July 5, 2022
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5 min read
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Leadership
Life is not the same for everyone. If you want to be a leader, then you will have to make some sacrifices also. You will have to make some tough choices regardless of what other people think of that choice. Leadership comes from hard work, trust, and good habits.
Great leadership does not come from a rule book or a special class. It all comes from some common habits and actions that all the great leaders of the world share. Leadership is a skill that one learns from other great leaders and his/her own life experiences. These certain habits make them a better leader, and if you want to be one of them too, then you will also have to take after these great leaders.
Here are some characteristics that are bound to a great leader, and sticking to them will help you become a great leader also.
It is not always easy to be a person who looks for the good in everything. But to be a great leader means you will need to inspire optimism. Even at times when you are the only one holding on to all the burden, you need to remember that positive feelings do catch on at some point.
An optimistic leader is actually a powerhouse for the team and peers. It is a fact that a positive thinker who is also a leader can impact the ability of his/her peers in many positive ways.
A leader who thinks positive also has the ability to have a vision of a bright and better future. Such a leader is able to inspire and motivate his/her peers. He/she has the ability to share the vision he/she carries, with the team.
Great leaders stay genuine; they do not fake anything. Even if it is a very small action or a great one, they tend to stay real to whatever they do. They are people who are purely comfortable in their skin, it’s up to the people if they want to keep it or leave it.
A great leader never compromises on his/her ideals and values, just to be liked by other people. They act upon what they believe is the right thing to do. Being a great leader means you need to have faith in yourself and believe in your actions and words. To be a great leader means to stay firm on the values you hold and never leave them no matter what the circumstances are.
As a leader one needs to be confident because at times the followers of that leader might need support from him. Every person needs someone to be there and help us keep it buckled up and continue the hard work. Confidence is something a leader is supposed to carry all the time, regardless of the time or situation. To be a leader means that people are relying on you, and when people are relying on you, you have to stay confident and firm in all the decisions you make. Great leaders practice confidence in their everyday routines.
Self-confidence allows a leader to take risks in order to accomplish higher goals. Leadership is the other name of being a source of influencing your followers, and when a person is confident in his/herself people are most likely to be inspired by that very confidence
There is nothing wrong in saying that communication is the key (literally the key to everything and every matter. You already have leadership qualities, if you are able to communicate well. A major characteristic of great leaders is that they seem accessible and it is easy for their peers to talk with them. They are responsible and allow people around them to talk about new ideas or any queries. They do not behave like someone who cannot be talked to or someone who is too proud of his/her position and will never listen to someone else’s ideas.
One needs to be compassionate and receptive as a leader. A leader communicates well and takes care of any kind of issues that take place. When you communicate well, people tend to trust you more and they believe every word that you say. I would say that communication is the key to become a successful and good leader.
Do not keep changing your mind, it will just lessen the stability in your personality. Great leaders make decisions and then stick to them. They do not step back from their decisions. Great leaders provide stability and trustfulness, and they have that well-developed decision making skill that others don’t have.
When a person knows how to stand up for the decisions he/she made, it is then they are embodying the greatest habit of a great leader. Such characteristic helps your peers in believing your word.
Other than these basic 5 things, there are some other characteristics one must have to be a great leader.
A great leader always prepares him/herself ahead of time for the win. He/she is not preparing just for himself, but for all the people who are working under him/her guidance.
Another thing that a great leader does is that to him/her the team is the first priority. They know how to put themselves in the shoes of their peers. Prioritizing your team results in increased loyalty and trust, and it’s a vital piece for connecting a team. Loyalty doesn’t come just by listening; you need to work every single day to earn the loyalty of your teammates.
When your peers do a great job, praise them. Don’t just praise them in private but also in front of others. Your peers don’t always want appreciation through expensive gifts but a few words of appreciation. It shows to them that their hard work matters to you and you know their efforts.
Not everyone can become a leader, these exceptional skills and habits turn a person into a great leader.
Tina Persson, PhD, Career & Leadership Coach
Global ICF Coach | Coaching and training high-performing professionals to unlock and maximize their potential for guaranteed business success
You can contact me at tina@passag2pro.com
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