10 QUALITIES YOU MUST HAVE TO BE A GREAT LEADER

Image credit: www.n2growth.com

"If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then, you are an excellent leader." - Dolly Parton

Every leader wants to be successful at what he or she does. However, success at leadership is something that not everybody get to enjoy. While there have been many successful leaders; there have also been many unsuccessful ones. What then makes the successful ones thick, and what is responsible for the failures of others?

The answer to the question above is what I want to discuss in this post by taking a look at 10 qualities that you must have in order to become a great leader. These qualities are applicable to any leadership position you find yourself in; be it community, religious, organizational, political, ...just name it - and you can be sure that these qualities would work for it.

However, the things you need to be a great leader are not limited to these selected 10, but know that these selected ones would definitely put you in the category of great leaders.


1. Be knowledgeable about your work
    Knowing what to do, and how to do it is what everyone expects of you as a leader. You cannot provide effective leadership without having a good knowledge of your work and the people you want to lead. Yes, you would need input and advice from others, but you as the leader must have a well grounded knowledge of the policies, procedures, and norms related to the work you have been called upon to do. The mastery of your work environment, and the additional knowledge you acquire day by day would all help you at being successful as a leader.

2. Be visionary
    To be a great leader, you must be able to think ahead, and put in place great plans for the future. In other words, your duty is not just to lead and plan for the time being, it also has to do with putting together innovative and pace-setting ideas for the future.
    Having such great plans would make you proactive, and not reactive - like others, who might have to be running helter-skelter, while you are already reaping the benefits of being visionary. However, you must remember that leadership is a continuous thing, therefore, your future plans should be clearly spelt out, so that even if you are no longer the leader, your successors would be able to easily execute them.

3. Be a risk-taker
    An important characteristic of great people, especially leaders, in all spheres of life, that distinguishes them from others, is their willingness to be a risk-taker. You must learn to try out new ideas, and at times, do things differently. Although there is the possibility of failure in taking risk, but there is also an equal possibility of success. So what you need to do is to focus on the positives, and be determined to make a success out of the risk. Your determination, diligence, and passion would go a long way in giving you the desired result.

4. Be ethical
    To become a great leader, you must consistently do what is morally correct and acceptable. It is something you should be known for by all and sundry. There should be no questions about your good character. And no matter how difficult a situation you might find yourself in, even if your followers would not get to know of the decisions you might make in such a situation, you must strive not to compromise your integrity.

5. Lead by example
    As a leader, your actions or inaction will determine the path that your followers will tread. In other words, your actions are being watched, and it is expected that you would set the pace for your followers.
    If you are enthusiastic about, and dedicated to your work, then your followers will have no option but to also show a good degree of enthusiasm and dedication. Conversely, if you are the type of leader who is less enthusiastic, especially, if you are the type who loves to consistently take extra breaks from work, then, you can be sure your followers would do more than that.
    Also, the way you compose yourself during difficult times and in situations of uncertainty would determine the reaction of your followers. They would look up to you for security and reassurance at such times, and you cannot afford to let them down. Therefore you must learn to always lead by example.

6. Be motivational
    Being able to inspire your team to success is a vital characteristic of a great leader. You must be able to keep the spirits of your followers up when passing through challenging times. Motivation also comes from the care you show for your followers - they will not give their best if they think or feel that you do not care about them.
    You must also make it a point of duty to recognize the efforts of your followers and reward them accordingly. Such rewards would motivate them to put in more effort, and it will also stir up the hearts of the lethargic ones, as they too would want to receive such recognition.

7. Be a good communicator
    You must always make sure that your messages are clearly understood by all. Without your followers having a clear understanding of what you expect from them, they would simply engage in other things, and that would certainly bring about frictions between you and them.
    Being a good communicator involves you speaking effectively, as well as having good writing skills.

8. Be evaluative and open to change
    As a leader, you must constantly evaluate your policies and programmes, and be ready to change them if they are not working or no longer beneficial to your team. In doing this, you must be open-minded, and take into consideration every follower's stated point of view - even if it comes as criticism. In that way, you would be able to arrive at the best policy that will effectively work for you and your followers.

9. Be able to foster potentials
    You need to create an environment which is conducive enough to encourage the growth and development of your followers unique skills and talents. Since they would be needed in one way or another in you achieving your desired result, it would be a big mistake to focus only on the end result without developing the human resources that would make the result a reality - that would only amount to a waste of time, energy, and resources.
    Therefore, you must not only encourage your followers to develop their potentials, but also create an environment that would allow them to exercise those potentials.

10. Have a sense of humour
      A sense of humour is a good addition to your qualities as a leader. A leader with a good sense of humour can lead his team through difficult and challenging times. A humorous leader can make the environment less tense, and bring some life into boring situations. So get that frown off your face and put some humour into your work!



I believe that with these discussed 10 qualities, you can now work on yourself, and become great at any position of leadership you find yourself in.

"Power isn't control at all - Power is strength, and giving that strength to others. A leader isn't someone who forces others to make him stronger; a leader is someone willing to give his strength to others that they may have the strength to stand on their own." - Beth Revis - Across the universe