Leaders play an important role in determining the shape of a nation or an organisation. Anyone can be a leader, but it really takes certain distinctive innate qualities for one to become a great and inspiring leader. A great leader stands as an example in the society. His life and actions create an impact on his fellow mates and followers.
[1] Honesty and Integrity
‘Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching you’. A leader is one who keeps up his commitment and words and has the courage to do the right things, even when everyone is against him or something unpopular. A leader with great integrity fosters an environment of courage, confidence and an uncompromising attitude among the employees. Honesty is being transparent in all the dealings and the willingness to listen to others before arriving at a decision. An honest leader always tries to keep up his commitment and promises even during the time of difficulties. Honesty and integrity are considered to be the prime quality of a leader and every employee sternly believes that a leader with honesty and integrity will guide him rightly and treat him well. Such leaders coupled with competence have high moral standards and are the most valuable asset to an organisation.
[2] Vision
Leadership is all about having a vision and developing a commitment to achieve it. An eminent leader is one who articulates his vision clearly and develops a passion in his followers and work relentlessly to achieve it. Ambitious leader has his vision manifested in all his actions and beliefs which powerfully drives his employees to work towards it. A visionary leader excites and motivates people and lead them with a clear direction for a well- set purpose. They make people believe that they are working really for a better cause and make them foresee their future while working in the present. Leadership vision should be crystal clear to depict the future picture and feasible to inspire people to work for it. A great leader makes his vision rational, reasonable, and credible enough to reflect the organisational beliefs and values.
[3] Commitment and Passion
Commitment for a leader means to stick to his projects or tasks undertaken and completing it at any cost. It also includes being courageous, leading the team by principles and inspiring them to take up challenges. Passion is having an unwavering commitment and a relentless desire to achieve a set goal. Passion is contagious and is strong to drive the values and purposes into action to make it a reality. It all begins with the leader to elevate productivity among the employee by influencing their activities to perform it in an exceptional way. A passionate leader is sure to bring energy and focus in the minds of the employees that is needed for the growth and success of an organisation. It sets the tone for sustainable and continuous productivity of the people involved.
[4] Empathy
Empathy is the ability to understand one’s feelings and problems by placing oneself in others shoes. It is a prime attribute of leadership, essential to relate to the feelings of another person in a given situation and understanding the needs of the other person. Leaders who take time or show concern towards their fellow beings succeed in building trust consequently strengthening their relationship, thereby bringing out better collaboration and productivity.
Empathy is a natural and inherent quality of human being and could be well expressed through verbal and non-verbal cues in our everyday communication. An empathetic leader takes effort to understand the root cause of poor or under performance of his team and supports them to improvise in the task. Most of the organisations just focus on their personal productivity and are negligent towards their employees’ well-being and fail to retain their human resources which could be an asset. An organisation which encourages a culture of empathy recognises and values the difficulties faced by its employees and tries to sort it out, thus winning the support of them, who in turn work hard to turn the vision of their organisation into reality. Empathy is an important managerial tool that has to be maintained by every leader to bring tangible results which will help and motivate the team even through the time of crisis.
[5] Positivity and enthusiasm
Positivity or an optimistic approach is one of the important characteristics of a great leader. A leader who focuses on the end goal tries ways and means to achieve it and synergises to find out the possibilities to succeed rather focusing on failure. They use strong and inspiring words to keep up the spirit of the entire team to face new challenges. A leader with positive attitude offers opportunities for the growth of his fellow mates to harness the hidden skills and talents required for the success of the organisation. Enthusiasm is another quality of a leader which inspires and influences people and drive them towards success. It is easy to make people work out of fear or intimidation, but it is not productive enough in the long run. Motivated people are confident, positive, and enthusiastic enough to lead people in a positive way and handle obstacles and challenges with great resilience. A better solution to a problem is always through the problem and people with a positive attitude are ready to handle challenges head-on with great momentum and move forward. Attitude plays a great role in influencing the lives of a leader and the team members as well and a positive attitude simply radiates energy gravitating more people and energy towards us.
