What are the similarities between Hitler and Martin Luther King? There is no denying that both these people were given a lot of power and were people who changed the way we look at the world today. The striking difference, however, is the way both of them brought about these changes and used their powers. When one lead by dictatorship the other lead by example. While one became a leader by suppressing the others, the later was chosen out of respect and love from the country. Over the past few centuries, we the people have witnessed so many changes. Our generations have gone through patches both good and bad. And, do you know what it is that influences or changes these phases for us? It is the vision and the outlook of a leader. History is our biggest teacher and we all know how many times the fate of a nation and its people have changed on the account of a leader’s ability, and their very views.
Arguably almost all of us know that some way or the other, a leader influences our lives at every phase. During childhood, it is our parents when in school it is our teacher and when we go out in the professional world, our leaders become our management team and our bosses. Evidently, it is also true, that the way we get shaped and behave also depends on the way our leaders prepare and mould us. To state it accurately, a leader is someone who shapes not only our nation and community but also the various organizations.
Undeniably it is very easy to spot a leader who is not being efficient and is destructive rather than being constructive, however, what are the qualities that help make a leader GREAT? Let’s take a look at some of the characteristics.
“With great power comes great responsibility” – Ben Parker (Spider-Man)
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Empowering with the right delegations: If the leader does everything himself, then what will the rest of the people do? The leader has the ultimate task of supervising and planning for the future, so naturally, a good leader will use their authority by delegating responsibilities to the right people. Often, it is seen that leaders are not comfortable in passing on knowledge and delegating important tasks to their team under the fear that others may do the same task better than them. As a leader, you need to exercise your power in the right way. Use it constructively and let your people grow. Part of utilizing a leader’s power also comes by trusting the team and not micromanaging them at all times. It is your job to let them feel responsible and that will happen only when you let them take accountability for their actions. The key to being a good leader is to empower your people and not discourage them.
“The act of communication is the language of Leadership” – James Humes
Effective communication: Many leaders speak and talk, but out of those many how many do we remember? One of the strongest qualities that a leader must possess is the art of effective communication. One needs communication for almost everything. To be able to give directives, to make the people understand their goals and mission and most of all to be able to lead with a vision in mind. A leader can’t expect the team to follow them blindly. At times it is true that words spoken are louder and can help achieve the actions which ultimately are measured.
Honesty is the best Policy: Though this saying is rather cliché, it holds the trust! Honesty and integrity are two traits that a great leader must possess. Being honest will keep your intentions clear and will give your team more reasons for trusting you. It will lead to a lot of transparency and this will motivate your team to leave no stone unturned to help you achieve the goals. If a leader is successfully able to practice honesty with their teams, the juniors will also hone their integrity and will work better for you. Honesty and integrity, by all means, are two roads with the same meeting point!
No entry for Negativity: A calm and composed leader is one who never lets their team know about the hurdles and challenges that they face. When people work under a leader they want them to inspire them and always spread a positive vibe. If a leader starts bickering and complaining it isn’t going to pass a very good vibe amongst the others. So, a leader will always have to be positive and induce positivity. Along with positivity, a leader needs to ensure that they instil in their team a good sense of teamwork and unity. A team that is able to work together will definitely have no scope of negativity.
“Management is doing things right; Leadership is doing the right things” –Peter Drucker
Unlock all your Creativity: “Thinking out of the box” is something a leader will always have to do! On a number of occasions, they may come face to face with challenges and issues which they will have to tackle in a unique and different manner. You are called a leader because people expect you to have an answer to the things that you don’t know. If a leader is expecting the team to be creative, the same will also apply to them! Once in a while do conduct a brainstorming session with your team and allow them to suggest and help you decide what to do and how to go about things in a right way. Believe us; it will only help boost their morale. At the end of the day, a good leader is someone who treats his people not as resources but as assets.
It is comparatively an easy task to become a leader, but the difficulty comes when one is on the way to become a good leader. A leader is someone who doesn’t do different things; they just perfect and do the same thing differently!
Author’s Bio
Henry Jones – Academic Writer and Content Specialist at GoDissertationHelp, which provides the dissertation writing services in UK and with that all the academic writing like essays and assignments. Henry is also a Content Specialist who loves to write about Tech, Digital Marketing, Management, and Finance etc.
