9 Qualities To Become The Perfect Leader

Who is a leader? In the scheme of things, it begs the question. We would be defining a leader based on the 3P’s mnemonic – Person, People and Purpose. Simply put, a leader is a person who motivates/influences a group of people towards a certain purpose.

A leader leads by example, so that others are motivated to follow him. This is a basic requirement that inspires all other requirements as well as expectations from the subjects of his leadership.

Honesty

Whatever ethical plane you hold yourself to, when you are responsible for a team of people, its important to raise the bar even higher. Emphasize these standards, display them, your government, business, subject and employees are a reflection of yourself. If honesty is a key value, your people would follow suit.

Communication

Hone your communication skills. The ability to pass across a message to a group of people to their understanding is a requirement a leader would equip himself with. It is very important to build a healthy communication network to have a productive environment. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal.

Most people create an open door policy , or making it a point to talk to staff/members on a daily basis, making yourself available to discuss issues, all these is to create healthy communication and it is vital. Your team will learn to trust and depend on you, and will be less hesitant to work harder.

Delegate

Trust members of your team with the vision of an organized and efficient government/business. Its important to remember that trusting your team with your idea is a sign of strength, not weakness. Delegating tasks to the appropriate departments is one of the most important skills you can develop as your business grows.

Confidence

Every organisation has their good days and their bad days, things would not always go according  to plan, but you have to remain confident. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and maintain the team morale. Keep up your confidence level, and assure everyone that setbacks are natural and the important thing is to focus on the larger goal. As the leader, by staying calm and confident, you will help keep the team feeling the same.  The key objective is to keep everyone working and moving ahead.

Commitment

If you expect your team to work hard and produce quality content, you’re going to need to lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches working alongside everyone else, showing that hard work is being done on every level. This would earn you the respect of your team and improve their work ethics. It’s important to show your commitment not only to the work at hand, but also to your promises, because your word is your bond.

Positive Attitude

You want to keep your team motivated towards the continued success of the company, and keep the energy levels up. Whether that means providing snacks, coffee, relationship advice, or even just an occasional beer in the office, remember that everyone on your team is a person. Keep the office mood a fine balance between productivity and playfulness.

Creativity

During critical situations, your team would look up to you for guidance and your creative side would need to take the wheel. Sometimes you would have to deviate from the established routine. As a leader, its important to learn to think outside the box and to choose which of two bad choices is the best option. Don’t immediately choose the first or easiest possibility; sometimes its best to give these issues some thought, and even turn to your team, mentors for support and  guidance.

Trusting yourself is as important as your team trusting you.

Inspire

Everyone needs someone to look up to, they want to be inspired. As a leader, you are put in that position were you become a source of inspiration. Inspire your team to see the vision of the successes to come is vital. Make your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the company. Acknowledge the work that everyone has dedicated and commend the team on each of their efforts. It is your job to keep spirits up, and that begins with an appreciation for the hard work.

Approach

Not all human beings are the same. A basic concept, but something that is often overlooked. You have cultural perspectives, language barriers, different educational backgrounds, personality traits and varying value systems with which individuals come pre-conditioned that greatly affects how information is processed and interpreted. Different strokes for different folks.. In order to optimize your effectiveness as a leader, you must have the ability to customize your approach on a person by person basis, based on the situation at hand. Your capacity to execute this concept will play a huge role in your ability to get the best work out of your team and other partners along he journey.