What are leadership qualities? What are the qualities of a true leader? Making the Right Decisions

A good leader is distinguished by his qualities. Whether you're trying to start your own business, managing a team of employees, or just having meetings and dialogue, you can show yourself as a leader. A true leader always has answers to the most difficult questions. A true leader can inspire and motivate people to get the job done. At the same time, it is very difficult for a leader. The leader has no one to turn to for advice, because everyone goes to him for advice.

In nature, there are no magic courses yet that will make a successful leader out of any rag. People often argue that great leaders are born great. In part, I agree with this. A certain type of people simply do not have certain qualities that a leader should have. It will be extremely difficult for a certain type of people to become an ideal leader, because. do not step over your essence. But if you learn the basics of leadership, then you can form a leadership position.

So, let's start studying the most necessary leadership qualities.

The leader has a strong belief in his own beliefs, which inspires those around him.

If a person firmly believes in his beliefs, then most often such a person will adhere to his values ​​​​in any situation, which affects the overall vision of the leader and the future of the company. But this should not mean that the leader ignores the opinion of all people who think differently. A good leader is a flexible leader. A good leader will listen to the opinions of others, adapt his ideas and develop them, taking into account the suggestions of his team. Adapting one's own ideas is not a change in one's own beliefs.

Research shows a high correlation between feelings of uncertainty and stress. A lingering sense of uncertainty often provokes, which is very detrimental to any organization. If your employees are not sure what decision you made about a new idea, or if they feel that the leader changes his mind too often, then they will not be able to focus on their work, and their productivity will be minimal. Such a leader is most often no longer respected, and his instructions are not taken seriously.

There is a famous story about the former head of Apple. Steve Jobs showed a very strong position on his beliefs. For example, when the first iPhone was released, many said that people prefer a traditional keyboard, and no one wants to use touch. To such arguments, Jobs always replied that people would get used to it. That's how much he was sure of the correctness of his decisions.

A leader uses emotional intelligence to improve relationships with clients and colleagues

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own emotions and the emotions of others. If a person knows how to do this, then he gets maximum control over his own emotions and understands the emotional state of others. This greatly helps in conducting business negotiations, helps to make good sales. any person is very much dependent on the emotional background and does many actions on emotions.

In one study by the foreign insurance company Fortune, it was found that people with high emotional intelligence were more successful. They more often received high marks and added positive results in their work. This is justified by the benefits of emotional intelligence. Such people often have good control over their emotions and behavior, work better in a team with other people, and can quickly resolve conflicts before they get out of control.

How to start developing emotional intelligence

Some people are naturally capable of this, while others take several years to master it at a basic level.

If you are just starting to develop emotional intelligence, then spend more time exploring other people's feelings. If you notice positive or negative emotions, then try to analyze it. Why did the person feel these emotions and what led to it?

The leader masters the art of communication

If you are a leader, then you often have to communicate with other people. None of the problems can do without your participation in it. You will regularly hold face-to-face meetings, make calls to clients, and regularly correspond with clients. It is worth noting that not all conversations will be pleasant. For example, accept the negative of the client or inform a colleague about his dismissal.

You can ask any successful leader what skills are most valuable to success, and they will probably name communication skills among others. For example, billionaire serial entrepreneur Richard Branson called communication the most important skill a leader has.

Communication makes all processes smoother. Developed communication skills help to communicate various instructions and details of tasks more effectively to employees. Communication also allows you to convey your mood and importance through the tone of the conversation. Accordingly, communication is an objective and subjective means of influencing your listeners.

How and where to start developing communication skills

Email and chats are the easiest way to start improving your communication skills. In this case, you will have time to consider each offer. If you start right away with phone calls or live meetings, it will seem too complicated. It is much more difficult to work with the objections of the interlocutor during telephone conversations than in correspondence.

When speaking, pay attention to your wording and tone. Don't be afraid to experiment to find the right combination. Try not to talk so fast with the interlocutor. This will allow you to think through your suggestions. It will also make you seem more confident if you don't overdo it. If you bend it, you can look like a stoned one.

The leader does not allow inactivity and maintains the momentum of the team

Great leaders tend to have the trait of not allowing inaction. If you're facing a problem, postponing it is the worst thing you can do.

An imperfect action is better than a perfect inaction.

This is a quote from US President Harry S. Truman. This is the same person who gave the order to drop the atomic bomb, which ended the lives of thousands of innocent lives. On the one hand, his act was terrible, but on the other hand, it prevented a possible war that could have claimed many more lives.

