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This has become painfully obvious, as we have continued to struggle to hold dominion over our own destiny in the quickly changing landscape of our society and workplace. Perhaps, because of effective leadership, or the lack thereof, that will determine if our cities, organizations, and governments continue to succeed, prosper and move forward; or if instead, they will become stagnant and die.
The word “leadership” means, literally, to “go in advance”. L But what exactly is leadership and what makes someone a leader? Are you born with leadership ability or is it something you acquire and obtain during your life experiences? These questions have been posed many times before and have generated many different answers to them. Over time, various models have emerged to explain the leadership “phenomenon” during that period. The basic theories can be grouped into three distinct areas; trait, behavioral, and situational or contingency. Trait Model The trait theory concentrates on the personal characteristics of a good leader.
That is, if you were to examine the traits or characteristics of great leaders throughout history, you would notice a common group of essential qualities that all of them seem to have possessed. It is by mastering these qualities that would enable people to emerge from the rest of the population, to separate themselves from the masses and to become a great leader that others were willing to follow. Characteristics of Good Leaders: The following section focuses on the various personal characteristics generally Hough to be possessed by those who have been considered to be good leaders.
Now it doesn’t mean that a good Leader will possess all of these traits, in fact, far from it. A good leader will exhibit varying degrees of these traits, some to a greater degree than others and some not at all. As you read through the list of personal characteristics, try to think about how somebody viewing you and your interactions with others would “rate” you for each one. Although some of these characteristics may be innate, there are many that someone would be able to work on and improve upon in their life.
As others view these characteristics in you and recognize them as characteristics of a good leader, they will also come to view you as a good leader and somebody they would believe in and want to follow. Personal Ambition Under Control: Good Leaders must be able to have their personal ambitions under control. 2 Although you may make it to the top with uncontrolled ambition, you will not stay there for very long. The people that you stepped on to get there will be aiming for you and the people that witnessed your rise to the top by any means necessary will neither trust you nor want to follow you.
A good Leader will maintain his balance of right and wrong and maintains his integrity by keeping his ambition in check. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get to the top, but there is something wrong when you start to consider using shortcuts by any means necessary to get there. A good Leader helps his people grow and has a balanced perception of his people’s needs, his own needs, as well as the needs of the country as a whole; in this case in point (Sierra Leone). Strongly believe that the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Dry. Ernest ABA Korma, has many of these qualities.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely’, by Voltaire. “Don’t give power to people who can’t live without it”, by George Schultz. Education Studies show that more and more leaders have acquired advanced education. They pursue knowledge from a variety of sources. They listen. They observe. They read every chance they get. They are constantly alert to opportunities to add to their store of information regarding their profession so they are ready to draw upon it when needed. This obviously puts them at a greater advantage when difficult situations arise. Also, the mere possession of knowledge is attractive to others.
As a result, the country and associates look to the well-informed person for guidance and direction. “Genius without education is like silver in the mine”, by Ben Franklin. ” Education is not a preparation for life, education is life itself’, by John Dewey. “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance” by Derek Book. “Don’t allow school to interfere with your education” by Mark Twain. Intelligence Intelligence is important to being a leader because people are drawn towards and instinctively trust people who are intelligent and possesses knowledge.
This does not mean that you have to have a 150 IQ, but merely an adequate level of intelligence. Remember that there are many different ways to gain intelligence. Educational achievement is sometimes a good indicator of someone??s intelligence, although it is not necessarily the only one. Good leaders can also develop skills and attain knowledge through life experiences. The intelligent leader is alert to what is going on around him and able to assimilate various information quickly.
Obviously, the more knowledge that you have acquired from education and past experiences will give you a tremendous advantage when you are confronted with difficult situations that arise. Therefore, it is important to pursue knowledge from any and all readily available sources. Reading relevant journals and newspapers, attending continuing education classes all are opportunities for the leader to increase his wealth of knowledge from which he may draw as the need arises. “l care not whether a man is good or evil, all that I care is whether he is a wise man or a fool” by William Blake. Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition fro mediocre minds” by Albert Einstein. “Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do”, by Ben Franklin. Experience is a dear teacher, and only fools will learn from no other” by Ben “l know I am Intelligent, because I know that I know nothing”, Socrates “The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance”, by Socrates. Integrity Integrity is so pervasive throughout the research on leadership that you will often see this notion intertwined with other characteristics and within various topics.
