“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”

John C. Maxwell

An Underrated Learnable Quality

Leadership, a skill most think only applies to politicians and they couldn’t concern themselves with understanding the value of having the trait.

Leadership isn’t a trait which you are born with, though it helps that some people are natural-born leaders, but leadership can be learned just like with anything else in life.

My philosophy is that; anything in life can be learned, all you have to do is want it badly enough and put in the work to acquire it.

Many leadership qualities have been observed throughout history. Some were adopted by bad leaders while others were exhibited by good leaders. In either case, the characteristics of those in charge correlated to their ability to accomplish their goals. Just as importantly, those same traits determined how much – or how little – their followers looked up to them.

Fortunately, you can put history on your side and use the learnings from others to develop admirable leadership strengths.

Why You Need Leadership Skills

If you want to become successful in life you have to take command of situations and guide people toward your desired goal/objective.

If you think about it, all successful people have a team of individuals who do what they are instructed to do and as a result, they can do more in less time.

People who are constantly told what to do aren’t always fulfilled and more often than not, they don’t achieve their desired outcomes. Although it’s important to note that: some people acquire fulfillment from helping their leader achieve goals.

Developing the traits of a leader will significantly improve your ability to, delegate work, communicate effectively, take the bull by the horns, empathize, do more in less time and create stronger meaningful relationships with friends; family; co-workers and employees.

Leadership Traits

There are seven specific qualities of good leaders that stand out as contributing to their greatness.

The good news is that each of these leadership attributes, characteristics, and traits can be learned through practice and repetition.

Great leaders find a balance between business foresight, performance, and character. They have vision, courage, integrity, humility and focus along with the ability to plan strategically and catalyze cooperation amongst their team.

#1 Visionary

A great leader has a vision that is both compelling and insights growth for both the leader and his/her followers.

Having good vision means seeing into the future and being able to concisely lay out the details of how you want something achieved. Great leaders have a crystal clear, innovative and exciting idea of where they are going and how they will get there. 

Vision separates a leader from a manager, clear vision makes you a special person. You would be surprised at how many people are visionless and aimless.

Vision is like the driver in a car, it commands and takes you somewhere new. Great leaders know this and they strive for an exception, not perfection.

#2 Courage

One of the more important qualities because courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for, upon it, all others depend.

Courage is what makes leaders bold and more willing to take risks, it’s what makes leaders take a step into the unknown. It puts their followers at ease even though their leader is petrified.

There is no certainty in life and leaders know this but in spite of that they push on believing in themselves, their followers and the dream.

#3 Integrity

When one has integrity, they have nothing to hide meaning nothing to fear and as such are more transparent.

If you come off as transparent people are more likely to respect you and they will see you as a more relatable person.

As they say, honesty is the best policy. I’ve noticed people are more receptive toward honest leaders and they feel as if they hold the people’s interest above their own.

#4 Humility

“The more you can contain your ego, the more realistic you are about your problems. You learn how to listen, and admit that you don’t know all the answers. You exhibit the attitude that you can learn from anyone at any time. Your pride doesn’t get in the way of gathering the information you need to achieve the best results. It doesn’t keep you from sharing the credit that needs to be shared. Humility allows you to acknowledge your mistakes.” – Larry Bossidy

Humility does not mean you’re a weak person, but rather it means you have the self-confidence and self-awareness to acknowledge people’s value and efforts without feeling a sense of threat.

#5 Strategic Planning

Having the ability to look ahead, anticipate with some accuracy where trends will go and knowing how to enter a market are all strengths leaders have.

Leaders always ask; based on XYZ, where will ABC end up? After asking such, they make game plans which will help them and their people head in the right direction.

#6 Focus

F- follow

O- one

C- course

U- until

S– success

Leaders always focus on the needs of their company and the situation. Leaders focus on results, productivity, on what must be acquired by others, the company and by themselves.

The greatest leaders focus on solutions, not obstacles, on the organization and best interest of their company.

#7 Co-Operation

“If your imagination leads you to understand how quickly people grant your requests when those requests appeal to their self-interest, you can have practically anything you go after.” – Napoleon Hill

Getting everyone to work together like cogs in a gearbox is what leaders should be able to do effortlessly.

The greatest leaders know that to rise to success, they will need the co-operation from the people who have the necessary skills to build their project from the ground up.

Great leaders know time is a scarce resource and as such, they need everyone on the same page in order not to waste any time at all. 

Great leaders have these important traits

• Good Leaders Are Future-Oriented
• Great Leaders Keep A Positive Attitude
• The Best Leaders Take Responsibility

The Hardships Of Leadership

While being a leader is very important for success, it is important to know the hardships faced by all leaders everywhere.

#1 You’re the driver

You make the biggest decisions. If your judgment was flawed, all the blame goes to you.

Making bad decisions can end up killing your passengers and in other cases, your credibility takes a massive hit. Be sure to take your time when planning and making decisions (unless you’re pressed for time).

#2 You will have more stress

It’s more than assured you will be carrying the weight of everyone and their problems on your back.

It’s very important to regulate your stress levels by taking it easy once in a while because stress is a major killer and it can lead to reduced performance, which can lead to problems in the workplace.

#3 You will do the hardest work

The leader is the head and heads are the parts of the body that regulate everything else.

As the leader, you have to do the hardest work in your company, while at the same time making sure you’re leading your workers effectively.

Summary

Leadership is a learnable skill.

To become a great leader you’ll need to have: Vision, courage, humility, Strategic thinking and planning skills, focus and you should be co-operative.

Leadership isn’t an easy task. You’ll be making the decisions, Having the most stress and you’ll be doing the hardest work.

In spite of all this, do you still want to acquire the traits of a leader?

I’m curious to know! Share your views in the comments and as all ways be sure to like, share and subscribe because more content is on its way!