Leadership Quality: Explained

What the biggest leadership quality every aspiring leader should have?

Now there is a lot of argument in different schools of leadership about the desirable qualities of a leader. The main reason for the argument is that one school of thought claims that a leader in one field cannot be as effective a leader in another field. The first set of people to disagree with this would be the leaders from the armed forces.

There have been so many instances where these men of uniform have been able to drape in a business suit and be very successful. Hence they do not believe in the above argument. There are many counter points to this issue. Let u focus on what is useful for us by going through some contemporary leaders and the qualities they possess.

Example: Azim Premji, a billionaire from Indian Software Industry, flies Economy class everywhere. Richard Branson, the flamboyant billionaire serves champagne on Virgin Atlantic flights, takes time to meet and talk with his customers directly.

Andrew Carnegie, a steel tycoon and one of the biggest philanthropists of our times, once gave out cigars to his employees when he found them smoking during work hours. what specific leadership qualities are they displaying?

The most striking quality among these leaders is their simplicity, the ease of words and thoughts, rather than their condescension. In fact, they get things done using the shortest number of words. In the Army, it is called the command presence, the presence of leadership.

The first and foremost of all the qualities of leadership is his ability to see beyond the problem. History will confess that the most remembered leaders were the survivors and products of the greatest obstacles in the history of humanity.

When Teddy Roosevelt stood up in front of his generals who thought it was impossible to launch an attack on Japan post Pearl Harbor, he was sending them a clear message “Don't tell me it is impossible”.

This kind of determination defines the history and has displayed the leadership, at its best.
Churchill rose to greatness because he refused to believe that we lost the war. He could see beyond the immediate problem and think his way through it. In this way, one great leadership quality, displayed by Teddy, on time, led the US from the trauma of pearl harbor to the Allied Victory.

Rudolph Giuliani became a household name after he handled the responsibility of post 9/11 New York. His tireless work and exemplary leadership qualities brought him to the world's attention.

To state the first leadership quality the Norman Vincent Peal way:

"A Leader should have an ability to see beyond the present problem"

This one leadership quality will distinguish the leader from the followers. In all the examples you will see this; These leaders did not focus on the problem, but more on the solution. How to implement this in your daily life? The easiest way is to observe people around you. You will come across people who will display this behavior. When you come across such a person, Note it down. The more you pay attention, more you are empowering your mind to go in that direction. You are helping your mind absorb the qualities of leadership.

Have you watched the movie U571?

Exemplary courage is well pronounced in that movie. I think we all can learn a lot by studying the way in which the Exec officer suddenly has to become the captain. He is not only displaying the finest of the leadership qualities, but also exemplifies the conquest of one's inner conflict.

The second leadership quality:

"A leader should be a source of courage for his fellows"

This statement sounds like straight-from- the-war-zone. A leader's source of courage can be anything; it can be knowledge, faith in God, or sheer experience. He needs to keep his fears and doubts to himself while he deals with the crisis of his crew. The Bridge on river Kwai, is a classic example of a leadership quality displayed not just in the battle field, but even in captivity.

A famous quote on leadership goes like this:

"A pack of sheep led by a lion will defeat a group of lions led by a sheep"

So it is your responsibility to eradicate your insecurity before you become responsible for the lives of others.
One of the most common characteristic of all middle level managers is that they demand respect. The senior ones command the same. My CEO pays more respect to me than my immediate manager. You might have noticed it so often in hotels, the managers are more polite and accommodating than the waiters....looks like higher you go more respect these people have. This is another hallmark of good leadership.

The third leadership quality the Dale Carnegie way:

Good Leaders Respects Others and Makes Each One Feel Special

Napoleon is said to remember the name of all his 10,000 troopers’. How would you feel if you were one amongst the 10,000 men when he walked to you and said:

"Tom, I want you to fight for France and show how much you Love her"

What would your reaction be? Courage will run all over you and you will charge like a lion. Remembering names is not my favorite hobby. I sometimes forget my own! My General Manager is an exception. She never forgets the name of any of her staff and we currently have around 2500. Don’t know how she does that.

But the point is loud and clear. Isn’t it? This is one leadership quality that I have not been able to cultivate. I have a very very fond habit of forgetting names, sometimes, even my own :-)

How surprised would you be when you realize that you are recognizing these patterns in your own behavior and using it more often, getting closer and closer to your goal…?

You may even wonder, of what use are these words stewed into weird paragraphs on leadership qualities.

Well, worry not. This is what going to happen:

Because of the use of subtle nested loops in these lines, you will begin to recognize these patterns in yourself and others. The leadership qualities (all of them) we discussed, will emerge in you over the next few days.

You notice how easily you are practicing this yourself. In a month’s time you won’t even believe how often you catch yourself using this whole thing...

How did I do it? Well that's little secret which I will reveal in an appropriate section. If you feel that you have discovered it, let me know. I have some more goodies in my bag apart from writing about leadership quality.

Now the standard caution: please don't come running to me to complain that you are feeling wonderful and happy after using all these skills and you are having a lovely life and nothing to complain about.
I am not ready for that complaint.

You have to take responsibility for your success. Do write in a few words what specifically you did and how it helped. This way you can help others. If you have not read one of the most important leadership quality, do so now!

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