What makes a good leader? There is no straight forward answer to that. Be it job, sports, or any other field, people often try to determine what makes a good leader, or a bad one for that matter. Is it inbuilt, is it in the genes, or is it the attitude, knowledge, mannerism—what is the prerequisite of a good leader? The Leader leads & the Boss drives.
Nowadays, the leadership roles aren’t reserved for the fifty plus executives.Young professionals are taking up leadership roles like never before. In past decade, the leadership roles and managerial norms have evolved. Young professionals are taking up the challenges of leadership everywhere. While you enter the professional world, having an Ivy League degree, talent & skills, and a great deal of passion is not enough to lead. If your action inspire and influence others to learn more, do more and dream more, then you are a leader. Like any skills, the leadership skills can also be developed by proper leadership development program, provided he/she is willing to learn. Some people might take longer than usual to develop these skills, but it is not unattainable.
A good leader is required to have confidence, effective communication skills, listening capacity, public speaking, handling pressure, interpersonal communication and some such skills. A good trainer will focus on these prerequisite, while helping you in overall development. The training requirement varies from person to person in a leadership skills development program. Some need more focus in enhancing confidence, while other might need to work more on communication skills. A Good trainer will analyze and evaluate the individual profile, make a good ‘action’ plan and then start working towards achieving it.
Incorporating skills and honing confidence is no child’s play, it takes time to develop till it becomes a part of life. A warning of course to wannabe leaders – don’t be a lone wolf leader. Don’t just live for yourself. To be a perfect leader, one needs to handle real world situations in an appropriate manner, while incorporating all the skills one has learnt. The leadership program will take you a step closer to becoming a good leader. Like any other skill, it is important to keep refreshing the learned skills to make it a habit. With a little training anyone can be a good leader and lead from the front.
(This post first appeared in a ProfEd blog)
By Ethan W