Where to begin

When you encounter a problem, carefully consider the possible scenarios for this event, then, depending on the scenario, you can build an action plan.

Leader must be diplomatic

Among the most important qualities of a leader is diplomacy. The leader is constantly involved in conflicts, solves many problems and has discussions with colleagues, so the leader must be diplomatic.

A good leader will be diplomatic and will not allow conflicts to develop. He will always listen to the suggestions of his colleagues, even if they contradict his own ideas.

Many companies have made this their general policy. For example, Google has given its employees roughly 20% of their work time over the years to work on whatever projects they want to take on.

Lan Glaser once said that innovative ideas arise precisely when an element of dissent is applied.

Oftentimes, companies that not only allow, but encourage, the development of ideas by employees have an advantage in the market.

The leader always remains calm and admits his mistakes.

Not all decisions made will bring results. Many of the decisions will be wrong. A good leader admits his mistakes and takes his failures calmly. If the leader refuses to accept his mistakes, then colleagues will be outraged, believing that this is a bid for self-centeredness, but they will also be intimidated by the fact that it will seem to them that any decision that contradicts the leader's view in advance is wrong.

As a rule, a leader who demonstrates his humility works much more efficiently. When a leader behaves modestly and does not distinguish himself, does not use his official position, he becomes a model for his employees.

How to develop humility

Humility is hard to learn, but its basic principles can be applied. If you made a mistake, then admit your mistake, do not be afraid to appear worse in the eyes of others. People tend to err.

The leader controls his emotions as much as possible in order to make the most logical and long-term decisions.

A good leader knows how to control his emotions. This allows you to make more correct and logical decisions that will be most effective in the long run. For example, the most effective marketing strategies take several months to several years to develop. If you rush and make a decision under the influence of emotions, then this can lead to serious losses. If a decision is needed urgently, then a short-term strategy can be adopted first to continue working on a long-term one.

Jeff Bezos is one of the best examples. Almost every decision he makes as CEO of Amazon is made with the future in mind. It's one of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world, but it doesn't make a lot of money. All of the company's surplus revenue is returned to the company to help it expand into new markets and explore new opportunities for expansion.

How to start controlling your emotions

We once wrote about. If you feel that emotions are taking over you, then it is better to step back from the situation in order to cool down a little and make a decision in a calm environment. You can imagine that you are an outside observer who is trying to give advice to a stranger. Then you need to present the consequences of the decision in a week, a month, a year and 5 years.

A leader must be organized to set a good example for others.

If the leader is not organized, then no one on the team will perform their duties in an organized manner. The leader is constantly busy, so spending time organizing his own day may seem like an unnecessary trifle to him. However, this is absolutely not the case. Being organized is important not only for your own productivity, but also for your employees. The leader is an example for the whole team.

In the United States, a survey was conducted among office workers on this topic. The survey results showed that 75% of office workers associate a disorganized office with deeper problems within the team. If there are a lot of papers and a complete mess on the manager’s desk, then employees can associate this with the general condition of the company. Also, it is an excuse for being disorganized in their own affairs, which leads to performance problems.

How to improve your organization

You need to start spending more time on how you organize yourself. Try to imagine the perfect image, the perfect desktop. This is what you should strive for. Monitor your own productivity and spend 15 minutes a day planning.

Leader creates leaders

The head of the organization is the main leader, but if the business develops, then he will not control everything. always understands this, therefore he makes his subordinate leaders. Let employees make their own decisions. This will help relieve you and diversify the culture in the company.

The leader must be decisive in order to demonstrate his capabilities and power.

The leader must show his determination to prove his authority on the spot, if the situation requires it. Leaders / managers are primarily people who make decisions, which means that the responsibility for all the results from these decisions also has to be borne by the leader.

Good leaders are not afraid to face the consequences, especially during times of uncertainty. The leader makes decisions based on the data he has. The quality of decision-making and responsibility is essential for any leader. This makes any leader more authoritative, encourages others to follow your decision.

Understand the principles of leadership to become a great leader

In fact, there are many different leadership styles, so these qualities of a leader can change. Much also depends on how you understand them and how you apply them.

The more you know about other leaders, the more information you have at your disposal to shape your own leadership style.

By the way, this is one of the biggest articles. If you liked it, then subscribe to us on social networks, listen to our podcasts and repost.

