Leadership is often talked about but sometimes hard to define intangible that can make or break any business. Leadership can be defined as the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal.
Leadership and management are two terms that can be conflated, but they are not the same thing. A manager may not be a leader and a leader may not be a manager.
A Leader’s Duty
Some individuals seem to be naturally gifted with more leadership abilities than others, but anyone can learn to be a leader with good leadership training.
- Accountability
A good leader takes full responsibility for their group’s performance regardless of the outcome. When the outcome is favourable a good leader provides praise to encourage his team members. They also provide constructive criticism where needed to help them improve. Remember the adage that it is better to praise in public and chastise in private.
A good leader, if they make a mistake or a bad decision will own up to it, and not blame or accuse others. A good leader knows their shortcomings and takes steps to improve themselves as well as their team.
- Adaptability
Good leaders understand that life and situations are in constant flux. Plans, schedules, and even goals can shift at any time. Strong leaders are flexible and can adapt to changing conditions or circumstances.
Strong leaders accept unexpected challenges and excel in overcoming them. Resourcefulness and problem-solving are key skills of an experienced leader.
- Stability
Leaders are often tasked with bringing change to their organisation, while at the same time maintaining a strong sense of stability. Defining regular routines and actions and letting people know what to expect allows your team to maintain focus.
Staying calm in the middle of the storm, may not be easy, but it is one of the traits of great leaders.
- Team Building and Cooperation
Successful organisations are composed of teams. To be an effective leader you have to know how to encourage your people to work together, cooperate, and inspire your team member’s best effort. If you are successful at this, you can create a team that can overcome almost seemingly impossible tasks.
One area of an organization that responds particularly well to strong effective leadership is sales. A good sales manager or leader is worth their weight in gold. If you can select, train and motivate a sales team, you can almost write your own ticket.
- Integrity
Recent surveys have found a growing lack of confidence in leaders. The remedy to that is to develop leaders with integrity and honesty.
Integrity means keeping your word, doing the right thing and having strong moral principles. Leaders who demonstrate integrity foster trust in themselves and their organisation. Leaders with integrity, through their actions, bring about loyal customers and employees.
Being truthful and honest with your team members, vendors and customers brings about great results.
Great leaders know they have not finished learning and are always looking for ways to refine their thinking and hone their skills.
