Article written by: Ehioze Iweka
What is Leadership?
In every organization Leadership is very vital. The success of an organization is highly dependent on the quality of leaders it possesses and how this leadership relates with or interfaces with its entire business.
Before diving into Leadership, what does it actually mean to be a Leader? Who is a Leader? Are Leaders born or are they made?
Who is a Leader?
A leader is anyone who pilots or is responsible for a group, organization, country or even a vision. Being a leader is actually being responsible. To be a good Leader you should be able to know how to bridge the gap between the organization and those that work under you.
Qualities of a Good Leader
1. Self-confidence and Good communication skill
Self-confidence and communication are two very essential skills every leader must possess. A good leader needs to possess a high level of personal confidence so that he can pass same to his subjects. The importance of Excellent communication skills in leadership cannot be over emphasized. This is needed to carry everyone along.
2. Honesty and Integrity
These too are essential for a good Leader to posses. These virtues will enable the followers to love and respect their Leader. Integrity is that quality of the leader that guarantees that whatsoever he says is taken by his subject with zero doubts or disbelieve. Good integrity begats loyalty. Hence Integrity and honesty are two very import and key attributes a leader should have.
3. Problem-solving and Decision-making skill
These are also very vital for a good Leader to posses. A good Leader should be able to guide his team to make proper, and accurate decisions when faced with seemingly difficult situations. The ability to make such brilliant decision, lies in the problem-solving and decision-making skills of the leader.
4. Accountability
Every leader should be accountable. As a leader you should be held by your word, actions and decisions irrespective of situation and circumstance. You should be able to own up to your mistakes easily, you should be able to defend any and every of your actions. This will inspire trust and confidence in such a leader by his subjects.
5. Creativity, Innovation and Good Listening skill
Creativity they say is the mother of inventions. As a leader you need to be ahead of your subjects with regards to creativity. That way, such leader can steer the team towards innovation and achieving their objective effectively.
Leadership therefore means an act or ability of a person to be able to influence and also to inspire a group of people, an organization or a vision with the sole purpose of achieving a common objective.
This desire to succeed, this burning desire to see goals met and objectives attained bears upon the leader a burden which I refer to as the responsibility of Leadership.
The leader bears this almost all the time. This burden puts spring in the leader’s steeps, keeps him up at late nights most times and make the Leader go the extra mile.
Conclusion:
Leadership is a call to service. Leadership is not limited to the workplace. It is actually applicable in all facet of life. In the home, the school, and the everyday business of life. Great Leaders are not born, they are actually made. Being a great leader is not really difficult. It actually entails seeing a need and reaching out to meet that need.
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