difficulty he must come across as a strong and responsible person. Rather than blaming others and criticizing the issue, he must focus on solution or what can be the way out. An efficient leader is one who sails through the boat smoothly and see him selves as a fighter in each and every situation. Being a leader in itself is such a big responsibility and meeting up to its expectation is a bigger challenge.
4. Determination
Being a leader self determination is very important, until and unless a leader do not have the inner drive or compassion to grow , contribute, learn and take initiatives he is not an effective leader. He should have belief in his principles and values. A good leader is one who motivates its employees to move ahead even when situation seems impossible. As a leader he should set an example for others and should be determined enough to achieve the goal on time. A determined leader can only invoke the feeling of “yes we can achieve it” in its team members.
3. Trustworthy
Trust is the basis of any relationship. In a leader and follower relationship trust is an essence of it. To maintain a healthy and effective environment a good leader must build an environment of trust among the team members and also between him and his team. It can be in both the aspects of life personal as well as professional. Before placing themselves in any hand, follower very closely watches its leader and based on the respect and trust that a leader builds over a period the followers surrender themselves. A good leader is one who says what he does and does what he says. Trust is not something that can be built within a day or so, it has to develop over a period of time.
2. Communication
A great communicator is some way or the other is always a great leader. These are skills need to be learned from childhood, to be a great leader a child has to be trained in vocabulary, grammar etc. The history reveals that the world’s greatest leaders are exceptionally great communicators. An effective leader should be a mesmerizing orator. His words should be effective enough to motivate your followers. The majority of the time of a leader is spent in communication or interacting with people so interpersonal skills is a must. While communicating with people always make sure that you are giving the right message so, simplify the message in order to give the intended message.
1. Honesty
A good leader should not only speak the truth but a much more is expected out of him. Together with being true in talks you have to be fair and clear-cut in your conversation. He is expected to be straightforward in their behavior and conversation. The followers trust their leader blindly so to keep up the trust one has to spotless in whatever he does. To be an imperative leader, a leader must lead his team with values, honesty and integrity. To invoke the trust of the team members this is the most important traits that the followers demands in their leader all over the world.
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