Leadership is the ability to influence and motivate human minds to achieve the desired objectives. In order to lead, it is imperative that one have certain leadership qualities. Leaders walk the talk and lead by example.
Are all people born with leadership qualities? It’s often argued that leaders are born, they are not made. Although some people more than other may be natural born leaders, no one will disagree that these born leaders also learn many leadership qualities.
Some important leadership qualities include:
Strong communication
It’s very important for them to have good communication skills. A heart-to-heart relationship with the people is a must for any leader. People should feel comfortable in expressing themselves in front of the leader.
“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” — Mahatma Gandhi
Vision
Leaders tend to be visionaries that understand the future so they can make decisions smart decisions. Dhirubhai Ambani was a visionary who made certain decisions which were initially termed crazy but later changed the face of the Indian industries.
Take smart calculated risks
It’s said that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. A leader should not confine themselves to a comfort zone where they are happy with how things are already.
Constant Innovation
A leader constantly innovates to stay in sync with the modern time so they face new challenges more effectively.
Honesty
An honest leader is trustworthy. People show tremendous faith in such leaders. It is said that it is easy to preach but difficult to practice. So a leader should always preach by his action.
Mahatma Gandhi did what he preached; he never compromised with his integrity. This is why even British respected him. A leader has to show consistency in their words and deeds. They should not change their stance too often as it confuses the masses and hurts their credibility.
Criticism
It’s important to not allow decisions to be influenced by such criticism. Leaders have the ability to withstand criticism and not get carried away by it. He or she should always work for the benefit of the people and should not try to please everyone. If you try to please everyone you will fail because you’ll likely please nobody.
Motivate
Leaders motivate others and create a healthy positive environment around themselves.