In fact, this idea is so important that it has an entire section devoted to it elsewhere in my next paper manual. However, for now, the simplified version of integrity is that when you say you are going to do something, just do it. Simply put, when you make a promise, keep it. “Integrity is keeping the promise to the customer if even it is no longer advantageous to you, or it means that you are going to lose money. Intelligence is knowing not to make that promise” ‘There is never a better measure of what a person is than what he does when he is absolutely free to choose”, by William M.
Bulgier. “Every human being is intended to have a character of his own, to be what no others are, and to do what no others can do”, William Leery Changing. ” On matters of style, swim with the current, but on matters of principles, stand eke a rock”, Thomas Jefferson. “The time is always right to do what is right”, by Martin Luther King. “You’ve got to stand for something or you will fall for everything”, by Obama kumara. ‘What is right is not always popular, and what is popular is not always Right”, by Obama Kumara. Life is like a grindstone-whether it grinds you down or polishes you, depends on what you are made of’, by Obama Kumara. Ability to Articulate: The ability to communicate is definitely one area that any individual can practice and improve upon. Once again, like intelligence, the ability to articulate does not eave to rise to an extraordinary level, but must at least be adequate. Self-Confidence Another common personality characteristic among good leaders is that they have a positive self-regard, while at the same time not having too big of an ego.
There is a fine line that you walk between having self-confidence and having a big ego or bravado. True confidence is the belief that your ideas, goals and visions are the best ones for dealing with the problem at hand. This type of confidence can only come from having a wide base of knowledge and applying that knowledge into proven results. Self-confidence is built slowly over time through these accomplishments and by constructing a solid foundation from which to make future decisions. Up and coming leaders can gain confidence by first setting and attaining modest short-range goals.
As the number and degree of their accomplishments begin to grow, they can then start to enlarge their visions. Having a great deal of self-confidence not only helps in being able to make decisions but with other important aspects of management also. Emphasize that if you have self-confidence, then you will not have to attempt to aka all of the credit for a project that went well simply because you are insecure. A good leader is someone who does not take all the credit but recognizes the parties responsible for the performance and success of the project.
It’s essential to pass on all the credit to the rest of the people in the organization and the people who have really done the work. After all, the leader is already on the top and the fact that her employees are performing at a high level will reflect upon her ability as a leader. Also, this goes along with the notion of mentoring and learning to help your people grow and pep the rewards of hard work and successes. Mentoring only flourishes in an environment where the leader is confident in his skills and abilities and does not feel threatened when others are recognized and praised for their work.
Please read my published paper on mentoring @ papers. Com- “The Origin and Functions of a Mentor” It is also important to have a strong ego as a leader because of the verbal abuse and anger that you will sometimes incur. “Let me speak to your leader” is a battle cry that has been heard for many years and throughout many different areas of government. When things are unsatisfactory to the people or the customers and/or citizens that you serve, you will most certainly hear about it.
Conversely, when things are going well and there are no major problems evident, you will not usually hear praise or thanks for a job well done. This is the time when you have to realize the SUccess that you have achieved and develop that self-confidence for a time in the future when you will certainly be tested (the opposition may suppress all your good performances). Another area where self-confidence helps is in your ability to be able to create n environment where creative dissent and disagreement is not only tolerated, but also welcomed and rewarded.
A good leader will have a high degree of self- esteem and not feel threatened by people who are willing to speak their minds when they feel that a problem is being approached in the wrong way or there is perhaps a simpler and more cost-efficient way of doing things. For in the end, it is the leader who will benefit from this new information and the people who were willing to take risks. This also applies to you as a leader and your toughness. Are you able to speak up when you know your leader is wrong?
