A society stands on the shoulders of its leaders whether they belong to the academic, social, economic, or political sectors of the society. Also such leaders are found in every sub-strata of the field they work in and are not just merely the ones who are the ones who sit at the top most rung. Grooming leaders is one of the essential responsibilities of every society. Some people are born with this talent but many can achieve it through hard work and self-correction.
Here are some essential qualities of leader.
Firstly, a leader can only have an impact on his followers if he leads by example. Two areas must especially remain in his mind in this regard: conduct and competence. In other words, his moral character should be impeccable and his professional skills should be par excellence. If he lacks in any of these two areas, he will not be able to inspire people around him.
Secondly, a leader always encourages people around him. He is the person who takes responsibility of failures but attributes every success to his team. He highlights very small achievements made by his team members. Cynicism and ridicule are words that should not be found in his handbook of dealing with others. If people commit mistakes, they must be downplayed and never mocked at.
Thirdly, a leader patiently and whole-heartedly hears his critics and does not show aversion to criticism. He welcomes any critical feedback with full sincerity. He should fully analyze this feedback and see if it convinces him even if it is couched in harsh language. He should realize that if he wants to lead intelligent people, he must never silence their critique. If he does so, he will only be left with yes men and be deprived of valuable acumen of those who may as a result desert him.
Fourthly, an efficient leader delegates tasks and authority to his team members and has the heart to own their mistakes. In this way, he will groom people of calibre and insight. People learn from their mistakes and they should be allowed to do their share of mistakes so that they can learn from this. A true leader does not micro-mange his team. He lets them have the freedom to think and act on their own even if this means losing the way. In the long run, he will make more leaders out of his team with his attitude.
Fifthly, a leader must always realize that he has much more responsibility than his team members. He is their voice. He is that single person whose initiative makes many others meaningful. These people do not have the courage to take the first step; however, they have the courage to follow a person who takes the first step. A true leader should realize the power of one. He is that one person whose first step in the right direction can change the course of events.