Leadership qualities

Out of a sudden, I felt like writing about this. Take a note on this topic, because one day we will be a leader. Brace yourself, be strong, and never surrender..

and here it is, the leadership qualities by me..
=)


1. Honesty

Leaders have to be honest. If those under your charge do not trust you, then they won’t follow you. Common sense, if you ask me.

2. Responsibility

If you are going to make decisions, then you should take responsibility for the decisions that you make. Good leaders don’t pass the buck or blame other people – they deal with situations that arise and take responsibility for the results. Oh, and if you delegate a responsibility to someone under your charge and they screw it up, then it is YOU who have screwed up. That’s what leadership and responsibility is all about.

3. Confidence

You have to believe in yourself. I know it sounds corny, but confidence makes the leader. You have to believe every word that comes out of your mouth. If you don’t your charges will begin to question whether or not you know what you are talking about.

This literally means that even when a situation is hopeless, you have to give off an air of confidence. Your charges will look to YOU for guidance when times get tough. If they see panic or uncertainty in your eyes, then all is lost.

4. Enthusiasm

How do you make someone do something that they don’t want to do? Enthusiasm! Get psyched about the task that you’re assigning. Emphasize its importance, and rollup your sleeves and demonstrate. Enthusiasm is contagious – if your charges see you all excited and ready to have at it, they’ll get excited too. If you give off an “I just don’t give a hoot" attitude, then your charges won’t give a hoot either.

5. Reliability

Saying that you’re going to do something means that you will actually have to do it. Nobody likes an unreliable person, even if they’re not a leader. After your first time going back on your word, people just aren’t going to trust you anymore. I guarantee that if you are unreliable, you won’t be a leader for long (if ever).

6. Patience

Don’t underestimate the importance of patience. If you explain a task or situation to you charge and they don’t understand, then clarify it for them. It’s not their fault that they don’t understand your instructions – it’s YOUR fault. Take the time to help out your charges so that they can perform their assigned tasks as you intended. Answer their questions and make sure that they understand by asking a few yourself!

7. Decisiveness

Some politicians should pay careful attention to this. Don’t waffle on see-saw on decisions. Go through this exactly once: gather relevant information, gather input from your charges, and make a safe and reasonable decision based on the information that you have available. Never second-guess yourself unless new and important information is available.

Often, leaders have to make important decisions very quickly. Make sure that you’re psychologically prepared to do this – it’s not as easy as it seems.

8.Determination

This pretty much amounts to “finish what you start.” See tasks through to the bitter end, and keep your charges motivated to continue.

9. Loyalty

This is something that you expect of your charges. It is also something that your charges expect from you. The first time that you stab your charges in the back will also be the last.

10. Courage

This could be the most important of the list, since it encompasses so much. As a leader, you must have courage in order to be decisive. You can’t be afraid of failure, or else you will not be able to function as a leader. Have the courage to stick to your convictions or go with a gut instinct. Don’t be afraid to try a new approach.

Most importantly, don’t be afraid to admit that you made a mistake. This is what separates the true leaders from the wanna-bees. If you messed up, admit that you messed up, then take corrective action to fix your mistake. Your charges won’t think less of you for it – in fact, they’ll think more of you because you didn’t insist that black was white when both you and your charges know you’re wrong.