Traits of a leader

Traits of a leader

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People never leave bad organizations but leave incompetent and toxic leaders. Because of this, for companies to be able to succeed, the company has to prioritize on building an effective leader. The control and command style which was widely used in the past is no longer helpful. There are several traits that a successful leader needs to possess as listed below:

Intelligence- this is a person’s ability to control, comprehend and develop their own feelings while at the same time managing and understanding other people’s feelings. Intelligence helps the leaders to have internal awareness, to be self-regulated and to assess other people’s emotions (Dyson, 2018). It as well enables a leader to ensure collaborative communication.

Self-confidence-this is an attitude about a person’s abilities and skills. It helps a leader to aim higher and they also don’t stop working on their vision

Determination- This is the ability to keep doing something even when it seems difficult (Northouse, 2016). It is important in helping a leader to fuel goals, ideas and plans as they would become stagnant if no effort is directed to it.

Integrity- this is the quality of a leader having strong moral and ethical principles and abiding by them at all times. When a leader has integrity, they are able to gain trust from other members of the organization. The leader as well becomes a role model as integrity is a mark of ethical leadership (Northouse, 2016).

Sociability- Sociability is a trait whereby the leader is fond of the other people’s company. Sociability enables a leader to show concern towards others thus creating a good avenue for open communication

The above named list is not all inclusive. There are several other traits that a leader needs to have for effective leadership. These include the ability to self-manage, to act strategically, efficiency in communication, accountability and responsibility and finally, learning agility.

From the discussion above, it is clear that for one to be an effective leader, they need to combine several traits. This is because they face so many challenges on a daily basis and hence have to make wise decisions to steer the organization in the positive direction. Some of these traits can be learnt while others are inborn. A leader having most of the above named traits will with no doubt succeed in ensuring they deliver what is expected of them.

References

Dyson, S. B. (2018). Gordon Brown, Alistair Darling, and the great financial crisis: Leadership traits and policy responses. British Politics, 13(2), 121-145.

Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice (7th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.