The qualities of a leader are charisma, competence, responsibility, the ability to be flexible, and this is not a complete list of those traits that are important to develop in yourself if you have great ambitions and a desire to become a productive, successful creator of life or the captain of an organization and even your own business.

What qualities should a leader have?

Leadership qualities are a set of skills, abilities, character traits that lead to success, recognition and high performance results. The development of qualities begins with taking responsibility for your life and what happens in it. The list of qualities that a leader should possess is extensive, but each person is an individual and each has its own set of traits and characteristics. Leading him to success.

Leadership qualities of a leader

What qualities should a leader have? This should be a person with a broad outlook and non-standard thinking, able to look at the current situation from different angles. To see those methods that have become obsolete and do not work and abandon them without fear of stepping into a new, promising, albeit unfamiliar. The main qualities of a leader and leader:

• responsibility;
• attunement with other people and the ability to build effective relationships;
• equilibrium;
• ability to lead;
• control over your emotions;
• clear construction of plans and tasks;
• teamwork skills.

Leadership personality traits

The main qualities of a leader are acquired skills that are constantly being improved:

• intellectual abilities;
• flexibility of thinking;
• creativity;
• desire for self-knowledge;
• constant self-improvement and the desire to learn new things, learn, grow;
• honesty with oneself;
• determination and courage to explore the unknown;
• performance;
• ambition.

Leadership Theory

Leadership qualities of a person - Ralph Stogdill in 1948 began to closely study and structure the previously collected information by the first researchers of the qualities possessed by famous personalities - this is how the theory of leadership qualities was born. In the mid 1980s. American consultant Warren Bennis continued his research and, when interacting with 90 successful individuals, identified 4 groups of leadership qualities:

• attention management;
• value management;
• self-management;
• trust management.

Positive and negative qualities of a leader

Each phenomenon or phenomenon has positive and negative aspects, especially when there is an imbalance or imbalance of some quality - leadership is no exception. Positive qualities of a leader:

• charisma;
• firmness and fortitude;
• dedication to the cause;
• high competence;
• communication;
• goal focus;
• Believe in yourself;
• insight;
• ability to count steps;
• passion;
• the ability to listen and hear;
• self-discipline;
• responsibility.

Negative qualities of a leader:

• unscrupulousness;
• "megalomania";
• "walking on the heads" to achieve success does not shy away from "dirty" ways;
• arrogance or dominance over others;
• workaholism;
• rigidity.

Methods for determining leadership qualities

The identification of leadership qualities through tests and techniques helps to see the makings of a leader and the valuable qualities of a leader. Such techniques are used by psychologists in various organizations. Leadership tests and proven ones:

• « Leadership self-assessment methodology"- A.N. Lutoshkin;
• « Leadership Ability"- R.S. Nemov;
• « Diagnostics of leadership abilities» - E. Krushelnikov, E. Zharikov;
• « Leader potential"- M. Ignatskaya;
• « Leadership style diagnostics”- L. V. Rumyantseva, based on a study of leadership styles by American psychologists K. Levin and P. Leppit.

How to develop leadership qualities?

Leadership development is a gradual process consisting of a series of small steps. Everything needs a measure, otherwise there is a “drain” of achievements and a feeling of guilt and aggression towards oneself. Make a plan for the week, take as a basis the actions that will be performed every day. For example, practicing one skill with 2-3 exercises, reading a motivational book, keeping and analyzing a diary. Move on to working out the next one when mastering has taken place and there is confidence to move on.

Leadership Development Exercises

The professional qualities of a leader are cultivated on the basis of personal qualities, developing oneself as a person, a person tries different niches, finds his own and directs all the energy of personal potential to gain deeper experience in the chosen business. The following simple exercises can help with this, which should be performed as often as possible to achieve progress:

1. Exercise "Jump into the unknown." Gaining experience in unfamiliar activities, whether it's learning to dance, public speaking, skydiving - this develops emotional intelligence and contributes to broadening one's horizons, breaking stereotyped thinking.
2. Exercise "List of beliefs that prevent you from realizing your plan." What is the current goal? For example, “I want to become a leading manager of the organization” write it down in a notebook. Considerations why this is unattainable - to prescribe everything, from the most abstract to the real, until all the arguments run out. The deed is done and the leaf must be solemnly burned.
3. Exercise "The ability to say - no!". The first part of the exercise can be helped by friends or relatives who ask for a favor, such as borrowing a large sum and the task of saying no without guilt or remorse. Practice until you get it right. The second part of the exercise is to learn to defend your rights and focus on fulfilling all the obligations to yourself and others, which you must first announce to friends and acquaintances for self-motivation.

