Qualities to Look for In a Leader

 

Qualities to Look for In a Leader

What are the qualities that you must look deep into a leader that separates him/her from the followers? What are the remarkable qualities an individual inculcate in themselves to take their organization to completely new heights? The following are six of the most important qualities that an irrepressible leader has who brings meaning to life and help their people become more effective and better performers in their areas of competence:

1.       A Leader is a Problem Solver:

Most of us generally remember the people who either cause problems or solve them without a sweat. Every organization has to deal with many new problems every single day and the job of a leader is to address and uproot those problems which are a pest to the organization’s growth. And great leaders always love the challenges because it gives them an opportunity to harness and showcase their abilities. If a leader is not solving problems, then what is he getting paid for?

A leader must also be open-minded in order to bring quality to solution of the challenges that the organization faces. Most of the times, it happens that the things are not the way they first appear. Therefore, its necessary for the leader to think outside the box to look at the problem from a different perspective.

2.       A Leader is always Authentic:

The word “Authentic” means to be genuine, real veritable, in sharing the sense fo actuality & lack of falsehood or misrepresentation. Many leaders fall into the temptation of copying others leadership styles and behaving the way other great leaders behave in a particular situation and eventually there comes a point where they lose their true identity. Its important for a leader to always learn form others but be themselves. Because Authenticity always breeds courage. If you are an authentic leader and always true to yourself, you will always be confident because you are not giving any other person the privilege to question your integrity.

3.       A Leader is a Servant ( really!):

Robert Greenleaf is credited with coining the term “servant leadership” in modern times. Servant leadership focuses more than just the aspect of solving complex problems & coming forward with a solution. It demands from a leader to serve rather than to manage people whether serving customers, employees, investors or stakeholders. The emphasis of a ‘Servant Leader’ must be to empower those whom he lead. A servant leader completely transforms an organization which results in the establishment of trust within the team members which leads to an effective management and allocation of resources. While the leader takes complete responsibility and management of the task, they provide their people to make decisions on their behalf which empowers them to achieve the goals with a greater level of motivation.

4.       A Leader takes over in times of Crisis:

The team is as good as the leader that leads it. People always look at how the leaders react to a particular situation and therefore leaders must commit to standards to ensure he sets the right example for his team. A leader must always Motivate people to get through not from organizational crisis but also personal crisis so that they maintain a commitment to company’s success. A leader must be willing to share and delegate responsibilities while maintaining understanding & analyzing the efforts of other team members. Great leaders always look at the hard and turbulent times in a unique way. They do not perceive crisis as a blockage to their leadership vision but seek it as an opportunity to strengthen themselves and the organization through the weaknesses that the crisis reveals to them.

5.       A Leader is an Influencer:

 

Leadership is an act of influence. The very moment somebody’s thoughts, ideas or actions starts to influence our life in some way or the other, they are leading us. And thereof, we are always lead by somebody whether we are aware of it or not. You don’t necessarily have to be in a high-profile position to become a leader with influence. In fact, you can have influence on the people right where you are. Everything you do in your personal and professional life impacts and influences others. Influence is the key to unlocking closed doors and sign of a successful leader.

6.       A Leader asks Good questions:

One of the most important quality of a good leader is to ask good questions. In his book, “Good leaders ask great questions” John C. Maxwell explains the importance of good questioning for a leader whether they are newly emerging or quite experienced in their field. Good questions gives new perception to the old ideologies. Great leaders are life-long learners. They never stop learning. And therefore, they first focus on themselves rather than to try to change others. IBM founder Thomas J. Watson said, “ The ability to ask the right question is more than half the battle of finding the answer.” But that’s only true if you are willing to ask the question. So, a leader always asks the right question.