8 ESSENTIAL LEADERSHIP QUALITIES

In every sphere of life rarely do we acknowledge that we are leading. Leadership is at the core of every stage in life; it could be in your family, community or at the work place (apart from management). In a broader term, leadership is used interchangeably with management, but one thing I need to emphasis is that leadership is absolutely different from management.  Leadership has nothing to do with a seniority position in an organisation. Leadership has nothing to do with titles as anyone can lead.

Therefore, what is leadership? This simple question has continued to vex a lot of people including scholars, consultants and academicians. There have been heated debate as to what defines the hallmark of leadership.

So then, what is leadership? Leadership is a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others, towards the achievement of a goal. Leadership coach John C. Maxwell laments: leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. A leader should be someone who influences others and help them to achieve their goals.

Now let me outline some of the characteristics that encompasses leadership domain.

QUALITY 1: INFLUENCE

The first and most important leadership attribute is influence. A leader is someone who is able to influence other people. A leader is someone who finds a solutions to the problems others are facing. Influence simply entails making bold decision and convince your fox that this is the right way to do it. A leader should be able to instill hope to influence the people s/he is leading. Influence is essential in leadership. History tells us that great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Kenneth Kaunda and Nelson Mandela were great influencers. A leader should be able to win the hearts of the people!! A leader should make positive impact in other people’s lives.

Leadership is lifting a person’s vision to high sights, the raising of a person’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a personality beyond its normal limitations. —Peter Drucker

The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority. —Kenneth Blanchard

QUALITY 2: VISIONARY

The next essential component of leadership is visionary. A leader should have a vision. According to Oxford Online dictionary, vision is defined as the ability to think or plan about the future with imagination or wisdom. Relatively speaking, a leader is someone who thinks: what is next? What is for tomorrow? Leaders should be able to look ahead and not remain stagnant. A good leader will see opportunities in future while a bad leader will not. Leaders should be able to formulate steps that will solve the followers’ problems. Creating a sustainable vision for the future will not only give you confidence as a leader but it will also inspire the mass that you are leading into believing in you and working towards achieving that vision. You can’t lead if you don’t have a vision. People who have built great business empires were able to visualize and communicate the vision to their staff. Any vision should be accompanied by an action because without action, the vision will be in futility. Vision is to move people to a new set of shared dreams.  One man had to say this about visionary leadership: Visionary leaders articulate where a group is going, but not how it will get there – setting people free to innovate, experiment, take calculated risks. A leader see light where the followers don’t see. Good leaders focus on where they are going, not where they came from.

Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. —Warren Bennis

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet. —Reverend Theodore Hesburgh

The bible warns us: Where there is no vision, the people perish. —Proverbs 29:18

QUALITY 3: POSITIVE ATTITUDE

The next important attribute of leadership is positive mindset. Leaders are always optimistic. Having a positive attitude is the engine to great leadership, because without this nothing can be achieved. Even when the problem persists, a leader should always be positive of finding a solution, no matter how long it takes. Henry Ford once said: If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”  Another quote notes: the difference between stumbling blocks and stepping stones is how we see them.  A great leader always look at the problem positively with a smile. A great leader knows that achievement and limitation all resides in the mind and they look to the positive side of every challenge.

Zig Ziglar said: “You cannot tailor-make the situations in life but you can tailor-make the attitudes to fit those situations.”

Optimism is the most important human trait, because it allows us to evolve our ideas, to improve our situation, and to hope for a better tomorrow.” ~ Seth Godin

Remember: there are no problems in life, only challenges.

QUALITY 4: COMMUNICATE

Great leaders communicate to the followers. Leaders clearly communicate what their vision is and what explicitly they want to achieve. Great leaders recognize the value of communication. Leading people requires that you communicate effectively what the task at hand is, what you want to achieve, and what level of commitment you require from them and the value of the outcome. By communicating all these, you build confidence in the minds of the people. Effective communication if very essential in every undertaking as a leader. Effective leadership is about effective communication.

Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. —General George Patton

QUALITY 5: HUMILITY

Humility is described as the quality of having low or modest view of one’s importance. Great leaders possess humility. A leader who is able to lead people should possess humility. You can’t be a great leader if you are too arrogant. Humility defines great leadership. It is the basis on which leadership is founded. We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility. "Our ego hinders our ability to influence more than anything else under our control.” So said Michael McKinney.

We can only achieve more when are willing to humble ourselves.

A great leader needs to love and respect people, and he needs to be comfortable with himself and with the world. He also needs to be able to forgive himself and others. In other words, a leader needs grace.” — Leo Hindery Jr.

QUALITY 6: CLARITY

Clarity is defined as the quality of being clear and definite. It equates to the simplification of what ones wants to attain. Clarity is explicit of purpose or vision. A good leader knows exactly what s/he wants to achieve at the end of the day. Good leaders have visions, and formulate the strategy of how to achieve the vision. In short, great leaders have the end in mind!! A leader should be able to outline the vision clearly, knows the skills that are required, and the time frame. Clarity is the leader’s best friend. All the marks of an exceptional leader—authenticity, initiative, trust, courage, insight—stem from clarity. Being clear with yourself about your purpose and core values enables you to answer tough questions, make quick decisions and act with confidence. Being clear with others engenders trust and guards against misunderstanding, thus reducing friction and frustration.

Great leaders are not defined by the absence of weakness, but rather by the presence of clear strengths. —John Zenger

QUALITY 7: INSPIRATIONAL

Great leaders inspire others to emulate them. You can’t lead without inspiring people. Great leaders should be able to inspire the followers. Followers should be able to emulate your visionary leadership, clarity about the vision, the optimistic that you have in solving the problems at hand, the way you communicate to them and the humility you possess. Leadership is about inspiring others to become leaders. Great leaders ignite enthusiasm, navigate a course of action, reinforce optimism and encourage potential.

QUALITY 7: DELEGATION

Delegation is the process of the task or responsibility at hand to the lower level. This is the essential components of leadership. Delegating empowers the juniors to know how to do things and to take calculated risks. When you delegate a task, it means you are empowering someone. Delegation improves morale, confidence and productivity of the subordinates. It also saves you time. When delegating the following should be taken into account:

·         Pick the best people who have the skills

·         Delegate in such a way that a person is able to accept a task

·         Have consistent standards

·         Give ample time to the subordinate

·         Follow up

·         Share the rewards and give credit and praises

Delegation is the yardstick of leadership!!

A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together. —Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. —Jack Welch

Thanks for reading.

Lukonde L. Chaibela

#Positive Motivations 101 #Kingdom Leadership