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| "Now that I'm the BOSS" |
"She lacks staff management and relationship skill. Gosh! She knows it all" A former colleague of mine was quizzing me on my reason for leaving a job. While I tried to respond, she was quick to interrupt with her idea of the reason most staff (including herself) had left the firm. I chuckled.
However, this response appears to have gotten engraved in my mind. Just as I quit my job, I discovered a job opportunity which had a great deal of leadership attached to it. For someone from a purely finance background, playing with figures on Excel and the like had been more of my forte. But am I worried? NO. There is one definition of leadership that has made me look forward to this opportunity to lead;
Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organisation in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent
You may have noticed from the description of leadership above that leadership embodies most of the other skills on the list of Employability Skills (that is, communication, team work, problem solving etc)
What makes a Good Leader?
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 centred 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 recognise 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 judgement 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 judgement. 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 humour is vital to relieve tension and
boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. Effective leaders know how to
use humour to energise followers. Humour is a form of power that provides
some control over the work environment. And simply put, humour 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.
Do you have it in you to be a good leader? Can you inspire people around you to achive set objective?
List curled from The Top 10 Leadership Qualities
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