Attributes of the true leader



Attributes of the true leader

What distinguishes a good leader from a mediocre one? That is the question.

Is it their leadership ability, their leadership style, their character, integrity, knowledge, ability to make profit, clarity of vision and so forth?

Whatever the answer you come up with, the important thing to realise is that great leaders can be developed. They are not necessarily “born leaders” as many would have us believe.

Many leaders have, over time, developed many of the attributes referred to above.

They have learned to be leaders either through formal training, through experience gained or through a combination of both. You can be trained, or can train yourself, as long as you are prepared to learn the basic fundamental skills necessary. (A pity some of our current so called leaders have not done so)

The secret therefore to being a good or great leader depends on our ability to apply what we know on a daily basis.

J Sterling Livingston, (professor at Harvard Business School) in a study he conducted, tried to distinguish the connection between formal education and leadership ability. The conclusion was that a formal business education, such as an MBA, was not a good predictor of leadership ability.

In addition to this particular observation Livingston identified four key skills that possibly define leadership. They are

▪ Decision making ability

▪ Ability to find and analyse problems

▪ Ability to seek out opportunities

▪ Leadership style

By developing skills in these fundamental areas anyone can, I believe, lead people, and inspire them to change.

Decision making ability

The ability to solve problems and make good decisions is extremely important for effective leadership. While these skills may come naturally to the few they are commonly taught skills to many others.

Seeking a solution to a problem and spending a great deal of time in analysing the problem can in itself lead to failure. Good leaders realise they cannot make perfect decisions all the time and learn a great deal from looking back after the fact.

When leaders are in the middle of a situation, they have to be confident enough to do what needs to be done right now. This often means you must quickly evaluate the situation, and take the action that has a high probability of success. In other words they know “How to” make decisions, they know “When to” make decisions. This comes from practical experience and not from any text book they might study.

Ability to find and analyse problems

Leader do not just solve problems brought to them, they seek out problems and try to address these. By this I mean they analyse situations, recognise potential problems and deal with them before they become problems. The earlier a problem is highlighted the more time there is to consider solutions. A great leader is a proactive leader and being proactive is something that comes naturally to some of them. For others there is a need to study effective ways of problem solving.

Ability to seek out opportunities

Leaders, when solving problems, make sure the organisation can continue on its defined path toward its goals. They focus on redefining and improving the companies overall direction.

Peter Drucker, a renowned management expert once said, "The pertinent question is not how to do things right, but how to find the right things to do, and to concentrate resources and effort on these.” Successful leaders find opportunities and use them effectively.

Leadership Style

Good leaders use effective leadership styles. If leaders cannot inspire others there is little or no chance of success. There is no correct style of leadership. What is important is that leadership styles are adapted to suit the situation. Leaders must be versatile. They must use the style that fits their individual personality.

Leaders must be inspirational and lead by example. Leaders should inspire trust and have a clear vision. Leaders must be responsible and be prepared to be held accountable. Leaders need to be trustworthy and possess high levels of honesty and integrity. Above all leaders are trustworthy and committed to their people. They are open and honest with their people and their superiors and they are committed to the company.

Summary

As a developing leader look for opportunities

▪ To make decisions in a wide variety of situations to help you gain decision making experience

▪ To find a problem before it develops into a much larger, and potentially damaging, issue

▪ Find opportunities and use them effectively

▪ To demonstrate responsible and be prepared to be held accountable

▪ Behave with integrity and be honest at all times

© Des Squire (Managing Member)

AMSI and ASSOCIATES cc

Cell 0828009057

des@amsiandassociates.co.za

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