Leadership Qualities | Leadership 101

Principle Leadership | Qualities of Leadership Defined

There are many philosophies that come to mind when one talks about the qualities of a leader. There are many qualities leadership should have, but in light of recent events and continuous news reports, one has to wonder what does it mean to truly be a leader? Is a quality of leadership the ability to play by different rules? Are the same expectations of accountability in lower levels of management somehow no longer relevant to higher levels of leadership?

Leadership on the most basic level is the ability to get people to willfully follow your vision which should lead those individuals and your organization into the future. Leadership should not simply be equated with management. The differences here will be discussed in more detail later. Here, we shall discuss the qualities that should be present in the making of a good leader.

Principle Qualities | Leadership has Vision

One of the primary qualities of a good leader is the ability to know where he/she is going. The ability of a leader to objectively look at a situation and map out a plan of action for the future is called vision. Vision is a leadership quality that may be missing among many leaders, as some are simply satisfied with “right now” success and are not paying attention to the constant that everything eventually does change.

“The key to change… is to let go of fear.”
Rosanne Cash

Vision is simply the ability to look at what is, decide if what is should be, and then if not, do something about it. The leadership quality of vision is not a crystal ball, yet the leader’s ability to anticipate change and do what is needed to be as prepared as possible for that change. A leader who lacks vision becomes stagnant in the right now and may have little success for what the future holds.

Principle Qualities | Leadership Communicates

Remember, leadership is defined as the ability to get others to willfully follow you. To do this, you have to take that which is intangible and make it really and readily understandable to those in which you leader. This quality of leadership is known as communication. If yo have a clear vision of what should be, take the time to map out the essential parts in a clear concise way that is easily understandable by your followers.

Painting a grand portrait of the future without the steps needed to achieve your goals may leave followers overwhelmed, and in many cases fearing rather than embracing the change to come. Clear communication has the ability to show the importance of planning for the future and the steps necessary to make that vision a reality. Clear communication can be the catalyst need to move people to action.

“Communication is the real work of leadership.”
-Nitin Nohria

Principle Qualities | Leadership has Integrity

Some would argue that this is one of the most, if not the most, important quality of leadership. By definition, integrity is the quality or condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. Another definition states that integrity is the adherence to a strictly ethical and moral code. How can a person believe in your vision, or the communication of that vision if they first don’t even believe in you as a person? Of all the qualities leadership should have, this is among the most important.

“Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people.”
-Spencer Johnson

Do you want to expect great things from others? Do you want to have the ability to hold people accountable in the name of excellence? If the answer to these questions is yes, then practicing integrity will not only give you the right to expect excellence, but it will create an atmosphere of individuals that want to do the right thing, because their leader has set the standard. If you establish compromise in your leadership, you will receive compromise throughout your followers. Remember, true leadership is the ability to get other to willing follow you. The leadership quality of integrity allows them to believe in your vision because they believe in you.

Principle Qualities | Leadership Displays Courage

One can not lead in the grips of fear. In most cases, courage is the ability of one to recognize fear, yet still possess the quality of mind which allows them to face difficulty. Let’s examine this more closely: fear of failure, fear of criticism, fear of change. Despite all these difficulties, a leader must possess the ability to rise above personal fears. A leader gripped by fear runs the risk of stagnation. In order to avoid being blamed for everything, leadership gripped by fear accomplishes nothing. Followers loose faith easily if they perceive their leader to be lacking in courage. Another danger of cowardice is the potential of a follower to constantly challenge your leadership.

Become comfortable with the reality that things will change. No matter how well you communicate your vision, be realistic. Not everyone will see what you see. You may have insight your followers may not, so your choices may not always be popular. Don’t be afraid to stand strong in your convictions and in your leadership.

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear”
-Mark Twain

Principle Qualities | Leadership Takes Action

The action of a leader is what takes an organization from one level of greatness to the next. Yes,
a leader needs to have the ability to see and properly anticipate change. Yes, leadership needs to make sure that vision is clearly explained so that all who hear it have a clear understanding of where your organization is going.  However, all the energy placed into planning and research will practically go unnoticed if vision is not put into practice, or action. This quality of leadership separates many that would be leaders because due to some act of fear, or poor planning, things just don’t seem to get accomplished. Quality leadership includes action in its development. Allow your followers to understand how they will be expected to help move the vision along and allow them to also take ownership of your vision by having opportunities to give input and ask meaningful questions.  Remember, as a leader, you are the catalyst of change, but true change cannot be fully realized without the help and expertise of those in whom you lead.

“One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises,
is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.”
-Henry Ford

Principle Qualities | Leadership and Enthusiasm

“Enthusiasm is excitement with inspiration, motivation, and a pinch of creativity.”
-Bo Bennett

How many times have you been in a meeting, a class, or a presentation and the presenter was completely void of emotion or excitement? Needless to say, this was the professor whom everyone told you to avoid. After each one of these presentations, a parking lot meeting was held to express how each person devised a strategy for staying awake. The point is no one likes a boring presentation. And no one is going to follow a leader that doesn’t have a sense of excitement and passion about the possibilities of the future.

Quality leadership possesses the ability to keep followers eager to see what can happen in the future. This is mostly seen in the way leadership carries themselves and communicates future possibilities with the rest of the organization. Your attitude is the driving force. Quality leadership is leadership that leads on purpose. Your excitement for what is and what is to come can not be contained. Furthermore, this attitude becomes infectious and drives productivity to a new level. If excellence is not an option, than the leadership quality of enthusiasm is not an option. If you truly are a leader, then understand that you have followers. True leadership sets the tone in all that you do. What tone are you setting?

Among all the qualities leadership should possess is the understanding that one can never stop growing in their actions as a leader. One of the greatest ways of taking action is to realize you can never stop learning. Show action now in learning how Ford has used the practical wisdom of our past leaders to return to profitability in one of the most hostile environment in automotive history. The Return to Greatness, shows how common sense was made common practice in helping Ford realize its greatness along the American landscape. This leadership book will compel you to examine yourself and your leadership. Discover how you and your organization can learn from the mistakes of the past to help propel you into the potential heights of the future.

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