If there is one thing there isn’t enough of in the world - it is leadership. Having enough leadership bandwidth can solve world hunger and climate change, I believe.
What is leadership, though? Everyone knows what is leadership and is able to identify a leader from a crowd. There are many definitions of leadership and we read will all those on the internet. All these definitions are right but, in my opinion, don’t necessarily click.
Leadership is the ability of a person to take a group of people, this could be a group of 2 people i.e. 1 more other than you, towards a common goal. That sounds a lot like slavery but it isn’t. The key difference is that the people working with you should be co-owners of Goal. That for me is leadership.
What are the key traits of a leader? How does one become a leader? In my opinion, there are 4 fundamentals to learn to be a leader. When one learns these, they have the raw material to be a leader.
- Professional Competence
- Integrity and Courage
- Have a vision - Take a problem head-on.
- Communication skills
Professional Competence
Excellence. You have to be good at your job. Professional knowledge has to be acquired the hard way. It doesn’t come easy; its the act of life long learning. If a person is mediocre or incompetent at what they do, why will people look up to the person? Why will people follow this person? Unless you have professional competence, you cannot be a leader. People don’t have a reason to believe this person to be the/leader.
Integrity and Courage
Absolute justice and impartiality. Always focus on what is right. The leader’s conduct should be above suspicion. The leader should have the courage to do what is right irrespective of the repercussions. As the old saying goes “Ceaser’s wife should be above suspicion”.
Vision
People want hope. People have hope for doing something beyond themselves; a goal that is worth their time. These are not day-to-day tasks. Who wakes up from bed excited, to do something that is mundane? However, the mundane task aligned to a larger goal can and will drive up the energy of the person performing that task.
A leader is always looking for challenges. Always looking to make things better. Maybe even looking for trouble (in a good way). They do this in search of excellence and the feeling of greatness. The feeling of wonder.
If you want to be a leader, you should have the ability to take up challenges. See the problem and look at solving it. Don’t be tied to the harbor; sail the rough seas. For a smooth sea never made a skillful sailor or sail crew.
Communication
This is the tough one. There are multiple levels of communication.
The first level is about ensuring people see you as honest. How does a person ensure his/her integrity is unquestionable? A leader does that by consulting with people and being open with people on the thought process behind his decision. They do this by communicating their thoughts and allowing themselves to be open for feedback.
At the second level, it is about communicating your thoughts and ideas and goals and vision. A person may have amazing visions and ideas; but what use are they if he can’t communicate to people he wants to lead? He/She has to have the ability to communicate their vision and ask for feedback to bring about alignment.
Remember, you may have all 4 of them but still may not be a leader… yet. These 4 traits are what starts you on a journey to be a great leader. It is an amazing journey, keep learning.
