Who are Leaders, and What Does it Mean to Lead?
What does it mean to be a good leader? There are countless stances about the meaning of a leader. In easy terms, being a leader is like influencing a group of individuals to work toward a common objective. A good leader has empathy. To be a leader means one and only one thing: you have followers. It is about learning your style of leadership skills and how to adjust it to fit the situation at hand by effective management.
A follower is someone who raises their hand and offers to go wherever you’re going. They volunteer to go in the direction that you’re pointing. So, to lead others means that you have a distinct vision of a world, a world that could exist, a world that does not exist. You inspire people who believe what you believe.
The Core Principle
The core principle of leadership is about the shift people have to make.1 The transformation is from being an individual contributor to being a leader or to being a leader at one level and then going into another level of leadership.
What can be the tools, techniques, and approaches that will enable you to step up into these increasingly more complicated roles? Eventually, it is all about how to see yourself differently before you take on that work. What’s the transformation you have to undergo? You have to be ready so that when people turn to you to lead, you are all set to take them where you need to go.
Position of a Good Leader
There are two things great leaders need to have, empathy and perspective.1 Generally, both of these things are often forgotten. Leaders are so often concerned about their status or position in an organization that they forget their actual job. The real job of a leader is not to be in charge. It is about taking care of those in our control. Most people don’t realize this, or they don’t train for it. When you’re a junior, your only responsibility is to be good at your job. Some people actually go for advanced education to do their job well.
The company will promote you if you manage to be good at your job. More than that, at a point, you’ll get promoted to a position where you’re responsible for the people who do the job you used to do. But nobody shows us how to do that, and that’s why we get managers instead of leaders. The reason our managers are micromanaging us is that they know how to do the job better than us, and that is what got them promoted. 2
Really what we need to do is go through a transition. Some individuals make it quickly. Some make it slowly, and some, unfortunately, will never make that transition, which is why we have to go through this transition of being responsible for the job.
Practicing Leadership
One of the great things lacking in most of our firms is that they are not teaching us how to lead. Leadership is a skill like any other it is a practicable learnable skill, and it is something you work on consistently. You will become a strong leader if you practice it every day.
Like leadership, everyone has the capacity to be a leader, but that doesn’t mean everybody wants to be a leader, and it doesn’t mean everybody should be a leader. And the reason is that it comes with great personal sacrifice. Always remember you’re not in charge but responsible for those in your charge. Although people respect and appreciate leaders and view leadership as high position job, being a leader comes with a lot of pressure.
Why does Positive Energy Matter for a Leader?
There is nothing more significant in a team than passion and the drive to succeed, and having a positive leader is crucial. A leader who radiates positive energy makes them more trustworthy while also boosting the team’s morale.1 There is a positive relationship between team morale and productivity, according to many studies.
A great leader will always have a positive attitude as he will shift their focus entirely on solving the problem because of their leadership approaches. A good leader will know what to focus on at any given point. Most managers will delegate their challenging tasks to their employees. A good leader will focus on complicated tasks and delegate the rest to others.
Delegating also means fully trusting your team without micromanaging their every move. Good leaders delegate tasks to others and trust them to get the job done. The relationship between the leader and his team is always vital for the productivity of an organization.
What is the Vision of a Good Leader?
Most average employees lack vision, and the fear of the consequences is something that stops the ordinary person from being a leader. In order to be a good leader, you have to decide if you’re going to be a leader or not, but first, understand what a leader is though.
You can be a leader of your own life; it doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be a world leader taking aspirations from world leaders. A leader without vision is a follower. You will never have a clear rendezvous point if you are not clear about the destination.1
Amazingly there are multiple benefits when you have clear leadership. First of all, it will give you confidence. With a clear vision, you’ll also be able to command the team and lead them into a bigger, better future.2
How do Charismatic Leaders Influence Others?
Charisma is a form of interpersonal attraction that inspires support and acceptance. Charismatic leaders are likely to have a lot of self-confidence in their beliefs and a need to influence people. They also tend to communicate high expectations about follower performance and express confidence in their followers.
Moreover, charismatic leaders can energize others by demonstrating personal excitement, personal confidence, and a constant pattern of success. Such leaders can be a powerful force in any organizational setting. They usually influence a large group of followers. 1
Charismatic leaders communicate goals. These goals are frequently motivated by a clear, ideological, or moral position. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. drove his message with a clear moral status. 2
Why is Constructive Criticism Necessary For A Leader?
A great leader will always want to deliver constructive feedback. It may be one of the most challenging aspects of your role, but being capable of giving and receiving constructive criticism is crucial to being a good leader.1 Employee and team members need to know, and in most cases want to know, how they can improve, and you need to provide the resources to help them do that. The goal of giving feedback is to empower your team members, improve their performance, and boost team engagement.
Constructive criticism identifies what’s going right and what went wrong while providing solutions. Before giving feedback, always ask your teammates questions that will encourage them to talk about any issues they’re facing or the achievements they’re experiencing. 2 If you want to be a good leader, it requires communicating openly and frequently with your team. What appears to be a path to success is forming an authentic connection with them, maintaining a positive attitude, and setting clear goals together.
10 Key Qualities of a Good Leader
Leaders need to work on developing some soft skills and qualities. Following are some qualities that make a good leader.
1. Integrity
Integrity should be important to everyone. Every leader should have integrity, as it is one of their core values. Good leadership starts with integrity. It is essential to uphold one’s convictions.
2. Self-confidence
True leaders have a high level of self-assurance; as a result, they are aware of their abilities and leadership traits. They are confident in themselves, value themselves, and, most importantly, think they can change the world.
3. Ethics
Good leaders think through the ethical implications of their choices for their team members and clients. By considering these actions, leaders become more aware of ethical practices.