Others will have greater respect for you and be willing to work harder for you if they believe that you are able to stand up for them and not have them performing meaningless tasks because you were afraid to question your leader. Enthusiasm and Optimism These are outward expressions of self-confidence. Just rejoice every moment of it. Happiness at a time brings longevity. Sense of Humor Although they say that laughter is contagious it does not appear that a good “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could: some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can.
Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense”, by Ralph Wald Emerson. “Nothing can stop a man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; and nothing on earth can help a man with the wrong mental attitude”, by Thomas Jefferson. ” Being challenged in life is inevitable, but being defeated is optional”, by Roger Crawford. Sense of humor is. Instead, it seems that you either have one or you don’t. Leaders who have a sense of humor seem to have a sense of humility that is comforting to their people.
People enjoy being around them and the levity helps to keep pressure off and maintain your energy and focus over the long run. It is irreplaceable to have a leader who is able to laugh when times get tough and things are painful. It is at this time when a good leader can step forward and diffuse a negative situation by reframing the losing situation into something that illuminates and clarifies. “To make mistakes is human; to stumble is a commonplace; to be able to laugh at yourself is maturity, by William Arthur Ward. “If you find humor in anything-even in poverty-you can survive it”, by Bill Cowboys.
The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter”, Mark Twain. Inclusive A good leader will want to share significant information and new concepts with his employees, introduce them to interesting or beneficial people and generally expand the employee’s world. A leader recognizes that his followers will benefit from this information and then follow through to make sure that it occurs. It is also a term that has come to be synonymous with the issue of diversity. A feeling that we should hear different ideas from different people and share them to create a more open atmosphere.
One of the most important things to people entering the work force today is the idea of diversity and being exposed to a greater spectrum of people and ideas and to avoid the homogeneous environment that has been prevalent for many years. Fairness A leader must always strive to be fair, and perhaps even more importantly, be perceived to be fair which sometimes can be difficult. Like most other people, leaders tend to spend more time with people they like. It is understandable, that these people may wind up with more opportunities than other workers around them.
This, in turn, could easily result in greater recognition by the leader and there and greater job advancement opportunities. Sometimes, favoritism can be very subtle and you may not even realize that it is occurring. However, others will certainly be aware of any difference in treatment among them that could lead to divisiveness as well as to legal troubles. It is therefore of the utmost importance that things not only be right, but that they appear right. Leaders have a duty to treat all his people similarly and that opportunity and rewards should be based upon merit and skills only.
Decisiveness Of course it is wonderful to attempt to gather as much knowledge as possible, whether it be reading various journals or simply asking different people for their opinions, when trying to make a decision. However there comes a time, sometimes sooner than later, when you will have to make a decision with the information at hand. A good leader knows when to stop trying to gaining feedback and simply “pull the trigger”. “People who delay action until all factors are favorable do nothing’, by William Feather. “Action is eloquence” by William Shakespeare. Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot, but make hot by striking it”, William Butler Yeats. “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing”, by Theodore Roosevelt. Energetic: Usually, people who are considered good leaders always seem to be full of energy and on the go. They seem busy and, therefore, important. {**you are active on your feet, moving about, working long hours. You are assertive and aggressive. You seek out problems rather than let them come to you. You are not afraid to make your ideas known.
You use this energy to persevere where others might stop, to hold on to your convictions where others may be swayed to change their viewpoint. Of course, you must balance being aggressive in urging your goals with the resilience to change directions if you are on the wrong track. That is, you must be able to keep moving over and around obstacles, human or otherwise, occasionally backtracking, but always moving their team forward. “A man must drive his energy, not be driven by it”, by William Frederick Book. “Energy and persistence conquer all things”, Benjamin Franklin. “Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry, all things easy.
He that rises late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at right, while laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him”, by Benjamin Franklin. Perseverance For those people who are not the smartest person or the most articulate person, hard work is a great equalizer. The individual who works the extra hour, who thinks of another way to present a persuasive argument, who, generally is willing to “go the extra mile”, will be successful. An important aspect of this is to know when to conserve valuable energy when it is not needed so that it is available when called upon.
