Leadership is not about titles, it is about your attitude and what you do.
Leadership is rare quality. Some people are naturally gifted to be leaders. But most people especially in corporate world acquire leadership through hard work and grit. When you build and develop the right traits, you can improve your leadership abilities.
Leadership is about influencing things positively and making an impact that can translate in something bigger than self interests. It is about doing what it takes to be able to instrument things for well being of others.
Here we look at some of the personality traits that make you a leader, no matter where you are & what position you hold:
1. Doing More than Others:
It sounds very simple, but the primary quality of leadership is about giving. When you give more than others you rise up the leadership ladder. It is about taking responsibility and going out of the way to get things done and helping others.
Leadership is not given to anyone, but people rise to become leaders by their actions and attitude.
2. Authenticity:
Great leaders push themselves and also want their teams to do their best. They are authentic and are driven by the big picture. This authenticity can be seen in their day to day actions. Whether it is the projects they are working on, their communication or interactions with clients, they are honest.
True leaders wield power with the work they do and who they are. They don’t show off or mislead people. They do what they say and never say anything they don’t mean.
3. Inspire Others:
If you inspire others to raise their standards and game, you are a leader. The best leaders always inspire their co-workers, team mates and associates to be their best.
You can never succeed by running away from responsibility, shirking work, and indulging in politics. You can only rise higher in life by doing great things, raising your standard, and constantly pushing yourself to do better.
They have the best interest in their hearts for all, make meaningful difference and inspire others to be great too.
4. Growth Mindset:
The challenges of tomorrow cannot be solved with the skills of yesterday.
Change is the name of the game. Anyone who detests change inhibits his own progress. When you are a leader or aspire to be one, you need to embrace the change. You need to proactively change and steer things in a better direction all the time.
Leadership is about acquiring a growth mindset, where you constantly strive to get better & make others better too.
5. Inner Drive:
Leaders are driven by what they want to achieve. They are disciplined, because they are motivated by what they are doing.
In Dan Pink’s book, Drive, he argues that “purpose” & “mastery” are two things that humans find most motivating. It is about finding meaning in what we do and getting really good at it.
By sheer involvement and mastery of your work, you can not only gain expertise but also improve your leadership capabilities.
6. Problem Solvers:
You can either be a complainer or a problem solver. The problem solvers are constantly looking for solutions, others are busy complaining. People who solve tough problems and provide valuable solutions are always in demand.
Leaders need to deal with pressure situations every day and they are need to constantly look for creative ways to find solutions. When you find solutions and help everyone win, you are a leader.
7. Humility:
Humility is acknowledging that you don’t know everything. Despite whatever expertise you have in your field, nothing is ever constant. Things change fast and the only way to keep pace is by being humble. Leaders are humble; they know that they don’t everything.
It is by constantly looking for better ways of doing things, learning from those who are more accomplished and being open minded to accept the right inputs. Humility is a great virtue that leads people to improve themselves and rise up the echelons of leadership.
8. Impact:
Does your work create impact? This is a really hard question to answer, but leaders ask this question with everything they do. Yes, doing things that create an impact and makes a meaningful difference matters a lot.
The time you spend doing things will have little significance, if it doesn’t make an impact. Leaders do meaningful work, create positive impact and attract success.
Conclusion:
Leaders influence things positively. They care deeply about what they are doing, contribute and do their best to help everyone. They live up to higher standards, put their hand up in tough situations and make things better. Leaders give more than they receive and are ready to sacrifice their interests for larger good of those around them.
