Are You a Leader
10 Winning Characteristics
Courage-not complacency-is our need today. Leadership not salesmanship. - John F. Kennedy
As we finish out the year, now is the perfect time to do a little self reflection and determine what you want from your career in 2008. If you’ve considered moving up in your current organization or perhaps within another, you must decide whether or not you possess the necessary leadership characteristics to truly lead your company to success. The following 10 characteristics are found in many great leaders. How many of them do you possess?
1. Positive. You don’t find many Negative Nellys in leadership positions. Most are extremely positive, looking for ways to see the glass as half full regardless of current circumstances.
2. Proactive. Leaders don’t wait for things to get better, they make them better. This requires you to be thinking of innovative ways to approach problems and devise solutions. You are active, not passive, about your job.
3. Good communicator. In order for a leader to be able to lead a team, he/she must be able to communicate clearly and effectively.
4. Open-minded. Some may think leaders have all the good ideas. That’s not true. Leaders are able to recognize good ideas, regardless of who came up with them. This requires them to be open-minded and willing to give credit where credit is due.
5. Confident. That’s confidence not arrogance. Coworkers are not interested in working for an arrogant leader, but they do appreciate being led by someone who has a quiet confidence about them, recognizing that they can lead a team to success.
6. Passionate. Enthusiasm can compensate for a lot of weaknesses. When a leader is passionate about the job they do, the direction they’re heading, and the goals they’ve established, it’s contagious, getting everyone excited about a project.
7. Respectful. It’s important that leaders treat everyone with respect, regardless of whether or not they deserve it. People want to work with a leader who shows them respect. And you’d be amazed at how much respect you earn by being respectful yourself.
8. Inspiring. Good leaders are able to communicate a vision that inspires everyone on the team. They can motivate team members who may have been resistant, and they move others to believe when they may have previously been doubtful.
9. Delegator. The best leaders recognize that they can’t, and shouldn’t, do everything themselves. They delegate well, divvying out tasks to team members who can adequately perform them. They also recognize that team members have unique skills and abilities that can contribute to the success of a team.
10. Motivated. You don’t become a leader by sitting back to watch others do all the work. Leaders are motivated to keep moving, to work hard and see the fruit of their labors.
Becoming a good leader is a process. Most work to develop these characteristics over time. So if you don’t possess all ten right now, it doesn’t mean you can’t lead, it just means you have a few things to work on in order to improve your leadership abilities. So focus on which character traits you need to develop and get moving! 2008 could be your year to shine as company leader.
