Important Qualities of a Good Leader
Leadership is organizing and inspiring others to achieve a common task or vision. The leader has to convince others that his vision is where they want to go. He has to teach them or help them learn how to achieve their goals. So what qualities does a good leader need in order to accomplish this?
Many scholars of leadership have developed their own list of qualities or traits that a leader must have in order to be successful. While I don’t know what every scholar has claimed are the qualities of a leader, I do know some of the more important ones that most scholars can agree on.
The most important quality in my book is trust. The leader has to be someone that others can trust. Without trust from the people you are trying to lead, you absolutely cannot be a true leader. One thing people often fail to understand is that good leadership is not given by a title, or a degree, or anything of that nature. It is something that has to be earned through good works that others have witnessed.
Do you know anyone who you would follow that you barely know, even if they are a person of power or authority? Of course not! You might trust this person professionally because of simply who they are, but you probably wouldn’t trust them personally (at least you shouldn’t). In order for someone to be you leader, you need to be able to trust this person whole heartedly. Otherwise you will never buy in to their vision.
What makes a good leader is not just trust, but also respect. Without the respect of the people you are attempting to lead, they will never do exactly what you say. Think of your boss at work, or all the employees in the world who have no respect for their boss. Does that person honestly expect his or her workers to do good quality work?
Someone might perform well at work despite the fact they don’t respect their superior, but they probably won’t stay employed there for long. If you have ever worked for someone you did not respect, it makes for a unhappy life at work. How do you gain respect from the people who follow you?
This can be achieved with knowledge, hard work, and treating others as you would have them treat you. Are you more likely to follow the CEO who puts in the long hours, is smart when it comes to his field, and treats you as he would his own brother, or the CEO who takes off early every day just because he is the boss, knows little about his field, and treats you as if you are inferior to him.
Finally, a good leader must have confidence in himself and his vision. This is simply achieved by believing in yourself, and not letting criticism and scrutiny get you down. If your followers see that you are not confident in your decisions, they will lose confidence in you.
You must believe every decision is the right one and not look back. Of course, you want to make an effort to make the best decision, but after the thought is put into it, believe in it. Imagine if a preacher who leads his congregation is unsure about the worship in his church every Sunday, and is skeptical about his own sermons. The congregation wouldn’t continue to attend this church for very long.
Have you ever been to a meeting at work or been around a group of people and noticed who the leader was because of who the people listened to the most? Just because someone is the boss, doesn’t mean they are the leader. Remember, leadership does not come with a title; it comes with possessing the traits I mentioned above.
If you are a manager at work, many of the same qualities of a good leader are also qualities of a good manager. If you want to be a good leader or manager, you should know that leadership is not something you are born with, it is learned. Anyone can learn how to be a good leader with hard work and commitment.
