11 Small Actions To Boost Your Confidence
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5 Qualities That Makes A Good Leader
Leading an organization to success definitely requires exceptional leadership skills. Some individuals are born leaders whereas some other individuals develop crucial leadership skills during various phases of the career.
What distinguishes a manager from a good leader? A good leader motivates you and leads you towards success. Here is a list of top 5 qualities that make a good leader great.
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” ―
Courage
A good leader is courageous and hence he is able to take a stand when the situation demands it. A leader takes responsibility of his actions and thinks about various aspects that will determine the outcome of any situation. He considers the benefit of the organization instead of just considering the benefit of any individual or a group. A leader never falls prey to pressure; he stands up and faces it.
Responsibility
A good leader takes complete responsibility of his actions. You will not find leaders passing the buck when there is a mistake. Leaders understand that no business can be run perfectly. They understand that mistakes are bound to happen and one should be responsible enough to shoulder these mistakes and pave the road ahead. They never shirk their responsibility. They stand up for their team and even own up for their team’s mistakes.
Communication
A good leader is able to communicate his thoughts and beliefs through his actions. You don’t have to be an excellent speaker to be a good leader but you should have the ability to put your words into actions. Your employees are going to look up to you and emulate you hence you must practice what you preach. A good leader is a people person. They have the ability to connect to the junior- most employees in the organization. He does not demand respect rather his actions and behaviour commands respect. A good leader sets an example in front of his team through his actions and words.
Patience
Good leaders are the Rock of Gibraltar. They do not flinch even in the most challenging situations. They have a great amount of patience and they exercise patience and generosity in all situations. They create effective leaders under them because of their patience to teach and to observe. They will never bow down to pressure or challenge rather they will patiently calculate all the elements of the situation and then try to find the most plausible solution to the problem. They are patient with their employees and stakeholders too.
Humility
Good leaders are firmly grounded. They never let success get to their head. They believe that the tree that stands tall must have its roots deep within the ground. They believe in giving credit to people for their work. They are generous in rewarding good work publicly at the same time they will never criticize you publicly. They respect every individual’s self-dignity and hence they always appreciate the employees publicly and give them feedback personally.
A good leader may exhibit more qualities however the above mentioned five qualities are the most essential ones.
7 Steps To Become A Good Leader
Leadership is a tricky journey. It’s an uphill climb where everybody is judging you critically. Good leaders are not always born; good leaders are created by the virtue of their skills and qualities.
Good leaders are democratic, courageous and patient. They have the tenacity to face challenges and take ownership of situations. Let us look at the seven steps of becoming a good leader:
“Teamwork makes the dream work, but a vision becomes a nightmare when the leader has a big dream and a bad team.” ― John C. Maxwell
1: Listen
If you want people to listen to what you have to say, first you need to listen and understand what others want to share. Good leaders are good listeners. They do not jump to conclusions without letting the person finish what they have to say. It is important that you practice attentive listening. This will not only develop respect in the hearts of your colleagues and subordinates, but will also help you in understanding people and places better.
2: Be Honest
The relationships that are built on lies, never last long. Good leaders instill the value of integrity and honesty in their team members by practicing it. Good leaders are honest and truthful. Do not indulge in lies or forgery nor should you encourage such things. When you are at your workplace and aim to build long term and strong ties, be truthful. That would help you instill positive aura around yourself.
3: Be Passionate
Do not just focus on your colleagues to deliver the goods. Be passionate about the project yourself. Let people know that you care about the progress of the project, the company and the employees as well. When you show passion in your work, it becomes contagious. A good leader does not command, he gets down to the basics and leads the way.
4: Encourage
Let people know that you welcome new ideas. Keep them motivated to put their best foot forward. It will increase the positivity at the workplace and reduce fears. Many times the out of the box ideas are generated through this democratic leadership. Your employees will feel valued when their ideas are encouraged.
