We are all a strange mixture of character traits and personality profiles that make us who we are. But when it comes to leadership we need a more specific recipe for success.As with greatness, some of us were born as leaders, some will learn about leadership and others will have leadership thrust upon them.
So, what is the best recipe to make a good leader? Let me propose some of the most prominent characteristics we look for in a good leader;
Self Awareness
You need to know who you are. You need to know the extent of your abilities, strengths and weaknesses. You need to know what you are capable of doing and how you are going to accomplish success and that includes knowing the gaps in your knowledge and your limitations.
Armed with this knowledge and the power it conveys, you are more capable of accomplishing big things in a bigger world. Even if you are physically small and frail, your power and self determination will carry you to great heights.
Confidence
Are Leaders really fearless? Do they always carry with them the strong conviction that they cannot fail? Unfortunately not, but they do have a dependable 'game face' that potrays a confident, business-like manner. The ability to repeatably portray confidence to an external audience, will carry others along in the excitement and will achieve better results than you might otherwise expect.
Self-Esteem
In many leaders the sense of worth and esteem is directed at the 'target' of their focus, their cause, those they serve and work alongside. They know the value of self-esteem and self-belief and will instill it in others at every opportunity.
A Sense of Urgency
Sometimes this is described as a 'divine impatience' that surrounds all your activities. 'So much to do and so little time to accomplish it.' A drive to rectify an imperfect world can lead to long hours and late nights, which need to be managed to prevent 'burnout' or 'exhaustion.'
A Personal Mission
This follows very closely on with the previous evangelistic aims of a good leader and, in the case of Mother Teresa and others, can be directly linked to a religious or spiritual conviction.
Having a Magnetic Personality
Good leaders do have magnetic personalities and people are naturally drawn to them. This may be partly to do with good leaders having strong personal skills and partly to do with 'followers' wanting to be in the winning team. Either way, good leaders are surrounded by eager faces, and can motivate and rally people, even in very difficult circumstances.
Validation
Good leaders will very rarely compare themselves to others. It is not necessary for them to seek validation or approval from others. This is not who they are. This does not mean that they do not share and discuss decisions with others whose opinions they respect, but they are capable of taking a unique view and following it through. This may be why committees and good leadership do not fit well together.
Consistency
Being single minded, reliable and consistent is a key trait of good leaders. People will feel safer and more secure with a leader whose actions can be predicted and anticipated, than a moody 'loose cannon.' This is even the case when the leader is strong, demanding and 'difficult' to please, from a 'followers' viewpoint.
Calm and Serene
If you can keep your head when all around are losing theirs and blaming it on you, .....there is a good chance that you do not have all the facts. Seriously though, a good leader needs to be calm in the face of adversity.
It is not as difficult as it sounds because you are taking a very different, more strategic perspective on the situation and can openly question and select the tactics being proposed for an amicable resolution.
You, as leader have the authority and the responsibility to resolve situations and this can be a very comfortable position to be in. So, stop waiting for a new leader to be born or trained up because leadership is being thrust upon you.
