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 Qualities
of Leadership
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14
For
decades organizational scholars have debated the qualities of a
"leader." What are they? Is a person born a leader or can they
be trained as a leader? Can anyone learn to be a leader? Can an
employee be a leader or do you need to have people reporting to
you to lead? The list goes on and on. In our leadership training
class we routinely ask the audience to define the qualities of a
leader. Many participants suggest traits like "charismatic,"
"confident," "visionary," etc. Occasionally, someone will offer
what we think is a truly distinguishing observation. "You don't
often notice or think about the qualities of a leader. What's
noticeable is how they make you feel." That's it in a
nutshell.
What really defines a leader is their ability to make
individuals feel committed to a cause or challenge. But not only
do they feel committed, they take action. The term "follower"
sounds like an obedient golden retriever but we'll use it
anyway. Leaders make those that choose to follow them feel
important and significant. Leaders have a genuine, unquestioned
respect for the individuals around them. Their decisions are
decisive and well founded in arguments that support the core
values of the company, its customers and its employees. Because
they're human, leaders make mistakes and own them - and they
expect and tolerate mistakes from others. They know that their
power rests on the relationships they build with others - and
that titles and authority alone won't earn respect. They're
consistent in their actions and words and show no favoritism.
When the company faces a significant challenge or uncertainty,
the leader's calm demeanor bolsters confidence and motivation in
others. Leaders believe that their followers are capable of
anything and as a result, so do their followers.
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E T T I N G S
T A R T E D
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This module:
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.offers
an overview of Leadership in general terms |
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describes key competencies or characteristics associated
with leadership |
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provides an exercise to identify the leadership qualities in
others |
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provides a downloadable self-assessment for evaluating your
personal leadership strengths and weaknesses |
Why is this important? No doubt you know someone who you would consider
a leader. Maybe it's a manager you work with - maybe not. It may
not even be someone you know from work - i.e, a coach, teacher,
friend, etc. But something about that person caught your
attention, your imagination and your admiration. Chances are
they made you feel significant. They made you believe you were
capable of more than you thought. They made you dream - at least
for a moment. That's what leaders do.
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.Ask
a hundred management scholars and you'll get a hundred
different opinions on the qualities of leadership. The good
news is that when you boil them all down there are some very
common themes that appear. First let's discuss "leadership"
in some general terms.
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© The Training Bank 2008