Think of a person you have worked for, or a person you admire because of their leadership. What makes a leader someone you want to follow? There are certain qualities that drive us to want to be led by a particular person.
When I think of great leaders, I think of their inquisitiveness, initiative and involvement. Obviously there are many other attributes that make a great leader, but those vary between leaders depending on leadership style, life experiences and other factors. So there are certain raw materials that leaders have that allow them to be great leaders.
Imagine a leader that doesn’t ask questions and doesn’t strive to know more information. Leaders that are inquisitive are always utilizing the skills of those around them to make the team prosper. Leaders that aren’t inquisitive are only showing off the knowledge that they know, and eventually, become ineffective leaders. If a leader does not continually want to understand and gain more information and knowledge and only share what they know, they do not allow for team unity and roles to be established.
For a leader to have an inquisitive nature, they must also have initiative. How can someone lead that doesn’t take the first step; that doesn’t put their neck out there to lead a team to success, and in some cases, failure. Sometimes things only get done when someone takes initiative. Think of a person at work that is recognized by management; it’s usually the person that takes initiative and has the drive to want to succeed, even if they do fail.
Success can only come though, when all parties are involved with the project, including a leader. If a leader only has a title and they are not involved, what’s the sense of them leading? Leaders have to be involved, provide their expertise, but also be willing to be involved enough to know when others’ expertise might be better for a given occasion. These are essential for a leader to be effective. Styles of leadership make a leader more or less amiable, but each leader must have initiative, be involved and be inquisitive to be effective.
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137729430/
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