PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP By Lloyd J. Thomas, Ph.D. What personal qualities of character does someone have to possess to be an effective leader of others? As I write this, the approval rating of our leaders in Congress is lower than 10%. That means only one of every 10 people in the U.S. approve of the leadership of our Congress. In the year 55 B.C., jurist, politician, philosopher, writer and Roman orator, Marcus Tullius Cicero, wrote, The budget should be balanced, the Treasury must be replenished, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of public officials should be tempered and controlled, and assistance to other countries must be removed so Rome does not go bankrupt. People must learn to work again, instead of living off the state. More recently, Norman Schwarzkopf once said, Leadership includes two components: competence and character. Ninety-nine percent of the failure in leadership is because of a failure in character rather than competence. Here are some time-honored personal characteristics that have been recognized throughout history as great leadership qualities. SELF-DISCIPLINE. Any person who leads others needs to do so by example. If you expect those who follow you to be self-disciplined, you must be so yourself. Self-discipline is a willingness to do what needs to be done, even when you dont want to do it. Practice self-control to accomplish your objectives, step-by-step. Self-discipline is based upon self awareness. A KEEN SENSE OF FAIRNESS. Without a highly developed sense of justice, no leader will ever be respected by those she or he wishes to lead. If you treat everyone, including yourself, with fairness and respect, you will be emulated and receive the same in return from those who follow you. STEADFAST COURAGE to confront personal fears and take reasonable risks. When we confront common fears such as rejection, others opinions, public speaking, etc., they usually diminish. After all there is nothing inherently dangerous in these. Courage to take reasonable risks is like stealing second base in a ball game. You cant expect to succeed at it, unless you risk taking your foot off first base. No intelligent follower will follow a wimp. Leaders who lack self-confidence rarely risk anything. HIGH MORAL VALUES. A study conducted by Harvard University a few years ago, indicated that the characteristic needed most by top-level executives was integrity. An effective leader must have unwavering integrity of character. Dishonesty, undependability, uncaring for those less fortunate, unwillingness to sacrifice self in the service of others...may characterize some people, but certainly not effective leaders. AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS points of view or personal perspectives. A leader must listen much more than talk. Only through observing and listening carefully, does anyone become aware of anothers perceptual world. Leaders seek to understand others attitudes and frames of reference, while not being overly concerned about getting his/her own viewpoint across. COOPERATION. A successful leader must understand and act upon the principle of cooperative effort. If a leader is not able to cooperate in joint efforts with others, the followers will not practice cooperation with each other. Leadership is powerful, and power calls for cooperation. No one is powerful enough to do it alone. WILLING TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY. The successful leader must be willing to assume the responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of her/his followers. Trying to shift responsibility always undercuts ones power and ability to take action to correct any mistakes. ATTENTIVENESS TO ORGANIZATION AND DETAILS. Leaders must be organized themselves and have a mastery of detail. Efficient action requires detailed organization and plans. SELF-RESPECT. Very few slovenly, careless persons become leaders. If you dont take good care of yourself, no one else will. It is not their job! Finally, leaders must be in the HABIT OF DOING MORE THAT THE REQUIRED MINIMUM. They do more than required of the follower. They must pursue their goal-attainment with focus and be willing to do whatever it takes within their moral ethical standards, to reach their envisioned goals. Minimum effort attains only minimum goals. There is an old Chinese Proverb that reads: If there is righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in character. If there is beauty in character, there will be harmony in the home. If there is harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation; If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world. Isnt that to which all leaders need to aspire...and to generate within themselves? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 15:51:36 +0000
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