Improving leadership skills allows for advancement within a company and increases the performance of those with whom you work. As a leadership communications coach, I have created a new program, "Grade Yourself as a Leader," in which I have identified 22 traits that successful leaders possess. Following is an overview of those traits. Which ones do you need to work on to reach your next level of leadership?
some of the most basic traits:
- Honest — Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions. Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.
- Competent — Base your actions on reason and moral principles. Do not make decisions based on childlike emotional desires or feelings.
- Forward-looking — Set goals and have a vision of the future. The vision must be owned throughout the organization. Effective leaders envision what they want and how to get it. They habitually pick priorities stemming from their basic values.
- Inspiring — Display confidence in all that you do. By showing endurance in mental, physical, and spiritual stamina, you will inspire others to reach for new heights. Take charge when necessary.
- Intelligent — Read, study, and seek challenging assignments.
- Fair-minded — Show fair treatment to all people. Prejudice is the enemy of justice. Display empathy by being sensitive to the feelings, values, interests, and well-being of others.
- Broad-minded — Seek out diversity.
- Courageous — Have the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Display a confident calmness when under stress.
- Straightforward — Use sound judgment to make a good decisions at the right time.
- Imaginative — Make timely and appropriate changes in your thinking, plans, and methods. Show creativity by thinking of new and better goals, ideas, and solutions to problems. Be innovative!
Positive - You set the tone for your environment. An optimistic attitude from a leader can carry over to others. What type of tone are you setting at the shop? Is it one of optimism or one of pessimism? Confidence is contagious; so is the lack of it. Employees mirror the tone that leaders set. Be an encourager.
Responsible - Leaders accept challenges as well as successes. If an employee makes a mistake, it is your responsibility to help him or her improve. Employees will never respect a leader who deflects criticism toward the team. Successful leaders think of themselves as "we," not "I." It is a leader's responsibility to ensure that everyone shares in the team's success. And these are some of the traits.
How do you think a good leader manages crisis under stressful situations?
I think that as leaders we have to first be able to keep both our teammates and ourselves calm before doing anything. We should discuss the root of where the stress is coming from and dealt with it correctly. The leader should also listen to his or her teammates' opinion and understand how they feel and encourage everyone to be and stay on the right track. Finally the leader must go through the obstacles with the team together.
sources:
http://www.asashop.org/autoinc/jan2005/manage.htm
http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leadchr.html
Princeton Poh
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