Many leaders appear to have developed the ability to relax as soon as “the spotlight is off of them” so that they will have their batteries fully charged when it is time for the critical negotiations or meetings. Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits”, by Thomas Edison. “l haven’t failed. I’ve found 10,000 ways that don’t work”, by Benjamin Franklin. ‘That which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”, Frederick Nietzsche. Good Judgment Good judgment is something that everybody thinks they possess, but few seldom do. People will invariably question tasks assigned or project goals and even core visions.
Whether or not the people do so openly or not, they will ask, “does what she is saying make sense”? “Is it reasonable”? If a leader exhibits good judgment from the beginning; and have a reputation for making dependable decisions; and Ewing right much more often than wrong, the people will feel confidant in your abilities and not question your decisions. “Common sense is not so common”, by Thomas Jefferson. “Knowledge is the treasure, but judgment is the treasurer of a wise man”, by William Penn. Personality You often hear people mention that someone “has a good personality”. But what exactly does that mean?
Generally, having a good personality means those qualities in a person that cause others to be attracted and drawn to him. Although this may mean different things to different people, there does seem to e some common elements and ideas associated with this notion. First, someone with a good personality is usually the person that can find ways of getting along with many different kinds of people, even in a variety of difficult settings. Additionally, they are able to allow people with conflicting personalities to come together and work together because they are able to defuse any of the tensions created by their differences.
They are able to do this because they are sensitive to others feelings and are able to find common grounds for compromise by utilizing their markedly superior interpersonal skills. Creativity and Initiative Creativity and initiative go hand-in-hand because one without the other will not be successful. Creativity is the ability to visualize a new path or a new direction to achieve the desired goal. Initiative is having the desire and the courage to be able to break away from the prevailing mindset of the group and implement your creative ideas.
Thus, it is easy to see that if one only has creativity but is too timid to speak up or implement these ideas because they lack initiative that those ideas will remain buried and non-existent. It is possible, albeit more difficult, for the leader to be successful with initiative only. This is because the creative and best ideas do not necessarily have to come from the leader. As long as she develops and maintains a creative and open-minded atmosphere among the people, she can simply choose and implement the creative ideas flowing from the work group. L am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”, Albert Einstein. Objectivity and Balance Accordingly, you must learn to weather the stormy periods as well as the fair. You must guard against an inflated ego that often accompanies a period of uninterrupted success. Otherwise, your judgment becomes distorted. You need intellectual honesty, genuine objectivity above all. A willingness to face facts rigorously when you are wrong. Along with this objectivity, you also need emotional balance.
Few subordinates will respect you as a leader if you are smiling and cheerful one moment, angry or dejected the next. To be a successful leader you must learn to even out any emotional swings and conceal any severe disappointments from your subordinates. “Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others”, by Robert Louis Stevenson. Behavioral Models One of the major problems with the trait theory was that, although there is certainly a long list of valuable personal characteristics of leaders, there are relatively few traits that emerged to conclusively differentiate leaders from non- leaders.
As Adler pointed out, aha research on trait theories of leadership has shown that many other factors are important in determining leader SUccess, and that not everyone who possesses these traits will be a leader. ” Interest in the trait theory began to wane and researchers began to focus on the actions of the leaders rather than their characteristics. This led to the development of behavioral theories to attempt to explain what distinguished a good leader from a non-leader. Among the most prevalent of these models was the Theory X & Y, Managerial (Leadership) Grid, Liker Systems, and the Leadership Continuum.
Theory X & Y Douglas McGregor developed a philosophical view of humankind with his Theory X and Theory Y [McGregor, D. (April 9, 1957). Proceedings of the Fifth Anniversary Convocation of the School of Industrial Management, "The Human Side of Enterprise. ” Massachusetts Institute of Technology. ] These are two opposing views about how people envision human behavior in the workforce. Based on this paragraph, you will now conclude that researcher, Obama Kumara, graduated from the University of Massachusetts School of Law (Southern New England School of Law) AMASS.