[6] Open mindedness
A leader with an open mind is respected by all as he is curious and patient enough to listen to others perspective in each situation. Having an open mind when solving problems enables one to be impartial with others opinion by being mindful over long-term implications. People working under such leader will be happy to bring out their suggestions, creative and innovative approach to handle things in a feasible way. Being open minded could be challenging for a leader, but it paves way to growth and development for the people around who share the same values and principles, particularly in a working atmosphere. A strong leader is open to new ideas and is ready to explore things in a broader horizon while enjoying the benefits of experimentation. Challenging the beliefs of oneself with innovative ideas and open mindedness could be liberating and interesting way to increase productivity. It bringsenthusiasm to the team while adding thirst for knowledge with better ideas and opportunities thereby increasing involvement and boosting the morale of its members.
[7] Ability to delegate
Delegation is a skill which every leader should be a master at, because everything cannot be done by the leader alone. The transition phase of a leader from doing to leading is a difficult makeshift much needed to multiply the value of an organisation. A leader who involves himself in each and every task is admired by everyone, but in the long run when responsibilities multiply it becomes difficult for one to eventually manage things. Therefore, it becomes essential to share responsibilities and collaborate with people for the best output. Leader should know the knack to prioritise things and be wise enough to activate the team members and bring out the best in them. This inspires the team members to get actually involved wholeheartedly in the task they undertake and become accountable for their actions. The onus lies on every leader to build a strong team and this could be achieved by proper delegation of work to the right person for long term success. Expectations and the timeline of the projects should be clearly set out along with the needed assistance for its execution. This effort of the leader will go a long way in tapping the success of a team.
[8] Humility
The word ‘leadership’ reminds us of mightiness and qualities like vision, enthusiasm, optimism etc. and the most essential humane quality called ‘humbleness’ is often overlooked. People often are carried away by success and fame with the opinion that they can impress others by their showboats. Showing off one’s achievements is not a sign which will bring people together as a team. Humility is a trait which very few leaders possess and stay as an inspirational image in the minds of the team members. Leaders who are humble, keep themselves in the back-stage and try to promote and acknowledge the skills and talents of others serving as a source of encouragement. Their very presence and open mindedness enhance a collaborative environment as cohesiveness promotes team spirit resulting in better productivity. Humble leaders are approachable and are admired by the people as they are able to connect with them emotionally which is paramount to the growth of an organisation. Leaders who believe in intimidating people may succeed in making his team, work for him in the beginning, whereas in the long run humility helps to tap the best out of the team for overall effectiveness. Humbleness enables one to connect, inspire and build a better rapport with the people they are working with.
[9] Accountability
Accountability is the commitment; one has towards his actions and the responsibility for its consequences. An accountable leader can build a team with high morale marked with commitment better participation and involvement. Holding accountability for one’s actions is a symbol of strength and courage of a person and gives complete control of the situation. It is
always easy to play the blame game, but such people are never trusted neither by the employer nor by the team members. An accountable leader always strives to achieve executional excellence and has a good reputation and earns the trust of the team as they are able to deliver the results they commit to. Effective leaders know how being accountable will instil accountability among the employees and optimize the organisational performance. Such leaders create an inclusive environment and motivate their people to put the best possible effort. A disciplined leader has the sense of responsibility and contributes to the success of an organisation.
[10] Inspiring
Passionate leaders are always inspiring, and their authenticity is reflected in every words and actions of them. Inspiration is a quality which has nothing to do with one’s education, background or status and is completely the attitude of an individual. A leader who has a thorough knowledge of the task undertaken and is keen in accomplishing the task truly engages with the people and inspires them to do what he wants. Developing a personal connection with the team members through a good rapport is the prime quality of an efficient and admirable leader that separates one from being an average leader. An inspiring leader has a clear vision and clearly demonstrates it to the team members and keep them focused on the goal. A leader who is authentic and has set principles, takes time to listen to others and show empathy towards others. He makes his colleagues feel valued and always appreciate and recognise the efforts and contribution of every individual in journey to success. Emulating a positive attitude and demeanour coupled with a well-groomed look has a profound effect in influencing people around. Inspiring leaders succeed in building a productive team and they constantly strive for greater heights thereby enhancing the commitment of the human resources involved. Their charismatic qualities drive enthusiasm in people to bring out their talent optimally for the attainment of personal and professional growth.