Leadership Development Training

Leadership training is one of the most popular training topics today. Such well-known speakers as Radislav Gandapas, Nick Vujicic, Robin Sharma, Brian Tracy motivate people around the world to take responsibility for their lives and become the creator of the reality that they have drawn for themselves. If there is a feeling inside that you deserve more, but there is no understanding of how, it is important to start with small steps, read a book about success, watch a video, attend a leadership development training in your city, and this will be the beginning of a personal leadership journey.

Leadership Development Books

The psychological qualities of a leader can and should be developed, and it is important to know that great leaders are the most reading people in the world. Reading literature written by famous successful people motivates and inspires you to achieve your goals. The path full of obstacles, disappointments, doing over and over again gives a complete picture of the fact that everything in this life is possible, and the impossible just needs a little more effort and time.

Books that help the development of leadership qualities:

1. « Leader without a title» R. Sharma. The qualities of a great leader will develop if you first become a great person - so the author claims. The book will be useful for both novice entrepreneurs and those who embarked on the path of self-knowledge.
2. « How to become leaders» W. Bennis. A well-known leadership coach talks about the lack of people in the modern world who truly have developed leadership qualities. Leaders are definitely not born, but they are made by honing their strengths and getting rid of stereotyped thinking.
3. « The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership» J. Maxwell. Vivid examples, principles, and if you follow the laws written in the book, leadership is guaranteed. The author claims that even the most weak-willed person, after reading this book, will be inspired to change his life.
4. « Why should people follow you? A book about what it means to be a true leader» R. Goffey, G. Jones. Qualities of a universal leader? They do not exist, but there is an individuality, by developing which one can become a unique leader in the field that a person has chosen for himself. For 5 years, the authors of the book have been collecting material by interviewing successful people - they are all different and everyone has found their own path to leadership and success.
5. « Leader Charisma» R. Gandapas. The book is about how to develop charisma - a quality without which it is difficult to become a successful and noticeable leader.

The phenomenon of leadership has existed for a long time, because a person has always wanted to look strong and self-sufficient in the eyes of others, to have influence and power. It is the leader who is the main character in the scenario of life, endowed with exceptional perspectives and access to something more. Most people associate the concept of a leader with certain innate characteristics that help to achieve success, but in reality each person is capable of developing the basic qualities of a leader.

To comprehend the nature of leadership, you need to study its structure and features. In modern psychology, a leader is a person who has a number of qualities and skills that help him "lead" people to a specific goal.

Leadership levels

The concept of leadership is quite broad and ambiguous. For its correct understanding, it is necessary to single out specific stages in the development of the personality of a successful leader:

1. Your own leader. This is the basic first stage, which is a prerequisite for becoming a leader. You should learn to discipline and motivate yourself, be responsible for your own actions, form the skills to set and achieve goals.
2. leader in the situation. This is leadership at the micro level, when a person takes on leadership functions in a certain extreme situation, where the context of necessity forced him to take responsibility.
3. Team leader. This is the concept of macro leadership, where a person forms his team and motivates its members to achieve goals. Here situationality disappears, replaced by constant initiative and responsibility for the quality of the work of your own team.
4. leader in the system. Metal leadership involves the leadership of an entire system, where a person becomes a leader among leaders. Goals are becoming more serious and global; successful leadership at this level requires the presence of many personal and professional qualities.

So what should be the leader? A successful leader must master the basic leadership skills and master the corresponding key qualities of a leader, without which productive functioning at any stage of development will become impossible. Key leadership skills can be divided into three groups: basic skills, communication skills and personal qualities at the level of personality development.

Basic skills of a successful leader

Perspective vision

It is with this concept that leadership begins, a vision of prospects and a developed ability to predict allows you to be more flexible, change your strategy and direction of movement, focusing on a possible situation. The ability to create a bright future in the team's view serves as an element of inspiration and turns the activity in a positive direction.

Goal setting

Goal-setting serves as the foundation for a successful vision of prospects and allows you to create conditions for the gradual, thoughtful movement of the team towards a big goal, achieving results gradually, in small steps. At the same time, final and bright, so that the team feels an urgent need to achieve it.

Successful adaptation

In our changing world, where endless streams of information pass through the human mind every day, it is necessary to be able to notice the slightest environmental changes. Of the gigabytes of information, only the one that concerns the company's activities should be taken into account. Such adaptation is possible with a broad general outlook of the leader, who will be able to notice and highlight the most important trends and development strategies.

