Traits of a True Leader

1036 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Managing change in the workplace

Introduction

A true leader not only demands respect, but has the necessary leadership traits to command it. Negative qualities, such as harshness and verbal abusiveness may exact compliance from members of the group, but it will be most likely out of fear, rather than dedication to the cause, or project, at hand. An employee may be left to think that if he didn't need this job to pay his rent, he would terminate his association with that employer immediately. On a certain dance reality show, the proprietor, who is known for being mean, may have the right to rule her studio with a rod of iron, but the important question to explore is if she will have a studio ten years from now if she continues to run her site in that manner,even given that her methods yield results.

Indeed, being firm yet gentle may go far to strengthen morale in that studio. Besides that there are other character traits that can serve to strengthen communication between leaders and subordinates, yielding positive results.

Vision

Any discussion of leadership traits should begin in a discourse about vision. In order to be a leader, an individual must have a vivid picture of where he wants to take his organization. The person must not have a firm definition of success, but must know how he intends to achieve it.

A person of true vision is able to communicate with the other members of his organization the nature of his picture of the organization after such a plan is implemented both on paper and verbally. He must be able to persauade members of his team that it is the best goal to be achieved, for the benefit of both the group and the people it serves, and why.

Let's use a non-profit organization for the homeless as an...

... middle of paper ...

...up forward. It also involves accepting responsibility for failure, as O'Neill points out. For example, let's say an employer has hired someone against the better judgment of his board, and the employee has failed to perform up to par. The employee makes a mistake that costs the company a lot of money, leaving that manager with no other choice but to fire him. He has a choice--to either place the blame totally on the hapless employee, or on fate, or on the recruiter who recommended him for the position. True leadership is refusing to blame anyone but himself, acknowledging that the mistake was ultimately the manager's. This action would communicate humility, as well as integrity, louder than any words ever could.

O'Neill, Eve. "The Top 10 Leadership Qualities. In the Focus.com blog, May 26, 2009.

http://www.focus.com/briefs/top-10-leadership-qualities/

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Leadership In Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar and Machiavelli’s The Prince

    1210 Words  | 3 Pages

    All of these traits begin with the individual realizing who he is and where he stands to become a leader. Like Jack Welch said, “Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.” Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccol. The Prince of the Sea.

    Read More

  • What Is Social Work Leadershi Transformational Theory Of Leadership?

    1949 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many definitions exist on what leadership is. Despite the many differences in definitions, they all describe the leader as someone who influences others. Leaders transform individuals around them allowing them to work to their full potential. In order for a leader to be successful they must be knowledgeable, self- confident, and effective communicators. These characteristics will create a positive workplace environment that results in an increase in productivity. Leadership is not defined by titles or salary. Leaders must acquire their skills and continue to improve on them through learning. Good leaders provide a vision and help motivate others to make that vision happen. The leader must be effective and successful in creating a strong institution.

    Read More

  • Personal Leadership Style Analysis

    586 Words  | 2 Pages

    Encarta Dictionary within Microsoft Word defines leadership as,” the ability to guide, direct, or influence people.” Expanding upon that definition, my personal definition is influencing people to follow to achieve a goal, regardless of how unpleasant. Leadership is not something that happens overnight, it needs to be cultivated over time. During that process, it is necessary to identify delinquencies and make adjustments. Reviewing the feedback provided by my LPI/360 assessment, the three areas identified I need to improve on are, praising people for a job well done, actively listening to diverse points of view, and becoming more visible within the workplace.

    Read More

  • The History Of Transformational Leadership

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    After a vision is created, the leader must be able to implement and communicate with their stakeholders. In order for the vision to be communicated and implemented well, the leader must be able to build trust with their organization as suggested by the textbook in chapter 9. Kouzes and Posner also suggested characters of a transformational leader. Transformational leaders must be able to model the way. They must understand their own vales and philosophy. They set an example for others to follow and they follow through on their promises and commitments. (Northhouse

    Read More

  • Leadership Characteristics Of A Good Leader? Chad Miller, Manager Of Buffalo Wild Wings

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout 2016, many different people will claim they can lead America to greatness again just as they do each election year. This directs attention towards leadership, and most Americans simply trust that these potential candidates display leadership characteristics. Unfortunately, politicians don’t always exemplify leadership, and many Americans experience poor leaders daily such as dreadful bosses. Because of these commonplace experiences, leadership may not appear as a direct character trait. Adaptable communication, the ability to inspire, a clear passion, and professional attitudes all characterize a true leader.

    Read More

  • A Confident, Loyal, Intelligent Leader

    700 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leaders are people who show confidence in themselves and their country, loyalty in the country they are leading, and intelligence in everyday life. Confidence is a key point in being a leader. Without confidence a leader cannot lead his country. He will not be able to lead the country and stand up for what is best for the country unless he has the confidence to do so. Loyalty in a country is also a big part of being a leader. A leader cannot be loyal only to himself. If he is only loyal to himself, the country will crumble under his reign. To be intelligent is to be able to outsmart any opponent. A leader must be intelligent enough to know what is going on in the country and beat anyone that endangers his country. Between Lady Macbeth and Macduff, both show they have the qualities of confidence, loyalty, and intelligence; however, in the end, Macduff is a better leader.

