How To Be A Good Leader

With people and organizations changing drastically, effective leadership styles too has undergone immense change. This change has lead to an alteration in the required qualities of a good leader as well. However, before going down to the qualities, you need to get a few things straight. Bear in mind that leadership skills are not inherited, but developed. Leadership is all about daring, dreaming and devoting oneself towards the fulfillment of the dreams. This comprises of delegating work to others, making sure of the completion of the work and meeting the deadlines and targets. Apart from being committed towards his/her work, a good leader should also be concerned for his people. Read on further to know the traits and qualities which make a good leader.

 

 

A person has to be trustworthy and possess a good character, in order to be a good leader. The best way to lead subordinates or juniors is by setting an example through his/her life and actions. Only then will the words be effective, as they would be accompanied by action. An effective leader is one who guides his followers in the right direction and helps them attain the desired goal.

 

A good leader should be enthusiastic. The interest that he takes in realizing the goals motivates his followers to work effectively. A leader’s keenness, enthusiasm and open-mindedness assists in encouraging his/her followers to take more efforts towards the goals and achieve them. A leader, hence, should have an undying and enduring enthusiasm about the work or specified goal in order to give the subordinates a boost to attain or meet the targets.

 

A true leader is undoubtedly confident. A leader should be self-confident, without which he would not be able to earn the trust and respect from his followers. A confident leader is in a better position to take the right decisions and effective actions. By effectively executing the tasks, the leader achieves excellence which is a key determinant for a good leader.

 

An important characteristic of a good leader is the ability to keep cool in all kinds of situations. While calmness and composure helps in taking the right decision, hasty decisions are often the result of stress and anxiety, which leads to repentance. All the circumstances should be handled with a cool mind, especially in case of critical situations. A leader should not lose his control in such situations, which would otherwise result in incorrect decisions.

 

Know and understand your people to become a good leader. Make good selections, delegate them responsibilities and choose people who will implement your decisions successfully. For proper execution of your work, understand the potential of your people and allocate duties accordingly. A good leader is judged by fair and right choices that he makes, at the right time.

 

A leader is mostly chosen as a result of unanimous decision by the people or the group. Hence, it can be safely assumed that it is the people who make a person a leader. Therefore, leader should not overlook the expectations and problems of his people. By sorting out the weaknesses and lauding the strengths, a leader can take the subordinates and juniors to the path of success.  And remember, it is the success of subordinates and juniors that makes a leader successful.