Flexibility

The leader must always have in stock various strategies and methods in order to be able to choose the most suitable option in each specific situation. The lack of options makes him predictable and weak in the eyes of not only the team, but also competitors. Sometimes this quality works well on the basis of some kind of opposition to the system, which can lead to original, extraordinary decisions.

persistence

This quality of a leader is interconnected with the strength of the individual, when a person does not stop in the face of unpleasant and dangers, and also takes justified risks. It is important not to confuse perseverance with stubbornness, when a person is able to go towards his goal at any cost. Such behavior borders on arrogance and turns the team away from the leader.

Communication skills

• The ability to convince. This concept means to effectively use your verbal intelligence, leadership emotions, to achieve the goals of the team. The moment of truth comes when a person moves from his position or point of view to the opponent's position. The nature of persuasion consists of weighty arguments, because only in this way can an intelligent person listen and accept the point of view of the interlocutor.
• Sociability. Nowadays, this quality is of key importance for a person who wants to interact productively in society. A modern leader must be able to find a common language with different categories of people in different situations and circumstances of communication. An effective way to establish communication is to master the techniques of quickly establishing contact. Now there are many trainings where everyone can learn effective communication styles, improving their own;
• Confidence. In order for the interlocutor to quickly take the right side, non-verbal skills should be included in the communication process. These include posture, gestures, intonation of voice, rate of speech, and others. Their nature acts on the unconscious sphere of the human psyche and will help to establish a trusting contact.
• The ability not only to listen, but also to hear. This concept means that the leader can not only speak, but also listen carefully, including all channels of perception in actions. It is important to be able to choose an appropriate topic of conversation, win over the interlocutor, and then give him the opportunity to speak. At this time, you should use the active listening strategy, nodding your head and inserting short lines in the right places. The ability to ask logical and accurate questions will help to obtain the necessary information tactfully and unobtrusively.

Personal qualities of a successful leader

• Self-confidence. A confident leader is able to inspire confidence and give a sense of security to his team. Its nature distinguishes a person from the crowd even by physical signs: even posture, straightened shoulders, calm look, measured breathing. Speech is smooth and clear, without hesitation and long pauses.
• Proactivity. This quality differs from ordinary activity by the ability to independently initiate a situation. Such a person knows how to get ahead of someone else's initiative and acts on the basis of his own motives;
• The integrity of the individual. The ability to "control oneself", to show emotional calmness in extreme situations belongs to people with a holistic inner world. The mental processes of such a leader are balanced, he is able to control his personal feelings and behavior even at unexpected moments when most people start to get nervous or give up.

Video: irreplaceable important qualities of a leader.

Different cultural and historical epochs, a set of political, economic, social conditions and standards of life of society imply the presence of leaders with different qualities of character, sufficient to solve the pressing problems of the group, class, organization. The demand for such people in our time is especially large, which means that the supply is also growing. From this follows the development of the struggle for the place of the leader, which can only be taken and retained by those who possess certain leadership qualities.

2. Passion. When a person is completely absorbed in any idea or work, everything else seems to not exist around. Passion for what you do is an important quality of character, because you can truly achieve success only by doing what you love.

3. Competence. The ability not only to verbally demonstrate one's knowledge in a particular area, but also to confirm it with actions, and most importantly, with results, is worth a lot.

4. Perspective vision. People willingly follow only those who have not a momentary idea, but a global idea, a long-term plan for the implementation of their plans.

In turn, the English publicist Cyril Northcote Parkinson identifies the following elements of leadership that anyone can develop:

• Imagination. The leader must clearly understand what will result from his activities and what will happen at the end of the path he has taken.
• Knowledge. The stock of knowledge necessary to go the way that the imagination draws.
• Talent. Each person is endowed with talent, you just need to realize what kind. Martin Roger, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, said: "Talent without effort is like fireworks: blinding for a moment, and then nothing remains."
• Determination. This is a quality that motivates a person to action, every day makes him work in order to achieve the set result.
• Rigidity. Sometimes it is necessary to organize everything and make others work the way the leader sees fit.
• Attraction. One of the main qualities of a leader's character is the ability to be a magnet for people, to attract them to him, to lead his followers.

Leadership Development

Creating a leadership development program on your own is not an easy task, but it is quite real. When setting yourself such a goal, you should be as focused as possible on achieving the goals set, clearly focusing on practical steps. Purposefulness and perseverance are important qualities of a leader.

