Stephen OokoTest Paper

TO BE A GOOD LEADER

All of us, consciously or unconsciously, have been in a leadership position at one time or another. Whether it was just guiding your younger sibling or conducting your class to do a joint activity, the onus was upon you to give direction and guidance which, basically, is what leadership is about. This article examines some of the essential attributes that makes one a good leader. Some of these are inborn for some people while others have to work at attaining them. Showing these traits is important because they will inspire confidence in one’s leadership. Simply possessing them is not enough, you have to exhibit, model, internalized and display these traits.

Forward looking

The essence of leadership is figuring out go from where you are now. “When a leader doesn’t have a vision for the future, it is usually because they are doing a poor job of leading at the present such that they have no time to think about tomorrow” (Shead, 2010). It is important that this vision be shared. Most leaders fear sharing their visions for the fear of losing credibility if the same are not achieved. An organization in such a scenario will lead in different directions because of lack of guidance. People need to know that a leader has a vision and a plan to achieve that vision.

Communication

A leader who is able to communicate effectively with his subordinates has the greatest management tool ever. It allows for all the other traits to be achieved. Communication gives one a chance to enquire, encourage or learn and gives team members opportunity to raise issues or make suggestions. A leader should be approachable and should thank and praise constantly. He/ she should be able to listen.

Objective

Focused and goal oriented leaders normally achieve a great more than leaders without goals. Having SMART objectives and communicating the same to your team is very important. Empower team members and then delegate responsibilities related to these objectives to them. “An effective leader sets clear objectives for his team members, but leaves detailed implementation of these to the discretion and judgment of individual members of the team.”(Darlington, 2010).

Competent

Leaders need not to be the foremost expert on every area of the organization but they need to demonstrate a level of understanding of the operation s of the organization and know how possible actions of one department affect the others. Competence goes hand in hand with intelligence which requires continuous investment in learning, both formally and informally.

Leading requires much more than the above few examples which I consider very vital for effective leadership. When one has learned to make concrete objectives based on his/her visions for an organization and has the competence to achieve and ability to ensure smooth communication within the team, then good leadership is easy to achieve.

References

Shead, Mark. “Examining the goals of leadership”. Leadership 501.4 Oct 2010. Web. 2 Dec 2010.

Darlington, Roger. “How to be a good leader” . Roger Darlington’s world.3 June 2010. Web. 2 Dec 2010.