5: Communicate
It’s not only important to know what people say, but also to let them know what you want to say. Learn to communicate your thoughts effectively. Keep the lines of non verbal and verbal communication open. Place your ideas firmly and effectively. Clear the concerns and doubts of team members. Maintain one to one communication.
6: Recognize and Reward
Recognizing one’s contribution and offer suitable rewards is one of the most effective ways of motivating employees. It makes the workplace instilled with healthy compaction and positivity. This shows the team that hard work doesn’t go unnoticed.
7: Be Optimistic
Have an upbeat optimistic outlook that will motivate your followers. There will be highs and lows in the organization. But do not look discouraged or apathetic. Even when things look bleak and your colleagues start to feel low, be positive and motivate them. Keep the picture clear and give them hope and strength to face challenges.
Influence and Lead Now
Leadership and influence over other people can be confusing. Some people, it seems, are born leaders – they rarely struggle to get their opinions heard, and people tend to follow them naturally. These people, however, are rare. Most of us feel like followers, even if we don’t want to be following. Below are some surprisingly easy habits of born (and created) leaders that you can cultivate in your own life.
“The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been.” ― Henry Kissinger
Keep A Positive Attitude
While there are those leaders who swing their weight around and use it to intimidate people into following, these are not influential leaders. They’re leading through fear, which may have immediate gratification, but not long-term results. Influential leadership is the kind which gains genuine trust and respect. One of the first steps is to cultivate a positive attitude. This is not the false, too-happy mask that we often put on to make others like us.
A truly positive attitude sees the positive things, the negative things, and puts the best spin on everything. Truly positive people are realistic, because they realize that everything has the potential to be either bad or good – they simply choose to focus on and work toward the good. This type of leadership is incredibly attractive, simply because people like being around those who make them feel good! As a bonus, your entire view of the world becomes a bit brighter each day.
“I would say that nobody is going to work harder for your career than yourself – the one with the vision. No matter how many people you hire, nobody is going to get is as much as yourself does. So it’s really important to be your own leader at all times and not hand it all off, otherwise the whole empire will fall apart.” ― Skylar Grey
Keep The Door Open
Being haughty and unreachable is a trait of fear-based leaders. Influential leaders welcome the opinions of others, they don’t judge and they’re approachable for everything from a work issue to personal troubles.
People naturally follow approachable people because, as with positive people, they make everybody around them feel better. You’ve probably had both types of bosses in the past. Think about how comfortable you felt around an approachable boss. Now imagine being stuck in an elevator with a better-than-everybody approach to managing. Which impression do you want to create?
“One of the most important actions, things a leader can do, is to lead by example. If you want everyone else to be passionate, committed, dedicated, and motivated, you go first!” ― Marshall Goldsmith
Practice Confident Body Language
According to some experts, up to 75% of our communication is non-verbal. Body language conveys attitudes which words never can, and we’re not always aware of the signals we’re receiving or putting out.
Confident body language tells people, without words, that you’re comfortable with power. This, subconsciously, tells them that you already are powerful, even if you’re not. Body language is a huge field, so don’t worry about mastering the finer points of facial micro-expressions or other human-lie-detector tricks. Instead, simply read up on basics. Your walk and how you hold your body tell a huge amount about how you feel in a situation. Even if you’re a lowly bottom-tier employee, walking tall and throwing your shoulders back in a meeting silently conveys that you’re not to be messed with.
A very important point to consider (this is why some research is vital) is the thin line between confident and angry/defensive/offensive body language. Your facial expression can transform an angry stance into a confident, welcoming one, and vice versa. Read up on the basics of friendly confidence and you’ll be amazed at how many people suddenly want your opinion!
“Since the team understands that the leader is de facto in charge, in that respect, a leader has nothing to prove. But in another respect, a leader has everything to prove: Every member of the team must develop the trust and confidence that their leader will exercise good judgment, remain calm, and make the right decisions when it matters most.” ― Jocko Willink
