What Makes a Great Leader
Whether you are a CEO of a company or the manager of a group or organization, your skills and behavior affect those around you. Your words, actions, gestures, and attitude play a large role in the success of the company or group, as well as your reputation.
So, what makes a good leader? How can you tell if you're doing a great job with your team? How do you know if you're heading toward success or failure? Here are some qualities that you should look for.
You've heard it before, "Honesty is the best policy." It has to be stressed because it is true. Have you ever been lied to by a boss, co-worker, or friend? It says a lot about their character and ultimately hurts their reputation of being a trustworthy leader. A leader must be honest with their team. Be straight forward with those around you; lead your team toward truth. If your plans include misguiding those around you, it will only lead to confusion, mistrust, and negativity.
Another quality that is evident in many leaders is to be passionate about your mission! Share your enthusiasm with those around you, because believe it or not, positive (and negative) energy is contagious. By being upbeat and positive about your goals, you will motivate others around you to share those same thoughts and energy you have.
People like to be around other people who are not only positive, but who are real. Say hello to people around you; acknowledge them with a smile. When asking people how they're doing, mean it. Get to know the people on your team. Send them a birthday card. When you take the time to know people, acknowledge them for who they are, and make them feel important, it will make all the difference in working together. Make your office, organization, classroom, or group a positive, comfortable place to work.
Another aspect of providing a comfortable place to work is to keep things organized. If you can't keep your files organized between clients, meetings, and other aspects of your office (or life), nobody is going to take you seriously. If you show up to meetings late because you double booked your schedule, or worse yet, can't find your schedule, you're in trouble. A leader must be organized and ready at all times. Be on top of your schedule. To help stay organized, use binders, folders, and planners to help keep everything under control. When you present yourself as an organized leader, people will respect you for it. Plus, they'll look up to you and want to work with you.
So, you may be wondering, how do you become a great leader? Some people say that leaders are born, while others say they can be trained. Perhaps leaders are a bit of both. Everyone can hone their natural leadership abilities to becoming the best role model they can be for those around them. Isn't being a great leader part of being successful? It's part of human nature for all of us to make an impact on other people. By being a great leader, you will make a positive impact on those on your team and those in your community.
Now, as many of you know, along with leadership comes responsibility. Sure, it might be great to have influence over others (in a good way), to have control (also in a good way), and to be able to put a title next to our name on our resume; but there is much more to being a leader.
As a leader, you have responsibility to your team. They hold you accountable for many things, including reaching goals, managing situations and people, and showing results; good, positive, solid results. If you join an organization to make a difference, people want to see the changes you can bring. If you are a CEO of a company, not only does your team want to see changes, but your community wants to see them as well. Your abilities and actions make a difference in more lives than just those you see on a daily basis.
There are many responsibilities to being a great leader, and the rewards are just as high. To be a great leader means to be honest, passionate, genuine, organized, and much more. It means different things to different people. But one thing is for sure; you have the ability to affect people's lives, both individually and communitywide. Being a great leader can make all the difference in the world, to you and others!
You can enjoy the rest of the February Issue on our website
Friday, February 19th, 2010 | Rochester Woman Magazine
by Kelly SebettaWhether you are a CEO of a company or the manager of a group or organization, your skills and behavior affect those around you. Your words, actions, gestures, and attitude play a large role in the success of the company or group, as well as your reputation.
So, what makes a good leader? How can you tell if you're doing a great job with your team? How do you know if you're heading toward success or failure? Here are some qualities that you should look for.
You've heard it before, "Honesty is the best policy." It has to be stressed because it is true. Have you ever been lied to by a boss, co-worker, or friend? It says a lot about their character and ultimately hurts their reputation of being a trustworthy leader. A leader must be honest with their team. Be straight forward with those around you; lead your team toward truth. If your plans include misguiding those around you, it will only lead to confusion, mistrust, and negativity.
Another quality that is evident in many leaders is to be passionate about your mission! Share your enthusiasm with those around you, because believe it or not, positive (and negative) energy is contagious. By being upbeat and positive about your goals, you will motivate others around you to share those same thoughts and energy you have.
People like to be around other people who are not only positive, but who are real. Say hello to people around you; acknowledge them with a smile. When asking people how they're doing, mean it. Get to know the people on your team. Send them a birthday card. When you take the time to know people, acknowledge them for who they are, and make them feel important, it will make all the difference in working together. Make your office, organization, classroom, or group a positive, comfortable place to work.
Another aspect of providing a comfortable place to work is to keep things organized. If you can't keep your files organized between clients, meetings, and other aspects of your office (or life), nobody is going to take you seriously. If you show up to meetings late because you double booked your schedule, or worse yet, can't find your schedule, you're in trouble. A leader must be organized and ready at all times. Be on top of your schedule. To help stay organized, use binders, folders, and planners to help keep everything under control. When you present yourself as an organized leader, people will respect you for it. Plus, they'll look up to you and want to work with you.
So, you may be wondering, how do you become a great leader? Some people say that leaders are born, while others say they can be trained. Perhaps leaders are a bit of both. Everyone can hone their natural leadership abilities to becoming the best role model they can be for those around them. Isn't being a great leader part of being successful? It's part of human nature for all of us to make an impact on other people. By being a great leader, you will make a positive impact on those on your team and those in your community.
Now, as many of you know, along with leadership comes responsibility. Sure, it might be great to have influence over others (in a good way), to have control (also in a good way), and to be able to put a title next to our name on our resume; but there is much more to being a leader.
As a leader, you have responsibility to your team. They hold you accountable for many things, including reaching goals, managing situations and people, and showing results; good, positive, solid results. If you join an organization to make a difference, people want to see the changes you can bring. If you are a CEO of a company, not only does your team want to see changes, but your community wants to see them as well. Your abilities and actions make a difference in more lives than just those you see on a daily basis.
There are many responsibilities to being a great leader, and the rewards are just as high. To be a great leader means to be honest, passionate, genuine, organized, and much more. It means different things to different people. But one thing is for sure; you have the ability to affect people's lives, both individually and communitywide. Being a great leader can make all the difference in the world, to you and others!
You can enjoy the rest of the February Issue on our website
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