Do you see yourself as a leader?
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams
The question on who is a leader comes up almost every time in our conversations in both personal and professional lives.
Some say leaders are born, others say leaders are made.
So, what is leadership and who is a leader?
What is Leadership?
Thebalance.com defines leadership as “the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal”
Who is a leader?
John C Maxwell defines a leader as someone who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way.
John C Maxwell is widely considered to be one of the World’s top leadership thinkers with several books to his name.
Are leaders born or made:
In my opinion, leaders are neither born nor made. However, some people have certain qualities or traits that make it easier for them to excel in a leadership capacity.
According to Brian Tracy, leaders have these seven (7) qualities:
- Vision
- Courage
- Integrity
- Humanity
- Strategic planning
- Focus
- Cooperation
Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 5,000,000 people in 5,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 70 other countries worldwide.
Are these the only traits or qualities of a leader?
From our research and from studying the leadership concept as a whole, we found that, leaders:
- Are Visionary
- Inspire others
- Show a high sense of commitment and passion
- Have high decision-making capabilities
- Are empathetic
- Are truly accountable
- Are creative and innovative
- Courageous
- Are strategic
- Are good communicators
- Place a high value on delegation and empowerment
Do you see yourself as a leader? Which below represents you?
For most people, this question cannot be answered because they see leadership in a restricted space and position – the workplace. But if any of the definition above on leadership and who a leader is anything to go by, then, anyone could be a leader given the situation and turn of events.
In corporate setting, leaders are often seen as those with fancy titles (Chief, Manager, Senior, partners, Vice president Etc.)
There are leaders everywhere; at home, among colleagues, among siblings and among peers.
“The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.”
Ronald Reagan
Knowing if you have traits that move you strongly towards an exceptional case of a leader is the beginning.
Leadership Qualification
- Do you see yourself as a visionary?
Merriam Webster dictionary defines a visionary as someone with a strong vision for the future.
For whatever situation you find yourself, do you see beyond the present? Are you positive about the future? Does having a strong vision for the future drive you to take some drastic decisions to achieve them? IF YES, discover your passion and apply this strong vision to that for a fulfilling career or for Life success
- Do you inspire others?
“A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.”
Rosalynn Carter
Inspiration plays a major role in leadership. Leadership is influence.
A leader uses his/her influence, experience, skills to inspire others to achieve their best.
Do you possess a high sense of passion or commitment
Throughout history, all the account on some of the greats(leaders) have been of one with true passion and commitment for what they believed in.
Do you show passion for your work and your colleagues? Are you commitment to something greater than you?
- Do you have high decision-making capabilities?
Decision making is critical in every facet of our lives. A leader is one who is ready to take that decision that he/she believes will bring the best results and to take full responsibility for it.
- Are you empathetic?
A leader is a towering figure in any situation. He is seen as a father and she is seen as a mother. In situations, he/she must exhibit a great sense of emotional intelligence to know when to apply force
- Are you truly accountable?
Accountable leaders are diligent in setting clear expectations. They lead by example and promote a culture of responsibility within their teams. While being open and honest.
- Practice, Practice, Practice
Be who you want to be not what others want to see
The best way to know what you are capable of is to practice.
“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”
Aristotle, the Nicomachean Ethics
Discover Your Leadership Abilities
One key way of doing that is to take ownership of tasks and see to its delivery. This can be a great learning curve. Leaders are full of influence. Owning a task and becoming responsible for it gives you the opportunity to influence the team or group of people towards the achievement of the task. This stretch of responsibility can expose you to abilities previously unknown to you.
Use our scientific approach or tools to discover your Leadership skills/abilities.
My3D provides such a tool for individuals who want to discover themselves (know their strengths, weaknesses and gaps) and tap into development opportunities to hone their leadership abilities and develop their gap areas.
Join millions of professionals worldwide to use internationally validated assessment tool to discover and develop yourself for LIFE SUCCESS including success in career, Entrepreneurship.
