Personal Development – Leadership

Aug. 20, 2013 - PRLog -- Are you a leader or in a leadership position? 
If so the tips below should help you become a more effective leader.  Leadership isn’t something most people are born with, but there are qualities that can be learned and mastered over time.  A good leader knows they must continually evolve and learn new things to keep current with their industry.  Even with the continuing education there are certain qualities every person should master to become an effective leader.  These seven (7) qualities are discussed below.

7 Qualities to help you develop good leadership abilities 

Transparency
Tenacity
Approachable
Visionary
Integrity
Open minded
Good listener

In today’s time transparency is missing from a lot of industries, which has caused distrust with financial institutions, the health care field, Wall Street, as well as the government.  Good leadership demands that you be transparent with the people that work for you.  People will not always agree with every decision you make but if you are transparent about how decisions are made people will respect you. 

Tenacity is an essential trait of successful leaders.  When things go wrong (which normally happens in any business), people will turn to the leader to gauge their reaction.  If the leader is focused on the goal at hand and achieving it no matter what the circumstances, the troops will usually follow and feel a sense of security.  A leader’s tenacity and perseverance will usually lead a team to a successful outcome.

As a leader you must be approachable.  When things go wrong you want to be a person that others can come to for assistance, not one that people want to avoid at all cost because they are afraid of the consequences.  Create an environment where workers feel comfortable coming to you to discuss issues at the work place.  Some people in leadership positions believe developing an environment of fear is the best way to run a business, but this can lower morale amongst employees and negatively affect your business.  The best way to lead your business (http://mogulmindset.myspecialwebsite.com/) is by creating an environment that encourages open communication.

Leaders are visionaries that define team goals and set the path for all to follow.  When you have a clear vision of where you want the company to go, it helps you hire the right people that fit the vision so it can be accomplished.  Having a clear vision also gives employees a benchmark of where they need to be and what they should be doing to achieve the companies goals.  If your vision is weak the production of your workers will most likely be weak as well.

Integrity is one quality that is not just reserved for leaders all people should have this trait.  This quality is especially important in leaders because you are leading people that may or may not know the total picture and you should have the best interest of your people in mind.  Employee’s place their trust in leaders to make sure they are financially taken care of and if there is something wrong with the business, leaders must be honest with their employees to let them know what is going on that might affect them personally and financially.  Integrity means being honest about all situations and making good choices.

Good leaders are open minded and take their employees suggestions into consideration.  Even with good direction and a plan for the company sometimes things go wrong and a different direction must be forged.  When this happens good leaders are open to ideas, recommendations and suggestions for moving the company forward.  Employees that have been with you for a long time might have ideas that can maximize the companies (http://www.empowernetwork.com/almostasecret.php?id=emanil...) potential for success, but only open minded leaders will actually take this advice into consideration.

Listening is perhaps the most important quality of a good leader because without this quality things are bound to go wrong.  Being a good leader is about listening to what people around you have to say.  As stated in the last quality, people may have ideas that can take the company to another level, and this can only be discovered by listening to the people around you.  No matter what industry you are in and your level of experience you can always learn more from people and listening is a vital part to this.  Listen to feedback from employees to learn what can be improved with how the company operates, and you might be surprised by what you learn. 

If you are available for a leadership role use these qualities discussed above to help you prepare for this new position.  You must first act like the leader if you’re in line for an available leadership role.  Model yourself after effective leaders you have observed.  Dress in an appropriate way, use clean language, and treat your superiors with the respect they deserve.  Even when it seems like there is no hope, always go beyond what is required.  These qualities will show that you are ready to be a leader.

Leadership roles can place enormous demands on people, and requires great responsibility.  These demands may make juggling work with your personal life difficult, but you must remember developing a work/life balance is essential to happiness and becoming a better leader.  Take breaks when you can, spend time with your family and enjoy other things in life, which will make you a well-rounded person and more understanding leader.  

Learning the qualities of leadership are important for everyone aspiring to be a leader, being thrust into that role or having held the position for a while.  People will judge you by how you lead them, whether they agree with you or not, how you handle certain situations will define your character and the type of leader you are.  The information discussed above will help guide you in your efforts. Leading a people or a company is something that is always evolving, and you must continually work at improving your skills.  The better your leadership skills are the more potential your company has for success (http://www.themogulmindset.com/great_opportunity/).

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Here’s to thinking link an entrepreneur and achieving your dreams.

Jason Lockhart 

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