First of all, you need to clearly understand that it is impossible to become a leader in a day, a week, a month. Based on this, you should set specific goals for yourself: from short-term (what you need to work on first) to long-term (how you see your life in a couple of years).

Exercise 2.1. The classic exercise "Who am I?". Write down 10 answers to this question on the sheet. Each answer must begin with the pronoun "I" and be specific. For example, it could be the entry "I am a student."

After writing down your answers, study them carefully. The goal at this stage is to identify what is preventing you from becoming a leader. If among the answers there are options like “I am a bad friend” or “I am quiet”, think about how you can correct the shortcomings and start working in this direction.

Exercise 2.2 The leader is distinguished by a clear idea of ​​the goals of his activity. Write down on a piece of paper called “My Goal” what you would like to achieve as a result of cultivating a leader in yourself. These may be missing, in your opinion, personal qualities of character or a desire to occupy a certain position at work. Be critical and do not think for a long time, there will still be time to draw up a detailed plan.

As a result, you will receive material for initial analysis and determine what is worth working on first. You will understand how you can become better, develop the missing qualities in yourself and start working daily on cultivating a leader in yourself.

Exercise 2.3. Celebrate your successes. Make it a habit at the end of each day to take a few minutes to write down on a piece of paper at least 3 things that worked out for you the most that day. You need to do this even if it was a very bad day.

This exercise will teach you to see the positive and celebrate it, and not highlight the negative, as most people do. Positive thinking is an important element in the character of a leader. By focusing on the successful aspects of your activity, you will also receive additional motivation.

Be a proactive person. Change life and change yourself - it's in your power. In other words, the responsibility for what happens to you is completely in your hands. Not happy with what you have now? Take action and change it.

Getting out of the comfort zone. Do something that you have never done before, but dream about. Learn to dance or draw, go rock climbing - do things you never dared to do before. Do not wait for the right opportunity or someone who will agree to keep you company. This will teach you to look at things more broadly, embody your ideas and be independent in your choice.

Constant personal growth. Improve yourself all the time. Be interested in the latest developments and innovations in your field of work and in related areas, deepen your competence. Develop creative abilities and creativity. This will teach you live thinking and non-standard actions.

Become a leader in life. It is not enough to be a leader only in the office. Be active in non-work relationships with other people, family, friends with whom you play football or tennis. Challenge yourself to be a leader in every area of ​​your life.

self-confidence. It is faith in one's own strengths, and not arrogance and arrogance, that is the hallmark of a leader's character.

Ability to communicate with people. Successful communication skills are of great importance for a leader. We will talk about them in one of the next lessons.

Keeping all of the above in mind and constantly cultivating the qualities of a leader's character, you can develop them and achieve positive results.

Leadership is one of the oldest phenomena, the psychology of which people would like to know. After all, it is leadership that is most often associated with key pieces on the chessboard of life. And it is on these figures, first of all, that the outcome of any game depends, since they are the centers of the entire system. Many people have a desire to become leaders and manage the system themselves, because becoming a leader opens up much more opportunities and prospects for us, we get access to more resources and bonuses. Becoming a leader, we make certain investments: first we work for the image of the leader, and then the image of the leader works for us.

How to become a leader

One of the questions most researchers have asked themselves is: Are leaders born or made? How will you answer this question? My opinion is that leaders become. Anyone can become anyone. But not at once! In support of this, there are a large number of examples of people who molded themselves with their own hands and became leaders in many areas. Yes, a certain percentage of people may have leadership potential, but the potential itself is not yet a guarantee that a person will become a real leader in life.

The concept of leadership is quite broad and ambiguous. Therefore, I will not bring it. Better read this quote.

A leader has two important traits; firstly, he himself goes somewhere, and secondly, he can lead people.

- Maximilian Robespierre, one of the leaders of the French Revolution

More important is understanding how to develop in order to become a leader. And for this it is necessary to go through certain stages of development of the personality of a successful leader. And there are only 4 of them.

Your own leader. This is the zero level, which is a prerequisite for becoming a leader. Here you need to understand yourself, take responsibility for your life, be able to motivate and discipline yourself, set goals and achieve them.

leader in the situation. This is the first level - leadership at the micro level, when a person takes responsibility for the actions of an entire group in any situation. We see such leadership most of all in childhood or adolescence, when a leader appears among friends in the company.

