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DEVELOPMENT AS A FUTURE LEADER

Some people are known to be born leaders. The quality runs in their family; it is in their genes. Others are inspired by such people and work upon embedding this quality. Some fail at achieving it others are successful in attaining it through continual efforts.

Leaders exist in all aspects of life and society. They are present in humanity’s oldest stories, like Homer’s Iliad, in The Bible and Beowulf.

One quality all leaders more than likely have is an ability to communicate. In all of history, from Jesus Christ to Henry Ford, Hitler to any great politician, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, there doesn’t seem to be too many leaders who were poor communicators. Leaders generally have the gift of gab, the ability to master their language and convey thoughts, ideals and motivation to the people they lead.

Another quality in leaders is selflessness. Like the hero in many stories and tales of antiquity, a leader is a person who often puts aside their own worries, concerns and insecurities in order to focus on the people they are leading. Writer Joseph Campbell describes a hero as someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.

Other qualities that leaders possess can run the gamut. Today, a leader most likely has honesty. If they were dishonest, those being led would not trust the leader – and will therefore not go along with their mission and listen to them. Leaders also are busy people, so they must be adept in their ability to delegate responsibilities to others without making those people feel exploited. Also, a sense of humour and commitment, a positive attitude, a sense of creativity, intuition and an ability to inspire are common qualities a leader may have.

Here are a few leadership qualities I possess in order to lead others and be successful in my venture:

Customer Obsession

Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Although leaders pay attention to competitors, they obsess over customers.

Ownership

Leaders are owners. They think long term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say “that’s not my job”. 

Invent and Simplify

Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here”. As I do new things, I accept that I may be misunderstood for long periods of time.

Learn and Be Curious

Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop the Best

Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognize exceptional talent, and willingly move them throughout the organization. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. I work on behalf of my people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Insist on the Highest Standards

Leaders have relentlessly high standards – many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Think Big

Thinking small is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Leaders create and communicate a bold direction that inspires results. They think differently and look around corners for ways to serve customers.

Bias for Action

Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. I value calculated risk taking. 

Earn Trust

Leaders listen attentively, speak candidly, and treat others respectfully. They are vocally self-critical, even when doing so is awkward or embarrassing. Leaders do not believe their or their team’s body odour smells of perfume. They benchmark themselves and their teams against the best.

Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit

Leaders are obligated to respectfully challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Deliver Results

Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

Honesty

Honesty is one of the main qualities of a leader. A leader leads by example. So, if you want your team to look up to you, have faith in your ideologies and follow fair means in the tasks you assign them, it is imperative for you to be honest yourself. A deceitful person may attract people by way of manipulation; however, he will soon lose his credibility.

Communication

A leader does not think of himself as superior to you and thus does not believe in maintaining a distance. He rather ensures a flow of two-way communication to share ideas, discuss issues and maintain a cordial relation.

Self-Confidence

The level of self-confidence leaders possess is impeccable. They are sure about themselves and know exactly how to put their point across to inspire their audience.

Transparency

Good leaders do not hide facts or plays games. They maintain transparency while dealing in both personal and professional relationships.

Patience

A person who is impatient loses temper frequently and can never qualify to be a good leader. Possessing patience is one of the main keys to becoming a good leader.

FEEDBACK 1-My teammate told me to improve my communication skills.

FEEDBACK 2-My teammate suggest me to improve my skills on the public speaking

FEEDBACK 3-My teammate helps me to improve in academic writing skills.

Conclusion

A good leader has the ability to inspire others and instil leadership qualities in her subordinates to generate future leaders. And I posses all the leadership qualities which would help me become a great lead in the organisation which will be ultimately resulting in better growth and success of the organisation by using my skills, abilities and qualities.

REFERENCES

Apple, 2019. Available at https://www.apple.com/in/

Molchanov, M.A., 2016. The Ashgate research companion to political leadership. Routledge.

Rosenbach, W.E., 2018. Contemporary issues in leadership. Routledge.