Characteristics of a Leader

No team is complete without a good leader. While at times this position will be designated, this role may simply be assumed in other cases. Either way, leaders need to have certain qualities to be effective in establishing their authority. Great leadership is highly dependent upon such qualities or characteristics of the person in authority. It isnt very difficult to learn these characteristics as long as you put 2 things in main priority the team and the goal. Below listed are some of the essential traits of leaders. Clarity Clarity in speech and thought is an essential feature of every good leader. When youre speaking with your team, you should be detailed and clear about the nature of every task, the associated deadline and what you expect from them. Assertiveness If your instructions arent taken seriously, this can cause huge problems. Thats why, when its about getting the job done, leaders need to be assertive, yet not aggressive, when dealing with subordinates. Results tend to be several times better and chances of being taken as granted by members of your team are reduced. Optimism Leaders are the builders and spreaders of hope amongst team members. Everyone looks to the leader for instructions. Pessimistic leaders could lead to the entire teams doom. Therefore, optimism is another crucial trait of a good manager. Creative Its much better if your leader is creative. Creativity helps in dealing with team members in more innovative manners. Therefore, a leaders creativity and her/his efforts in encouraging creativity amongst members of the team can bring about an exciting atmosphere in the workplace. Thats the kind of atmosphere where your subordinates look forward to taking action to reach a goal. The scale of job satisfaction is also several times higher. Awareness Leaders must know all about the going-ons in their team. However, that doesnt mean that you should spy on team members. Generally, you should just be on good terms with your team mates. In turn that will allow you to stay aware of whats really happening at the other end of the line. Ambitious The leader is a person that sets certain standards for the team. Therefore, you should be ambitious and realistic. An ambitious leader may also be called a visionary and can take your team to completely new heights. However, remember to never overstep the faint line between over-ambitious and ambitious. Great Communication Skills Its a commonly known fact that high-quality communication skills are essential traits of good leaders. Prcis and clear communication is important when you need to get work done. Furthermore, good communication is one of the key factors that keep your team tied together. Being a decent orator comes along with the improved communication skills.

Fairness You must be fair in how you distribute work amongst subordinates. Distribution must be in line with every members potentials and capacity to handle the work. Everyone dreads getting a team leader thats biased. Patience Anger may stop a leader from getting the best out of their team mates. Although strictness may be required at times, its important that the leader stays calm and cool at most times so that no petty hard feelings are born in the team. Even when you need to enforce a little harshness in handling your team, your words need to be very carefully controlled and used aptly. As a leader you are responsible for your teams well-being. You are the caretaker that everyones counting on. You can literally break or make your team. We hope that the above mentioned traits will help you in your journey towards becoming a great leader.

Being an Ambitious Leader

As a leader, you must understand that no ambition will draw others to feel the same or last for long without a strong and appealing sense of purpose. The highest moral purpose expression is a calling that is noble, such as environmental improvement or relief of suffering. In business environments, ambitions tend to be more real-world and aimed towards profits and success. We list seven things that every leader can do to help their team members look beyond their own beings into a unanimous direction and pursuit for one common dream. Work towards creating great value: A high achieving leader will recognize the relation between value and quality. Economic and social value can only be created through highly effective execution. Companies like Wal-Mart create this value with efficient systems to help their customers save money. Do everything with pure and complete excellence: To really achieve highly as a leader, you must embody the role model that you wish your team members to be like. Excel in the work you do. Your ambitions as a leader will seek and offer, in return for this, recognition for your excellent performance. When you become the best at what you do, you transcend the standard leader. Empower every individual: Every ambitious leader will find a way to achieve their dreams, show their potential, and surpass their limitations. You must give your team members beneficial information, advice, resources, and the authority they need to think on their own and make decision on part of their customers. When your team members each join together to empower the customers, this creates a much higher and stronger feel of possibility, determination, and purpose. Improve human conditions: Thousands of social workers, healthcare professionals, religious workers, and teachers have dedicated their lives to improving other peoples lives.

Communication Skills
To be in a leadership role, one must possess highly effective communication skills. Whether youre a team leader in a scout troop or prestigious office, it is important to possess effective skills for communication to gain credibility as a leader and make your instructions easy to follow. Ask for feedback from other people, practice your communication skills often, and evaluate how youre progressing regularly.

Listening Skills Leaders dont just talk to people and delegate tasks. A good leader will know how he or she must communicate and will understand the significance of listening skills in good communication. Understanding Barriers Leaders will understand the kinds of barriers that may be blocking effective communication. This could be stress that a speaker is going through, wrong perception of the message being communicated, inappropriate environment, and perhaps even the workplace culture. Body Language Leaders must sit straight and maintain proper posture in meetings. Rarely will you see a good leader slouching or slumping. Often, how you carry yourself can be enough to show your team members who is in command. Always maintain eye contact with your subjects. If you are standing, think about how you are being perceived by other people in the room. Ask Questions A good leader knows how important it is to ask the correct questions. By asking questions, you, the leader, can determine the exact motives of other conversation participants. To lead a useful conversation, you must ask several questions and get to the root of the problem. Build Trust If your team members dont trust you, it is difficult to lead them. Never betray trust of other employees when they communicate with you. If something is said to you in confidence, make sure it stays confidential. Do not engage in backbiting behind others back or office gossip.

How to Inspire Others

If you want to be an inspirational leader, you must feel the passion of the mission and vision youre pursuing within yourself strongly first. You must be able to share your passion with others in the workplace in a manner that makes them feel passionate about it as well. The kind of mission and vision being pursued is also critical in deciding how much you will be able to make others feel this sense of meaning and purpose you feel. You need to show your employees that the everyday work tasks being performed are worth much more than their face value, towards a greater goal. Sometimes, leaders need to help staff connect dots by explaining to them the bigger picture of the whole thing. Communicate this big picture to them regularly to re-enforce why the organization exists. A good inspirational leader will listen to others in the organization. Just talking about your passions with them is insufficient. Sharing meaning or communicating needs to allow your staffs thoughts and ideas to help formulate a mission and vision or at least the action plan and goals. In order to experience true inspiration, your team members must also feel involved in the conversation. Inclusion is not just feedback and listening. To really include them, you must make them feel closely connected to the process and actions being led towards a certain decision or goal accomplishment. The integrity of the leader is crucial to inspiration. Passion and vision are important. However, only an employee that trusts you will be inspired by you. They need to believe in you. Your persona in the workplace is just as important as the instructions you give. Employees admire a person that speaks the truth, attempts to do the correct things, always tries their best, and lives the good life. Trust me.