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Leadership Development
Nine qualities of a Leader
9 Qualities of a Leader
1. Communicate
2. Network
3. Offer New Solutions
4. Build Consensus
5. Action-oriented
6. Opportunity Seeking
7. Marketing
8. Goal-Oriented
9. Persistency
1. Communicate
* Leaders are always good communicators. Their styles differ.
* Through their communications, leaders can
* Develop and share an empathy with listeners
* Persuade those who listen to follow a course of action. Pursuading an audience is not always easy, but generally calls for
* Clarity of mission
* Clarity of meaning
* Good reasons for action
* Providing a Way Forward
2. Network
* Leaders are great networkers.
* They keep in touch with people, and they use their networks to highlight issues and find solutions.
* They build on their networks consistently, as well as make each and every person in that network feel special.
* The result? People more happy to follow through an earned respect.
3. Offer new solutions
* Leaders offer New Solutions.
* The solution does not have to be actually "new" - it can be that sitting around a table for dialogue may be a new solution for the circumstances, even though there is nothing new about talking.
* New solutions need to be perceived as "new solutions". The important points are:
* It needs to be a solution - not a problem, not an issue. But a way out, and a new way ahead.
* It needs to be seen as "new" in that hope needs to be given to the people who listen.
4. Build Consensus
* Consensus building is a skill of leaders.
* Consensus building takes planning, effort and meticulous care to make sure that every one agrees to goals.
* There are many ways consensus is built - sometimes, the word of a leader is enough consensus in itself. People will follow if they trust and believe.
* Often, however, consensus building is a process that builds on years of experience and knowledge of the person by those who participate.
5. Action-Oriented
* A leader is also action-oriented.
* He or she is not scared to get their hands dirty to get the job done.
* Through actions, the leader identifies himself with the people who follow, and vice-versa.
6. Opportunity Seeking
* A leader always looks at the positive - at what can be done, rather than what cannot be done.
* He or she always seeks out the potential in a situation, no matter how difficult or demanding.
* Where it's all too much, a leader will focus on the small doables and build on those for the bigger plans that lay ahead.
7. Marketing
* Leaders are great marketers.
* "Marketing" is not the 'sale' - it is used to prepare the ground for the crop. It gets the people who follow to get excited about the concept or image that the leader is trying to convey.
* Marketing today involves a mix of technology, image building, and an effective public relations program.
* Leaders need to understand these or at least have people on the team who do.
8. Goal-Oriented
* Leaders are always goal oriented.
* They are always working for "something" - something better, an improvement in existing conditions, the dream of a peaceful society, the vision of a great empire or corporation.
* They possess clarity in their thoughts, and they possess vision. Without these qualities, a leader is not a leader.
9. Persistency
* Finally, a leader has amazing courage and persistency.
* There are no safety nets for leaders - they walk tightropes on their own, and they reduce risk through mechanisms such as culture, history, relations, and society structure.
* Above all, they show enduring persistency. They never give up! Persistency - in the face of defeat, humiliation, and seemingly insurmounatble odds - is the telling factor between leaders, success stories, and those who are not.
* Perhaps courage and persistency are the greatest qualities of leaders.
Kathy martin
DR.Oliver
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