What qualities make a great leader?

History has shown that the fittest, the most able, those who can withstand pressures and overcome all obstacles are the ones who survive and make it to the top – be it in business or in one’s personal life. They are the only ones who have the wherewithal to become leaders.

So what qualities make a good or great leader? A leader, first and foremost must be honest and above approach – professionally and personally. He should be clear about his goals, be committed to his tasks  and should be focused on achieving those goals. He needs to be able to communicate properly and should be able to delegate, rather than hold all control in his hands. He has to motivate, inspire and nurture his people to do better the next time.

A positive attitude

Self-confidence and self-assurance are important traits in a leader but he should guard against becoming over-confident and arrogant. A positive attitude in a leader sets a good example for others while a sense of humour can enhance his relationship with people. Finally, what a leader needs in large doses is creativity, ingenuity, resourcefulness, innovativeness and intuition or instincts that guide him in the right direction to growth and success.

One of the tasks of a leader is to develop people working under him. They need to be trained, encouraged, persuaded, understood, appreciated, valued and  inspired to perform optimally. It is only their leader who can achieve all this. He knows and understands his people the best, he knows their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses, their passions and interests and it is for him to figure out whom to push in which direction – whom to mould into future leaders and whom to nurture as worker bees. It is always the leader who helps the “underdogs” improve in performance and contribute to the enterprise to the best of their ability. And with time and sufficient inputs from the leader it is possible for them to become top-dogs too.