4. Delegation
One of a leader’s primary duties is delegation, but it can be challenging to do so successfully. The aim is to free yourself up, but you also want to allow your direct reports to develop, collaborate, have autonomy, and make better decisions.
5. Empowerment
A leader with empowerment gives others the freedom to do things on behalf of their field of work while also giving them the chance to develop and get better. Once the leader empowers team members, they get a set of rules to follow and are left alone for a while to complete their work.
6. Passion
Most successful leaders around the world share the leadership quality of passion. It makes the leaders motivated. Having a strong sense of commitment to their aims, passionate leaders are clear on their goals and put forth great effort to pursue them. They increase work efficiency and productivity by encouraging the workers to focus on their work.
7. Kindness
Leading with an open heart is made possible by kindness. With it, the leaders easily understand the value and worth of the team. People inspire to be like the ones who show the act of being kind. Leaders who do kind acts can increase happiness and job satisfaction. They also promote success at work.
8. Active listener
The ability to actively listen is a good trait for leaders to possess. Good leaders pay close attention and are sincere when they listen to others. It assists them in comprehending people and their points of view.
9. Innovative
Successful leaders are always innovative. These leaders allow people the freedom to generate their ideas. They always welcome creative approaches and discussions. Moreover, they attentively listen to people and encourage them to think outside the box.
10. Good decision-making skills
Good leaders are conscious of the potential impact of their decisions. They consider a situation carefully before drawing any conclusions. They gather all the necessary data before making any decision.
Benefits of a Leader
The advantages of having real leaders within any organization are numerous. Let us look at some of the benefits.
1. Increases your value
By being a leader, your employer sees more value in you. Sadly, many emerging leaders are not given training in effective leadership. They are also unwilling to invest the time and energy necessary to learn it. You have a significant advantage over your rivals if you make this investment in yourself. Your workforce will be more productive, experience lower turnover, and have higher job satisfaction if you serve as an effective leader.
2. Inspires people
As a leader, you have the opportunity to inspire and influence others to become the best versions of themselves, collaborate effectively, and find purpose in their work. All these things can be attainable if your followers use your guidance and learn your actions to advance their careers and all aspects of their lives. They would see you differently as a person of great wisdom and respect.
3. Provides efficient communication
It is always better to inform the whole company whenever major significant decisions like a new strategic approach or change in the plan are taking place. Notifying minimizes the chance of miscommunication. A leader will ensure that everyone in the company receives information sharing via email messages or m staff meetings. Thus, the staff hearing it from a trustworthy source will remove any uncertainty about whether the information is true or false.
4. Offers resources
Leaders are frequently in a position to offer assistance and materials that enable team members to perform their jobs more successfully. It could mean working with another department or obtaining particular resources for a project. Successful leaders look for ways to make their teams more productive and effective, which implies listening to their complaints or suggestions for improvement and leading to change.
5. Gets access to different leaders
Being a leader entitles you to socialize with other leaders who share your values. Even so, a few of them might be more impactful and successful than you. By meeting different successful leaders, you will get an excellent opportunity to learn and gain insight from them. Furthermore, the connections you build with them may help you achieve your own goals. With leadership, you can connect with other leaders from various backgrounds.
5 Ways to Master the Art of Leadership and Become a Great Leader
1. Look for a mentor
You can get direction from a mentor about the leadership skills and techniques most effective for you. A mentor will help you choose the appropriate strengths and traits and how to use them. Additionally, they will assist you in developing goals for problematic areas that require improvement.
2. Go through resources
You can discover more about becoming a successful leader from numerous sources, such as books, journals, online publications, research papers, and podcasts. You can also research influential leaders to know more about their skills and how they use them to accomplish their objectives.
3. Practice discipline
Practice your new leadership skills to keep them sharp. A disciplined leader is effective. People will evaluate your ability to lead based on the level of discipline you show at work. By practicing discipline, you’ll know what works best for you and where you need to learn more to get better.
4. Consider taking a training course.
Many leadership development programs and courses are available both online and offline. The training course will give participants insight into solid leadership methods. Through it, you will learn the abilities required to succeed as an effective leader in today’s professional world.
5. Request a feedback
You can request your team for helpful criticism To make you a better leader. The best and most effective action a leader can take to enhance their performance is asking for feedback. Your team should know and point out what worked well for them and give ideas and recommendations for future improvements.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that becoming a good leader takes effort. Even though some people are born with leadership qualities, anyone can become a leader easily by learning and improving their leadership skills. To be a great leader, you have to persuade others – that you are deserving of their support is a prerequisite for effective leadership.
An effective leader should possess the ability to anticipate the steps that must be taken in the future to deal with challenging circumstances successfully. Leaders understand how to inspire their followers to function at their highest levels and to work together effectively. Building and maintaining relationships with his followers while also creating a healthy environment is the challenge of a leader.
In general, being a good communicator, being reliable, and having ambition is necessary for leadership. With the help of a leader’s actions, the team can meet their needs and accomplish their goals efficiently.
References
1. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/leadership-principles
2. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/empathy-perspective-traits-great-leaders-allen-coleman-mmci
4. https://haiilo.com/blog/leadership-what-are-the-qualities-and-characteristics-of-a-great-leader/
5. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/leader-one-who-knows-way-goes-shows-alex-sanfilippo-
6. https://www.betterup.com/blog/constructive-feedback
7. https://study.com/learn/lesson/charismatic-leadership-overview-characteristics-examples.html
8. https://online.stu.edu/degrees/education/what-is-charismatic-leadership/
9. https://www.kazoohr.com/resources/library/constructive-feedback-examples10. https://www.hvosearch.com/post/7-traits-of-a-great-leader