1) Made through position or connections. Being in a leadership position or knowing great people does not make you a great leader. 2) Appearance in dress or manner. Five stars on a uniform does not make one. Nor does standing tall or talking proudly. 3) Made through intimidation or fear. 4) Made through unjust or unrighteous causes. A leader may possess nearly all the qualities of greatness, but if lacking in the ability to discriminate high value from low value, this sort of leader is the worst of all kinds.
A Great Leader Is
1) Made through investigating themselves thoroughly. All famous leaders from the past have a hunger to know themselves and engage in deep introspection. 2) Made through conscious control of emotions. Because they know themselves so well, they have fortified their mind from external forces, to the point where they choose what influences them. 3) Aware of objective reality and striving to gain knowledge from as many sources as possible to develop an accurate perspective. 4) Not easily intimidated by the powerful. Leaders get their power from within, no source shines brighter than what is inside. 5) Centered in spite of extreme pressure. Balance allows great leaders to make effective decisions; great decisions are the product of great leadership. 6) Severe in demanding more of themselves than they would demand of others. Personal discipline is built in to great leadership. 7) Unique in that they are both confident and humble. Confident in their cause and humble in their ownership over the Ego.
You will notice that qualities such as leading millions of people or winning a war are not qualities of great leadership. Circumstance or outcomes do not necessarily define a great leader. The qualities of a leader are what matter most. If any individual possesses these qualities, great leadership will emerge; whether on a local or world stage.
Chance dictates that some poor leaders will emerge victorious and some will fail, but great leadership overcomes great odds and thats the point. Failure does not define a great leader, leaders approach and response to adversity defines greatness.
A position of great leadership is not given but rather it is earned. A person possessing qualities that others admire in themselves and earn the position of great leadership if for no other reason, one hopes that by being in the presence of a good leader the secret to power over oneself will be revealed.
Full Potential Action Steps: A) Do you have what it takes to be a great leader, why or why not? B) Are you willing to do what it takes to be a great leader? C) How well do you know yourself? (Rate on a 1- 10) D) Are you willing to open your mind and seek out many sources of conflicting information to gain an accurate perspective? E) What will it take for you to become a great leader? What will you have to do? What will you have to give up doing?
Leadership is a complex subject. We should all consider ourselves leaders, particularly those of us looking to progress our careers beyond the current nine to five days we love (or endure). Whatever our occupation, admin staff to managers, refuse collectors to chefs, we have a duty to behave in a professional manner and take pride in our work - after all, we chose our path. Part of our day to day role is almost certainly likely to be influencing others around us, whether we are aware of that fact or not.
Simply by passing by our colleagues, we will no doubt influence them. They will judge us, and form opinions of our ability, our social interaction with them, and whether or not they enjoy our company on both a professional and personal level. This influence is a very powerful tool, it can motivate and demotivate those around us, and if used positively can make our own lives easier.
This motivation we silently pass on is a form of leadership, and if you observe most great leaders you will more than likely be able to see this quality very regularly. Team members tend to show a great deal of respect for their leader - and rightly so, they are all working to the same goals.
Naturally, if a colleague has ambition, he will most likely be keen to support and impress his leader - logically recommendations of promotions will tend towards the more helpful members of a leaders team.
Influence and motivation are not however enough to make a good leader great, the commonly discussed listening and interpretation skills are paramount to a teams success, communication is only truly achieved if both parties understand a message to have the same meaning.
Leadership, simply, is not just about getting the job done. It is about getting the job done effectively, efficiently and most importantly with the support and growing respect of the people you lead. Generally speaking it is not possible to achieve effective and efficient performance without these supporting and respectful team members, so those attributes can be considered the building blocks to your success.
Why not stop from time to time, and consider your role, who you are leading, and whether you have done your best to not only support your leader, but also those influenced around you?
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Both James Stinson & Chris Marshall are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
James Stinson has sinced written about articles on various topics from The Internet, Recruitment and Guide Guitar. James Rick Stinson is affectionately known as Mr. Full Potential. Author, Speaker & Entrepreneur. Learn how to grow your body, mind and soul at Full Potential today.. James Stinson's top article generates over 90500 views. Bookmark James Stinson to your Favourites.
Chris Marshall has sinced written about articles on various topics from Health, Anger Control and Credit Cards. From the Front discusses leadership, primarily in the workplace. Find out more about getting the best at work at http://www.fromthefront.com. Chris Marshall's top article generates over 49500 views. Bookmark Chris Marshall to your Favourites.