Leader in the team. This is the second level - leadership is already at a higher level. Such leadership involves the solution of more important and complex goals. As a rule, leadership qualities begin to manifest themselves sharply precisely at this level from 20 to 30 years old, when a person gets a job.

Team leader. This is the third level - leadership at the macro level. A person has an ambitious goal in life and he assembles a team to achieve it. Successful leadership at this level requires the development of certain leadership skills.

WATCH A VIDEO! 3 Effective Techniques for Developing Leadership Skills!

Naturally, I think you want to reach the last level! Therefore, now let's talk about what qualities you need to develop in order to become a leader.

12 Essential Leadership Qualities

According to a number of studies, about 70 leadership qualities have been identified. But the development of such a large number of tasks is almost impossible. Therefore, it is necessary to choose according to the Pareto principle 20%, which will influence 80% of the formation of you as a leader. As a result, I chose 12 main leadership qualities. For convenience, they were also divided into 3 groups: system skills, communication skills and internal qualities.

System Skills: vision, vision , purposefulness or perseverance, flexibility.

Communication skills: communication skills, the ability to motivate and inspire, organization, support.

Personal traits: inner integrity, confidence, proactivity, self-control.

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Now let's look at each of the qualities in more detail.

VISION

This skill is where leadership begins. At the core of a leader's vision should be the idea of ​​creating or reforming something. Vision allows you to create an image of the new and helps to paint pictures of the future, building perspectives. Thanks to this leadership quality, a leader can set a global and audacious goal. The ability to create a vision will help him rally and inspire people, making them want to follow him. Unlike a fantasist or a science fiction writer, the leader constantly asks himself one very important question: “How to make this a reality?”. And here you can already move on to the next leadership quality - the ability to set goals.

GOAL-SETTING

Goal setting allows the leader to articulate their vision into a very specific, tangible outcome. This leadership skill allows you to see the goal clearly, not just distant prospects. When the result of the activity is formulated, the goal becomes clear, understandable, clear. The goal of a leader must always be ambitious, it must contain a challenge! This approach gives a certain state - the state of passion. That is why the leader achieves much more than many other people.

PURPOSE OR PERSISTENCE

A leadership quality that allows, when faced with difficulties, not to stop, but to find solutions to the problem and move on. There are no barriers, there are not enough resources at the moment. It is enough to be persistent and collect them, moving on until the result is achieved. Jumping over the abyss at 98% and at 100% is not the same thing. Do not confuse purposefulness with stubbornness and obstinacy. To develop perseverance, remember that there are no defeats, but only feedback that helps you gain experience and draw the necessary conclusions on the way to achieving your goal.

FLEXIBILITY

In the process of moving towards the goal, the leader must be flexible. This is the possibility of having a large number of strategies and choices. This allows you to act most effectively in each specific situation. One of the varieties of flexibility of the mind and actions is the ability to go beyond the system. As recommendations for the development of this leadership quality, setting a goal, it is necessary to present at least 3 ways to achieve it and try to determine the best one. Remember that the most direct route is not always the shortest! Find an interesting path of achievement that no one has yet walked.

COMMUNICABILITY

In the modern world, the value of this leadership quality is very high. Being sociable is important not only as a leader, but also in any other situations. The ability to communicate effectively with the people you need is the key to success. Let's highlight a few important elements. This is the ability to quickly establish contact, win over the interlocutor, listen and hear, the ability to ask questions and receive information. Sociability will allow you to create the right connections at the right time to more effectively achieve the goal. In the modern world, this is called networking.

ABILITY TO MOTIVATE AND INSPIRE

The ability to motivate is to create an impulse of action that stimulates both oneself and others. Usually there are 2 types of motivation: "From" and "To". From fear or towards love. From minus or To plus. Different situations require different motivations. Alternating them will be more effective. Inspiration is a special way of motivation that allows you not only to create a short-term impulse, but sustainable and long-term motivation. The future should be so colorful and attractive that you want to get into it faster and dive there with your head. A leader with good vision can inspire people with great ease.

ORGANIZATION

It is very important for a leader to be able to assemble a team of first-class professionals in their field and organize the process of activity itself. This includes qualities such as planning, delegation, sweeping away unnecessary actions, and so on. The whole team should work together with the leader to improve key performance in a friendly environment. This is facilitated by the creation of group work, when the result depends on the common efforts. This brings the team members closer together and allows them to more effectively cope with the tasks.

