Successful Leadership Qualities…
Do You Have Them?
By: Jacqueline T.D. Huynh
The Collins English dictionary defines leadership as “the leader(s) of a party or group.” Here at Integrative Minds, we define true leadership as much more than that.
Who are leaders that surround us today?
- Business Owners & CEO’s
- People At All Levels of Management
- Leaders in Politics and Global Affairs
- Parents, Teachers, Partners in Relationship
- Therapists, Health Care Providers, Mentors
- Teachers, Sports Coaches, Authors, Consultants and others who interact with people on a regular basis
WE ALL LEAD EITHER BY CHOICE OR DEFAULT
The question that we should then ask ourselves is,
“How well do I lead?”
If you are currently in a leadership position at work and your title was removed, will they still follow?
If people follow you simply because of your title or position then you are managing and not leading. This is very different. Managing is being
more directive, overseeing & making task happen. There’s nothing wrong with this but a leader will set a vision, goal, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. Then he/she will inspire the team to get to that goal or direction.
If people follow you because they aspire, believe and are passionate to the same vision, goals, & objectives you have set, and they feel a sense of purpose as a result, then they will go to the ends of the earth for you. This is how one leads from behind.
Lots of people see things that should be done, things that should be fixed, great steps forward that could be taken. What makes leaders different is that they ACT. They take the steps to achieve their vision and they move forward.
So how do you start becoming the greatest leader possible in life and work? Here are the 4 specific skills someone must master if they want to be a great leader.
- Effective communication – A leader’s communication must move people to work toward the goal the leader has chosen. Communication is also about active listening, paying attention and asking empowering questions, which, in turn, creates a sense of empowerment.
- Motivation – A leader has to be able to motivate everyone to contribute. Getting people you lead to buy in to your vision, mission, goals and objective. Each of us has different “buttons”. A leader knows how to push the right buttons in everyone to help them really want to do their best to achieve the leader’s goal.
- Planning – A leader has a plan to achieve the goal. He/she doesn’t get too bogged down in the details, that’s what managers are for, but rather uses a high level plan to keep everyone moving together toward the goal.
- Emotional Intelligence – A leader has a self-awareness of his/her own emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals – and their impact on others. He/she has the ability to self-regulate which is the ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods –to think before acting. Empathy also goes with emotional intelligence. This is the ability to consider other people’s feelings and treating them to their emotional reactions.
Why would you want to be the best leader possible in your life? Strong leadership skills can help and improve ALL areas of your life.
It can improve:
- Wh
ether or not your children do their homework, and how well they do it. - How well you negotiate the purchase of a new car or home
- How you communicate with anyone you do business with
- How you develop mutually supportive & sustaining relationships
- How much energy you can muster to motivate yourself to take action to live your most POWERFUL, PRODUCTIVE and PURPOSEFUL life.
Now that you know how important it is to develop your leadership skills take an inventory of how well you grasp the 4 skills of effective leadership mentioned above.
How are you a leader in your life? Are there other skills that you believe would help others become greater leaders? Let us know in the comments below! Think someone could learn from this post? Share it!
Also remember that we also have Leadership Workshops and Leadership Coaching designed specifically for those who want to go deeper in learning about how to develop that confident leader in you. Contact Us for more information!
Let us know your thoughts and if you think someone else could benefit from this information…Share!