Great leaders – what is their secret?
The world has many great leaders, men or women who can make a difference. They build great teams and lead lead them to success. What makes them different? What makes other people want to follow them? Are they smarter than most people? Or are they just regular people who take certain actions, which make them stand out from the crowd?
The 3 major requirements of leadership
There are 3 things you need to develop in order to become a good leader:
- Vision
- Mission
- Values
The most important difference between the best leaders and most other people is just one: the way they think. Great leaders have vision. They also have a mission to make that vision reality. This mission gives people a sense of purpose, it makes them feel part of a bigger picture.
Also, great leaders have strong values that people adhere to. They stand for something and they are not afraid to defend their faith when confronted with adversity. They create a culture around them. What do you stand for?
Characteristics of leadership
Do you want to become a good leader? If so, you need to know the traits that make a good leader.
Here is a list of the most important ones. Read them and determine if you have them. If you don’t, it might be a good idea to start developing them. So, to be a great leader you should…
1. Have a clear major purpose and a definite plan to reach it. Check out the post on knowing what you want to improve this area.
2. Be self-disciplined – master what you think and your emotions (most important). Be temperate in eating, drinking and all social habits.
3. Develop an attractive personality – this will help you induce voluntary cooperation from others
4. Practice persistence based on your will to win (most people are good starters, but also poor finishers)
5. Always make definite and prompt decisions. Indecision and changing your mind will undermine your leadership and generate doubt within your team
6. Learn from mistakes (either your own or those of others) – analyze your failures, as they are a key part of your path to success. Remember that only those who do not work do not make mistakes.
7. Have a keen sense of fairness and justice under all circumstances. Your team will appreciate your fair judgement and have more confidence in you
8. Practice listening more and talking less
9. Develop the habit to give more than you are compensated for (go the extra mile) – your effort will be noticed
10. Adequately recognize the merits of others, especially when they have done good work. Rewarding performance is important if you want to maintain it to a high standard.
11. Have determination – do not accept temporary defeat as permanent failure
12. Build a “dream team”. This is a mastermind alliance through which you can acquire the necessary knowledge towards success. Perfect harmony between members is key. Good leaders know that they should build a team with people more competent than themselves in key areas. Thus they can delegate the responsibility to competent people.
13. Have self-reliance in relation to the nature and scope of your major purpose
14. Develop enthusiasm for achieving your goals
15. Find what motivates you and inspires you to take action to pursue your purpose. There are 9 basic motives that activate people (love, sex, money, self preservation, freedom, self-expression, perpetuation of life after death, anger, fear)
16. Develop your imagination (be on the lookout of new ideas)
17. Assume full responsibility for each and every task you or your team undertakes, regardless of who actually does the work (extremely important!!!). Responsibility is a key trait of great leaders.
18. Base your opinions on known facts, not guesswork. Study the industry, learn as much as you can.
19. Be tolerant and open minded on all subjects at all times. Be careful – subjects like politics or religion can create tension in your team. Better leave them out of daily interactions.
20. Have a positive mental attitude at all times
21. Develop your sense of diplomacy
22. Be willing to accept full responsibility for the mistakes of your subordinates, without trying to assign the blame further down
23. Develop an observing nature. Make it a habit to notice small details about what’s going on around you.
24. Have a sense of values. Think of the values that are most important to you and uphold them. Be an example for your subordinates.
25. Develop the capacity to withstand criticism without resentment
26. Be loyal to yourself and to your associates in business
27. Be open and frank with those who deserve this
28. Develop your capacity to concentrate your full attention to one subject at a time. Focused attention will lead to quicker resolution of the activity
29. Remember that everything you do in all human relationships will eventually turn around to you. Treat people well and they will treat you well.
30. Develop the ability to prioritize. put first things first. Make it a habit to identify what brings the most impact and pursue those areas.
Practice the above 30 items every day and you will see how your team changes for the best.
Key takeaway
Remember that the object of leadership is people. Don’t see them just as a resource. Make them feel important and heard. Give them the appreciation they need and they will be able to produce outstanding results.