The Leadership Effect

There is no topic more important to business today than leadership
Leadership qualities are the distinguishing personal characteristics
of a leader such as intelligence, values and appearance. Leadership
occurs among people, involves the use of influence, and is used to
attain goals. Leadership is reciprocal, occurring among people.
Leadership is a people activity, distinct from administrative paper
shuffling or problem solving activity. Leadership qualities involve
the dynamic use of power and influence. Much has been written about
leadership qualities but...

What is the biggest enemy to developing these qualities?
The answer is You, Yourself. The nagging voice that says "Be like
him." You see when you are trying to be like someone else, the best
you can ever be is second best. Use what God has given you. Use what
you are good at... Follow your unique plan! Resist imitation and you
will develop unlimited leadership qualities.

How do you distinguish a man of distinction?
The minute you walk into the room, people judge you in an eye blink.
It stems directly from charisma, or lack of it. Possessing charisma
often brings to mind a historical figure or a celebrity.

Charisma is a unique leadership quality
We are so used to the word charisma that we seldom spend any time
thinking about why most of us view it in the way we do. It is entirely
learnable. It is about tapping into your natural ability to make
powerful impressions, even if this currently lies dormant or
under-exploited. You personal impact is your charisma effect. The most
important ingredient to develop this unique leadership quality is - do
not imitate.

Consider these words from one of history's greatest artists
My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier you will become a
general; if you become a monk you will end up as the pope". Instead, I
became a painter and wound up as Picasso.

Remember
No one ever developed great leadership qualities by imitation. A true
quality of leader is - to be original. An original is hard to find but
easy to recognize.

5 Incredible Leadership Qualities

Some leaders are born, while others are created. It's often difficult, especially as a manager, to convince others to follow in our footsteps, but it is possible. Whether you're a natural born leader or not, the following qualities can and should be nurtured in order to enhance your leadership abilities.

Vision
Do you have a vision and are you able to share that vision with your team? Having a vision means you know what path you want to take in order to achieve optimal end results. Your communication skills must be strong enough to effectively convince your followers that your path is the right choice given the current situation.

Dedication
Are you really dedicated to your work? Are you willing, if necessary, to spend extra long hours at the office to get the job done? Your dedication will inspire your team members to share the same level of enthusiasm.

Humility
Humility means being able to recognize that you are no better off than anyone else on your team, regardless of your salary or job title. You're all human and you all make mistakes. Your job status doesn't exempt you from error.

Fairness
A good leader needs to be able to make fair decisions regardless of how he or she may feel personally about a given situation. Fairness means looking at the facts, not each team member's personal opinions about them, and then making an educated decision.

Humor
Let's face it - laughter is the best medicine. People are happy when they are laughing, and laughter eases tension and increases productivity (in moderation, of course). Those stuck in a boring or hostile workplace won't accomplish much. Put your sense of humor to work and keep the entire team happy.

These are, of course, only a few leadership qualities you should keep in mind but they offer you an excellent place to start. Take a look at your day to day interactions with your team and determine whether or not you need to tweak your leadership style. Good luck!