It has been rightly said that “Great leaders aren’t born overnight.” They are a combination of sheer dedication and years of hard work. Not all can be able leaders because not all possess the right set of qualities. For a great leader, one must have the essential skills required. A good leader helps in making the country great.
“Remarkable changes have only come because of great leaders and their leadership qualities.”
All great leaders that were ever witnessed had a common set of values and qualities.
Top 15 Qualities of a great leader
1. CONFIDENCE
The primary leadership quality that a leader should have is confidence. Confidence boosts your self-esteem and helps you in taking important decisions in your life. People who lack self-confidence have doubts about small things concerning them and are very self-critical. Confidence helps you to be sure and a great leader should be confident and upright in his or her dealings.
2. OPTIMISM
Being positive is a great quality in general. Great leaders are full of enthusiasm and optimism and this becomes the reason that they are not saddened by negative thoughts. Optimism helps you to always see the good even intense situations and for great leadership, this quality is a must.
3. DEDICATION
If one is dedicated to their goal, one can attain success. Many people have goals but only a few can fulfil them. The only difference that stands here is dedication. Leaders have to accomplish several tasks and meet important deadlines so being dedicated is a very important leadership quality.
4. ASSERTIVE
A great leader should be assertive. He or she should be able to put across his views and statements confidently. Being an assertive leader simply means being able to stand up for other people and even yourself whenever required in a calm manner without sounding rude or aggressive.
5. ACTIVE
A great leader should be active in his or her approach. Great leaders are not laid-back personalities but they deal with things actively. Successful leadership demands an always ready to tackle attitude no matter what the situation arises so being active becomes an essential leadership quality.
6. NO PROCRASTINATION
Procrastination is something that ruins the most important things. Delaying things or projects for long periods may lead to unnecessary stress and burden. A good leader should meet his or her deadlines on time. Procrastination should be avoided because a leader cannot become great if he or she lingers on his or her work for long and piles up unfinished tasks.
7. UNITY
A good leader should have the quality of unity. A leader should know how to take along masses in unison. Their decisions should be focused on the whole and not on an individual level. A good leader should benefit all and not a few. Unity thus becomes an important quality that a great leader should have.
8. LISTENING
Good listening is a skill that lacks in most people. If a leader does not listen to the problems of the people then he fails to serve them thus being a good listener becomes important. For being a great leader clarity is very important and being a good listener provides the desired clarity.
9. COMMUNICATION
Communication is another important aspect that one should focus upon if one wishes to be a remarkable leader. He or she should be able to express his or her emotions and put across the views easily. A great leader should be the voice of the people and thus having great communication quality becomes necessary.
10. VALUES AND ETHICS
Values and ethics make a person or break him. Possessing a good set of values is essential if great leadership is on your mind. People who lead a life based on morals soar to much greater heights in comparison to people who lead a life deprived of values and ethics.
11. INTEGRITY
Integrity plays a key role in determining whether you are a good leader or not. A good leader should be honest in his or her dealings. Great leadership becomes easy if it is based on strong moral principles. Doing the right thing always and not being deviated by the circumstances around is important because it is evident that nowadays many leaders fall into the trap of lies and dishonesty. A leader can only be appreciated by the masses if he or she is a person of integrity.
12. EMPATHY
Being able to understand what the masses are expecting is important for a great leader. Successful leaders can sympathize with others. A leader that does not show empathy towards the sufferings of people cannot become great because great leaders have always since time immemorial have had empathy as the key quality.
13. GRATEFUL
One should be grateful always in life. With leadership comes responsibility and many times people start taking things for granted and this should be avoided. Great leaders should be grateful for the opportunity of serving the masses and never feel burdened or self-consumed by it.
14. INFLUENCE
Great leaders should influence the masses. A great leader can only be called great if he or she can leave an impact on the people he or she is rendering service to. Good leadership demands influencing others but this impact should be focused in the right direction.
15. SET GOALS
Prominent leaders should be focused and goal-oriented. They should have fixed goals and completing them should be their primary aim. A good leader should make goals that bring about a significant change around. Ticking off tasks benefitting the people should be considered, and goals should also be set accordingly.
Conclusion
Thus, for being a great leader the qualities that one must possess should also be great. These qualities shall determine whether you will make an impact or not and so focusing on developing them should be practiced upon because it is rightly said that
“Leaders are the makers of many.”
