Qualities of a good leader

The Qualities of a Good Leader

                        Leadership can be defined as the ability of an individual to guide, supervise and co-ordinate the activities of the members of a team towards the achievement of a shared goal. Leadership is a quality that has to be acquired and cultivated. It requires the possession of some traits to become a successful leader. Nobody is born a leader. One has to learn to be a leader. Even if someone inherits leadership, he/she soon loses it if he /she does not have the qualities that are vital for taking on the role of a leader and performing it successfully.

Given below are some qualities that one must have in order to become a successful leader.

1. Intelligence: A leader must possess a high order of intelligence. He has to deal with people of different temperaments, prepare plans, select people for different roles according to their skills and aptitude, find solutions to problems, sort out conflicts of interest, coordinate the activities of a large number of people, inspire them and do so many other things. A man who does not have a keen intelligence cannot perform the multiple roles that a leader is expected to perform. A man with no brains can never be a successful leader.

2. Diligence: A leader must be a hard-working man. No goal can ever be achieved without hard work. A leader who is himself lazy cannot inspire his followers to put in the required hard work for the execution of his plans and the realization of the team goal. Without the required hard work, even the best of plans will remain on paper only and never be transformed into a reality.

3. Ability to Inspire: A leader must have the ability to inspire his followers to use all their skill and strength for the realization of the shared goals. He must be able to inspire his followers by his words as well as actions. The best way to inspire others is to become an example to them. That means that a leader should have all those qualities and be ready to do all those things which he expects from his followers.

4. Ability to win Trust:  A leader must possess the ability to win the confidence of his men. People do not like to be ruled by men whom they do not trust. If you believe in the integrity and the motives of your leader, you will be willing to do anything at his bidding, even to risk your life. But if you have no faith in him, you will not be willing to any sacrifice for him.

5. Integrity: Integrity is another quality that you need to become a successful leader. Your men will not have faith in you if they doubt your integrity. Only an honest leader can inspire his followers to work honestly for the attainment of the goals of his team.

6. Selflessness: A selfish man cannot become a good leader. A leader must put the interests of his men first and his own interests last of all. He should subordinate his own interests to those of the team. A man who feeds himself while his men are hungry cannot inspire his men to give him whole hearted support. Rather they will follow his example and begin to put their individual interests above the interests of the team.

7. Sympathy and Empathy: A leader has not only to be sympathetic but also empathetic towards his followers. He must share their sorrows and problems, stand by them in their hour of need and be ready to do anything to help them out. Even this is not enough. He must consider their pains and sorrows as his own and feel them as they do. If he has this quality, his men will be ready to make any sacrifice for him. They will be willing to walk with him into the jaws of certain death.

8. Impartiality: A good leader must be impartial. He should not favour some of his followers and disfavour others. A leader who discriminates between his followers cannot hold on to his position for long. He will soon lose the trust of a section of the team whom he discriminates against. He should be like a father to his children and hold the interests of all of them equally close to his heart. Even those whom he favours will not appreciate him and follow him sincerely as they know that he may turn against them any time with or without reason.

9. Being Action Oriented: A leader must have more faith in actions than in words. Nothing can be achieved without action. Even the best plan would remain a plan until it is put into action. Implementation of plans is more important than preparing them. He must always be eager to translate his plans into actions to show results and achieve the team goals.

10. Sacrificing Nature: A good leader has a sacrificing nature. He does not expect his men to make sacrifices for him. Rather he is willing to make any sacrifice to protect the interests and promote the welfare of his men. The followers of a leader like that will be prepared to go to any length and to do anything at his bidding without caring for any bitter consequences.

11. Self-confidence and Self-esteem: A leader without self-confidence is no good as a leader. Men do not like to follow a leader who does not have confidence in his own ability to implement plans and achieve goals. His own lack of confidence will be reflected in his men. As a result they will work half-heartedly. And half-hearted efforts do not take us anywhere.

12. Confidence in the Followers: A good leader shows complete confidence in his team members. He does not doubt their competence, their loyalty or their integrity. In fact, mutual confidence is the foundation stone of any team work and achievement. How can you be a true follower of a man who does not have faith in you? To inspire faith, you must have faith in them.

13. Conflict Resolution Ability: When a number of people work together as a team, conflicts are bound to arise. The leader must have the ability to sort out those conflicts and maintain harmony and goodwill among his followers. If the leader is incapable of resolving conflicts and differences of opinion, different sections of his men will start pulling in different directions. Work will suffer and projects will remain unexecuted.

14. Commitment and Passion: The leader must be totally committed to the projects he undertakes and be passionate about their execution. If he is not committed and pursues them half-heartedly, he will not be able to inspire his men to show the commitment and passion without which no project can be executed successfully.

15. Good communication Skills: Possession of good communication skills is another quality that a leader must possess. Without good communication skills, he will not be able to explain his plans to his men, tell them the how they are to be executed, or how important they are. Without effective communication, the activities of the members cannot be coordinated properly. Misunderstandings can arise and create problems. Sometimes, the use of a wrong word or tone can lead to strained relations and cause bitterness and spoil the environment. All these things can stand in the way of successful and timely implementation of plans or execution of projects and ultimately result in losses to the organization.

16. Decision Making Ability: A leader has to be a good decision maker. He must have the ability to take correct and prompt decisions. A wrong decision or a delayed decision can result in the loss of a valuable opportunity, or cause production losses which ultimately cost dear to the organization

17. Accountability: The leader has to be responsible for the effective working of his team. If anything goes wrong, he has to take the responsibility. He should not try to wriggle out of the situation by putting the blame on somebody else. Even when the mistake has been committed by someone else in the team, he must have the guts to own the responsibility because, in the final analysis, he is responsible for all that his team members do. Moreover, by doing so, he wins the hearts and confidence of his team members.

18. Delegation and empowerment: A leader cannot succeed in his role if he does not know the art of delegating his responsibilities and powers to some other members of the team. It is not possible for any leader to perform all his duties personally. He has to use other members as his eyes, ears and tongue. He has to select men to whom he can delegate those responsibilities which he cannot perform personally and also transfer to them the powers that are required to discharge those responsibilities. A man who cannot spot the right men for this purpose or who cannot repose enough faith in his men for the purpose can never prove to be a good leader.

  19. Creativity and Innovation: A good leader must have the intelligence to think creatively and come up with new ideas which no one has ever tried before. An innovative leader can spring surprises by departing from the traditional ways of doing a job and inventing new methods of accomplishing tasks faster and with better results.

20. Self-Control: A leader must have a calm and balanced mind. He should be able to control his emotions and stay calm all the time. He should not lose his temper and start rebuking his men over trifles. Even if he has a genuine reason for being angry, he should keep his anger under control and deal with the situation tactfully.

21. Optimism: A leader must have a positive attitude and an optimistic outlook. He should never lose hope and be optimistic even in a hopeless situation. A man who gives way to despair at every rebuff is no good leader. He must have the courage to face difficult situations boldly and remain hopeful all the time. If the leader yields to pressure, who will provide the moral support to his team?

22. Determination: A rock like determination is another important quality of a good leader. Once he has taken a decision, he must stick to it and rest not until he has executed it. He should not be afraid of the obstacles that might come his way. He should have the courage to challenge challenges.