What does it take for someone to be
a leader? Some people believe that you must be born with it. While it may be
true that some people possess a natural
ability towards leadership, it can be
learned. Like anything else, you get better at it with practice.
One of the key features of a leader
is to lead by example.
Our society has gotten too used to the idea that leaders
simply bark orders at people. They expect
people to follow those orders without the
willingness to do the tasks themselves. Leaders need to be the captains of the
ship and be willing to go down with the
ship.
Another role of a leader is to take
responsibility for your actions. Don’t pass the blame onto others. If you assume
or accept a leadership role, then you will be looked upon to guide those you lead. Own up to your mistakes
and figure out alternative courses of action when needed.
A leader should also have a vision
for their organization. You should know what you are trying to accomplish and
figure out how you are going to get there. To continue with the captain of the
ship analogy, you need to map out a route to take the ship.
When you are leading others, you
need to display confidence.
When people view you as a confident leader, they
will do whatever you ask of them.
There is a difference between confidence and
arrogance. Be careful not to confuse the two even though they sometimes can
cross.
Leaders are allowed to make
mistakes. How they recover from those mistakes defines their ability to lead.
If you hide from the problem, you will lose the confidence that others have
placed in you. Face up to the adversity of the situation and figure out how to
handle it. This can require some tough
decisions, but that is part of the role
of the leader.
Leaders should listen to the people
they are leading. If you take the approach that you are always right, you will
set the stage for a group of yes people. What this means is you will need to be
responsible for every decision, even the ones that you thought you were
delegating. Hire the right people and let them do their jobs.
Listen to their
concerns. Listening to others does not imply caving into their demands. You
simply need to take what others say into consideration.