Leadership Traits
May 2, 2009 by admin
Filed under Featured, Leadership
Leadership traits are the characteristics that leaders possess that enable them to lead effectively. I’m going to run down 20 of the traits I believe are most important, it’ll be interesting to see how many you feel you already have, and which ones you’re still working on. Leave a comment below to let me know.
The Top Leadership Traits
20. Patience – A good leader needs to show their employees that they’re willing to give them as much time as necessary to see them perform. A manager who roughly attaches arbitary deadlines onto tasks and aggressively chases employees up will only antognise and stress their workforce. Good leadership management is about waiting as well as acting.
19. Continuous Development – Smart people have always sought out useful leadership books and learning material that will help them along the path to happiness and leadership. Most these days tend to be rather disappointing, but one e-course that is still respected by leadership professionals such as myself is in the industry leader – ‘Apply Leadership‘ which I consider an essential ‘crash course’ in the principles you need to know to further your career and even find happiness in other areas of your life.
18. Graft – A brilliant leadership trait is the trait of grafting. There’s a simple rule that most good leaders follow – always do the nastiest job yourself. While being able to delegate dire tasks to others is one of the perks of management, t is important that employees never actually question your dedication to work hard. By simply doing the famously nasty job yourself each year, your staff will never have a doubt over whether it’s fair you have the ability to delegate menial work.
17. Fairness/Equity - Fairness is one of the key criteria by which employees measure their superiors. Quite simply, if you don’t behave in an equitable manner at all times, you will lead no more than a rabble of reluctant workers, and will never gain their respect. Fairness is one of Herzberg’s ‘hygeine’ factors from his popular leadership theory. This means that if you are fair, employees will not be inherently motivated, but merely content. If however you act unfairly and break the rules, employees will be demotivated. Very little upside if you possess this trait but large potential negative effects on motivation if you lack it. Its a tough world, but the message is clear.
16. Modesty - An important note to remember is that in every team you lead, some will be envious of your job or position. These people are also often the most active, amibitious and productive members of the group, so it’s extremely important that you keep them onside. By being modest and humble, you minimise the potential for jealousy within the team, and inspire warmth and affection instead.
15. Appreciates Quality - Simple put, a good leader recognises that quality is the most important gauge of the work done. Always. A culture that cares little for quality will demotivate employees and reduce job satisfaction. Staff must be able to feel good about their work and their skills.
14. Sense of Humour - A practical reality for most leaders is that you’ll spend an awful lot of time in meetings or speaking in public. A good sense of humour helps to put across the message you want to convey more effectively and help smooth over awkward or tense moments in board meetings etc.
13. Wide Outlook – A good leadership trait is to be able to take a step back and take a look at the big picture. This is really one the main purpose of a leader, but so many managers instead choose to get bogged down in small decisions that should really be taken care of by someone else. While everyone is cleaning the deck and preparing the sails, somebody has to be looking where the ship is going.
12. Adaptability and Flexibility - A clear fact in life is that many things you enjoy will change, and many things you despise will quickly improve. As a leader, you must be able to cope with negative change, and also be able to quickly grab opportunities as soon as they appear. Less hesitation, and more asking the question “Ok, so how can I make the best of this situation”.
11. Human Understanding – A leader that can understand their employees and really be able to emphasis with the workforce or team as a whole will ultimately be a far more effective leader. Only by being able to put yourself in the shoes of your employees will you be able to make decisions that will enthuse and motivate your staff.
10. Clarity - Job roles and positions within companies can sometimes be at best – a complete mess. Business leadership is about separately and clearly identifying those roles and responsibilities and ensure that everyone knows what they’re supposed to be doing.
9. Charisma – The skill of oratory has been perfectly demonstrated recently by Barrack Obama’s surge in popularity en route to the white house, and his continued popularity now that he has gained office. The ability to speak confidently and with meaning is a rare one, and carries much merit for those few who posess it. Increased influence and persuasion is just one of the positive benefits of being a leader with charisma.
8. Ability to Delegate – As I mentioned earlier, delegation is one of the perks of being promoted to a leadership position. Why is it then that so many leaders fail to delegate enough? Why do they continue to ‘meddle’ in small, trivial matters, and refuse to give subordinates the real responsibility and confidence to be able to make their own decisions? The answer is because it’s alot harder than you’d think to be able to properly delegate control to someone else. Especially the control over a job you’ve been doing yourself for many years. By undermining your subordinate’s ability to make decisions independently, you’re being a poor leader. That’s why the ability to delegate is one of my top 20 traits.
7. Calmness – Calmness is a leadership trait that again we could do with learning from President Obama. One of the most common pieces of praise I hear from President Obama is how he has stayed so calm under pressure. With the recession, middle east conflict and recent fiascos such as Swine Flu, Piracy and torture memos – it has sincerely impressed many that this man has been able to keep his composure and present a solid front. Any leader that can achieve this will instantly earn respect.
6. Ability to Listen – The fantastic leaders thorough history were also good listeners. Drawing upon the expertise and ideas of all those around you will improve your decision making. It follows that leaders who listen well simply make better decisions.
5. Confidence – Confidence flows through a team just like cheerfulness or a hardworking attitude. If the leader shows hesistation, self-doubt, or a lack of amibition, it will infect the rest of the team. Enthusiastically following an unconfident will really test employees attitude, and this is something you don’t want to be doing. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to enthusiastically follow your lead.
4. Consistency – This is a similar point to fairness. If you fail to be consistent with your attitude, decisions or behaviour, you will be causing unrest in your team.