    Read More

  • Role Models and Leadership in "Romeo and Juliet"

    800 Words  | 2 Pages

    One may wonder exactly what it is that qualities a strong leader possesses. A strong leader is determined, and strong willed. They must be of good judgment, and without bias. They cannot easily be persuaded, and they are firm, yet at the same time, a good lead must also empathize with his subordinates, and have the best interest at heart for said subordinates, at all times. However, with that being said, a good leader cannot be afraid to discipline his subordinates when necessary. Unmistakably, being a leader is a very difficult feat – one which not everyone can accomplish. A leader must be an authority, a friend and a counsellor, all at once. They must be responsible, and always take into account the disadvantages of a situation. Not everyone is suitable to be a leader, whereas, just about anybody can be a good role model.

    Read More

  • Leadership

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    The basis of good leadership is honorable character and selfless service to the organization. In employees' eyes, leadership is everything a leader do that affects the organization's objectives and employee’s wellbeing. A respected leader concentrates on what he or she is [be] (beliefs and character), what a leader knows (job, tasks, human nature), and what a leader does (implement, motivate, provide direction).

    Read More

  • The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership

    1631 Words  | 4 Pages

    A leader needs to “believe” in oneself and have the confidence that whatever you say will excite and what you do can motivate others. You must be optimistic about what you do, do have some relevance for being in existence. Believe it or not, “leadership begins with you”.

    Read More

  • Exploring the Traits of Great Leadership

    1545 Words  | 4 Pages

    Leaders, an individual that people look up to for direction, inspiration, and guidance in life. Passion, influential, reliability, a vision, etc. These traits along with many more, are the things that make leaders great and successful. Everyone has different personality traits that make us capable of being leaders in this world and I learned that throughout this course. Everyone is different, whether good or bad, ethical or unethical, everyone has a leadership style all their own. “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader (John Quincy Adams).”

    Read More

  • Characteristics Of A Leader Is An Effective Leader

    1993 Words  | 4 Pages

    To become a truly effective leader, one must encapsulate the various behaviors related to the aforementioned course learnings in his/her persona and demonstrate such behaviors daily. This course has allowed me to identify four behaviors that all leaders must portray to be effective. The first of which is that a leader must be inspirational. To do so, a leader must set the appropriate vision and direction for the organization and provide a path to achieving defined goals. Additionally, a leader must induce the proper levels of motivation so that each employee has sufficient incentive to work towards the organization’s goals. As discussed in the class, motivation can be accomplished by factors such as rewarding hard work and providing the correct opportunities to employees. While these are motivating in that employees desire to be fairly compensated and to be doing work they deem valuable, inspiration comes more from organizational culture. A leader will be inspirational by setting a tone that appreciates each employee’s contribution, no matter how small in scale it is. Further, employees are inspired when they work collaboratively in a group setting and can capitalize on individual strengths to drive organizational goals.

    Read More

  • Leadership Traits

    710 Words  | 2 Pages

    As a growing debate, the question at hand is whether great leaders are born with specific leadership traits, or if one can be taught certain traits over time. According to (Wikipedia.com) the approach of listing leadership qualities, often termed "trait theory of leadership", assumes certain traits or characteristics will tend to lead to effective leadership. I believe that leadership traits such as honest, competent, initiative, inspiring, hardworking, intelligent, and the ability to lead the masses, are some of the leadership traits one should possess. Within this paper, I will examine the overall concept of leadership traits, while observing the traits that were, or can be associated with successful leaders.

    Read More

  • Contingency Theory Essay

    1102 Words  | 3 Pages

    The ways employees connect to the leader are important. If the employees do not like or trust the leader, this can impact the outcome of the job and create future hurdles. If you work for someone, you have to be able to relate to him or her. There has to be a formal relationship in order for the formal authority to be respected.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On Am I A Leader

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout my life I have encountered the chance to experience position of being a leader. Being part of groups in university for class presentations, being the organizing secretary of my campus fellowship, being a youth leader in my church and the church admin, also being part of a family. Leaders are charismatic, inspirational and trust worthy. I have gained some important qualities of being a good leader through these experiences. Most of the valuable leadership’s characteristics that I obtained and strengthened are: learn to become a better leader every day, how to be a team player, to be a better listener, to be an effective communicator, to have more patience, not afraid of constructive criticism, to be outspoken, and to be a problem solver. Even though I have gained a lot, I still have more things to learn to become a better leader such as being more assertive, being more disciplined, becoming a better public speaker, and learn how to be realistic and not too optimistic. You are a leader if someone else choses to follow you.

    Read More

  • Leadership Vision and Goals

    544 Words  | 2 Pages

    Before a leader can be successful and before goals can be set, a vision is needed. A vision is something you want to achieve or accomplish, something you want for the future, and it is the most important thing for a successful leader to have. Without a clear vision, leaders will have problems inspiring others, and employees will have a difficult time being motivated due to not knowing what they’re working to achieve. Clark (1997) states that “As a leader, you have to get your followers to trust you and be sold on your vision” (p. 1)...

    Read More

More about Traits of a True Leader

Open Document