SUPPORT

This leadership quality as a creator and team member includes the ability to provide support to like-minded people and followers in a difficult situation. People will support just such a leader who cares not only about his own interests, but about them too. Without this quality, it will be difficult for a leader to maintain his authority. Moving towards a goal is not only a difficult task, but also a strong relationship.

INTEGRITY

Inner integrity is a leadership skill that integrates all of the above qualities. This is the creation of a balance of all parts and manifestations of a person. A person is integral when the whole essence of a person is directed like a stream in one direction, as if subject to a single plan. You want to follow the leader when he not only knows where to go, but also broadcasts it with his whole being. A step towards finding integrity is the leader's awareness of his mission or his own uniqueness. A person who has an understanding of his mission knows or feels what needs to be done, while enjoying the very process of his own activity and life in general.

CONFIDENCE

Confidence is defined as the basic state that a leader must have. The state of confidence is associated with reliability, it seems that you can rely on such a person, you can trust him, you want to follow him. A confident person can be identified by the body: straightened shoulders, slender posture, even breathing, slow and intelligible speech, keeping a look at the interlocutor. It all comes down to personal confidence. And there is also a spiritual faith in the positive outcome of the plan. This confidence is an order of magnitude higher than the first. And not everyone manages to develop it.

PROACTIVITY

The leader must be active in all respects. He tries to go half a step ahead of time. He needs to have the latest information and be at the center of the flow of events in order to act first. In the modern world of huge speeds, delay threatens to lose both in moral and financial terms, which ultimately turns into lost profits. As soon as the goal is set, the movement begins, and then it is necessary to control the entire system based on key parameters along the way.

SELF-CONTROL

A leadership quality that every leader should possess. The concept of self-control includes a number of such qualities as stress resistance, the ability to take a punch, endurance, which are associated with critical situations and the manifestation of negative emotions. External pressure can cause ill health, apathy, irritability, and even anger. There will always be a temptation to suppress your emotions. But this is absolutely not necessary. What to do? Try not to hit them from the very beginning. But what if stress is inevitable? In a state of stress, it is necessary to apply breathing practice: deep breath, holding the breath, deep exhalation, smile. And so "by the square" to the necessary relaxed or controlled emotional state.

See also:

50 signs of a leader

1. A leader is, first of all, a strong character.
2. The leader does not wait for orders - the leader acts himself.
3. The leader is distinguished from all others by the courage of actions.
4. A leader is usually a leader in everything.
5. A leader is capable of leading thousands.
6. The leader has many advisers.
7. Leaders are not born - leaders are made.
8. All people are leaders from birth.
9. Leadership is rooted in optimism.
10. The main rival of the leader is himself.
11. A leader is distinguished by a good mood and a sober mind.
12. The leader always knows what he wants.
13. A leader loves life.
14. The departure of a leader can lead to the collapse of the organization.
15. A leader is not afraid to destroy in order to build again.
16. The leader, as a rule, is developed not only physically.
17. A leader has qualities that those around him do not have.
18. They try to imitate the leader.
19. The leader knows why he wakes up.
20. The leader's claims are undeniable.
21. A leader can only be understood by another leader.
22. Leaders do not fight each other, but cooperate.
23. The leader does not strive to be someone, he always remains himself.
24. The leader is comfortable and alone.
25. Crises and changes for the leader time - active actions.
26. The main authority for the leader is himself.
27. The leader does not deny other people's opinions, at the expense of them he substantiates his point of view.
28. There are no difficulties for a leader - there are tasks.
29. The leader manages everything.
30. Even the most ardent loser feels successful next to the leader.
31. The leader always goes only forward.
32. Wanting to be a leader and doing something for this are two different things.
33. Leadership is, first of all, strong-willed decisions.
34. A leader is a person with non-standard views.
35. The leader does not fight - he wins.
36. The whole team cannot suppress the will of the leader.
37. The mood of a leader creates a mood for everyone around.
38. A leader inspires people to accomplish feats.
39. The motto of the leader: "One warrior in the field."
40. No one and nothing will make the leader deviate from the path without his desire.
41. Only death can leave a leader.
42. The leader is the standard of faith.
43. The leader laughs at difficulties.
44. Obstacles in the leader awaken excitement and interest.
45. Even in peace, a leader remains a leader.
46. ​​The leader does not strain - he lives.
47. The life of a leader is always impressive.
48. A leader cannot be created from a template.
49. Leadership periodically wakes up in everyone.
50. Leaders are legendary.