3. Approachability & Friendliness – While many managers dream of being a superior and ‘feared’ leader, the most effective type of leader is an approachable one. A leader who an any employee can feel like they could have a conversation with will be able to hear about what the quiet dissenters have to say, or what the ‘real’ results of their latest intiative was.
2. Passion and Motivation – It goes without saying that a leadership trait that will be admired is your passion for what you do. Whatever your role, people will respect the fact that you take pride in your work, you enjoy it, and that you will therefore try your hardest to succeed. Passion and motivation will always trump formal leadership training or leadership coaching.
1. Trustworthiness - Ethics and trust has to come right at the top of the most important leadership traits for one simple reason. Nobody will obey, follow, or be inspired by someone they distrust. A good reputation, likeability and respect will be absolutely impossible if you’re labelled as a liar. Regardless of their own mal-practises, people will never be able to associate with an untrustworthy character.
Leadership Philosophy
May 1, 2009 by admin
Filed under Leadership
Leadership comes in many different shapes and forms. As leadership comes in different shapes and forms, so do leadership philosophies. There are people from all walks of life who have their own philosophy on leadership. Who’s to say which is right and which is wrong? But if you expand your mind and allow your leadership to grow, you will benefit any organization.
Followers expect leaders to show them the standard and train them to reach it. They expect leaders to lead by example. Additionally, they expect leaders to keep them informed and take care of them. Being a leader will require you to ask others to make extraordinary sacrifices to achieve goals. Leaders may have to call on them to do things that seem impossible. However, “If leaders have trained their people to standard, inspired their willingness, and consistently looked after their interests, they will be prepared to accomplish any goal, anytime, anywhere” (Reeves, 2004).
Leadership philosophies are based on opinions and experiences of an individual, which is why philosophies may not necessarily coincide even though you may have the same common goal. The best thing about leadership is that it will always evolve if you expand your mind. What maybe your leadership philosophy today may not necessarily be your leadership philosophy tomorrow.
Many of my philosophies were influenced by traits that are used by the U. S. Marine Corps and standard maxims, which will work well in any organization and some of them are: justice, judgment, dependability, initiative, decisiveness, integrity, enthusiasm, loyalty, and courage just to name a few. Another important skill that must be implemented for all of this to work is applied knowledge.
Justice teaches you to be fair and consistent. No one can ever say that you are showing favoritism. Using judgment gives you the ability to think about things thoroughly and rationally. Good judgment leads to sound decisions, and sound decisions leads to better quality.
Dependability “is the willing and voluntary support of the policies and orders of the chain of command” (Wright, 1984/2002). You must show that you are dependable, and it is needed because it shows you can be relied upon to your superiors as well as your employees. It means you can be trusted to complete your job. It also means that you will be trusted by your employees, which will build a better rapport and enhance communications between you and them.
Initiative runs hand in hand with dependability. Showing initiative means doing something before you were instructed to. It shows you are dependable and can think ahead and look at the big picture instead of what’s in front of you.
A decisive person shows they have the ability to make good decisions without hesitation. It allows you to get the facts, analyze them and come to the best possible decision while maintaining a high level or professionalism.
Showing enthusiasm shows a sincere interest and enthusiasm in the performance of your duties. It will make your employees more enthusiastic and motivated about their work, which will lead to better productivity and working atmosphere.
Having loyalty shows you are devoted to your organization, seniors, peers, and subordinates. You have a sense of responsibility to everyone who is involved in the organization. You are loyal enough to know if things begin to get unethical, you know how to separate yourself from it, and continue to do the right thing.
Integrity is one of the most important traits within my leadership philosophy. People can take many things from you, but integrity is something you can only give away. It shows that you are truthful and a person of your word. When integrity is consistently applied, it will build good morals and ethics within any organization.
The most vital leadership characteristic is courage. Courage is the foundation on which all things start. Having these other traits are pointless if you don’t have the courage to apply them. Without the courage to succeed and the courage to stand up for what you believe, you should not be placed in any leadership position, because you lack what it takes to be a leader. And if you lack what it takes to lead… who will follow?
Applied knowledge is the understanding of a science or art and applying it. Knowledge means you have acquired information and you understand people, emotions, and actions. Applying knowledge means you will take acquired information and share it with your employees to make them better, mentally stronger, and more eager to learn.
To support my leadership philosophy, I have maxims that I follow, which are known to the U. S. Marine Corps as leadership principles. One of my maxims is to know myself and seek self improvement. This is done by working to improve my weaknesses and utilizing my strengths based on thoughts and experiences. I also must be technically and tactically proficient. Before I can lead, I must be able to do the job. If I can’t do the job, I can’t set the example. Albert Einstein said it best, “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.” Lastly, I must know my employees and look out for their welfare. As a leader, I am responsible for my employees’ welfare and well-being. Their welfare must come before my own. To put yourself before your employees is to show disrespect towards them and the organization, which will ultimately lead to destruction.
Many leaders’ leadership philosophies are very different, but in any attempt to lead, you have to have a philosophy. You may read many articles on leadership, attend leadership seminars, or even take leadership classes that offer many different philosophies on leadership. However, I am not trying to change your philosophy on leadership… I am just trying to expand your mind.
Author: Darnell E. Patton is currently an active duty Marine. He has held many management and leadership positions, to include the legendary Marine Drill Instructor and Drill Instructor, Instructor. He has a BS in Management, a BS in Finance, and his MBA with specialization in Human Resources.