What makes someone a great leader? Leadership can vary in style. For example, are you someone who dictates the group & doesn't listen to anyone else's opinion? Or do you lead with a more bureaucratic or democratic style?
"Every leader has a particular style of leadership that is innate…" says Michael Burke, account supervisor, MSR Communications, a public relations firm. From the books I have read on leadership they all refer to how one leads and that leadership is an influence, nothing more, nothing less.
Being a leader is not something that comes overnight; it is developed daily and over a lifetime. To think one can become a true leader overnight is a false hope. Another thing that makes a great leader is not to be afraid to say, “I don’t know” and ask others below you for advice and help. So often people who are placed in higher levels of leadership feel they know it all and will not ask for help or admit they need it.
There are five traits that help make up a good leader1:
1. Character – Who they are
2. Relationships – Who they know
3. Knowledge – What they know
4. Intuition – What they feel
5. Experience – Where they’ve been
6. Past Success – What they’ve done
7. Ability – What they can do
One of the biggest things one needs to be a great leader, is the ability to acknowledge mistakes. Sometimes it is a good thing to see that someone in leadership has made a lot of mistakes, as long as they have acknowledged them because it shows how much they know. Making mistakes is never a bad thing, as long as we learn from them.
Until next time!
Joey McIntosh
“How do leaders earn respect? By making sound decisions, admitting their mistakes, and putting what’s best for their followers and the organization ahead of their personal agendas.”
1The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, John C. Maxwell
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