Leadership skills. Key Leadership Qualities: What a True Leader Should Be

14.10.2019

The concept of leadership is widespread in sociology, political science, psychology and a number of other sciences about man and society. Throughout the 20th century, its study and development has been the focus of attention of many foreign scientists, while in domestic psychological and pedagogical science there has always been some instability of researchers' interest in this issue. Domestic researchers began to analyze the concept of "leadership" only from the late 60s - early 70s of the last century. Until that time, approximately from the mid-1930s, the problem of leadership in Russian science, as well as other aspects of social psychology, was closed for ideological reasons (the growth of totalitarianism in the country, the gradual Stalinization of society).

Basically, scientists were interested in preschool and school age (V. F. Anufrieva, N. S. Zherebova, R. L. Krichevsky, T. N. Malkovskaya, B. D. Parygin, L. I. Umansky and others). The issue of adolescent leadership has not been raised in Russian science for a long time, despite the large number of psychological and pedagogical studies of children's leadership (the end of the 60s of the XX century).

The problem of leadership turned out to be closely related to the solution of the problem of self-realization of the individual, considered as a process and result of the creation by the subject of his own life activity in specific socio-historical conditions (E.I. Golovakha, A.A. Kronik, L.G. Bryleva, V.P. Lavrentiev, G.E. Minsker and others). Quite interesting are modern acmeological studies (A.A. Bodalev, A.A. Derkach, E.A. Klimov, N.V. Kuzmina, S.E. skills and creativity that determine the leadership status of an individual and a professional.

The very concept of leadership is multifaceted and is considered by researchers from different positions. In the English-language literature, this phenomenon is considered as a concentration of group processes, a form of persuasion, a characteristic of the personality and the effects generated by it, an attitude towards power, a form of group differentiation, and others.

R. Likert believed that leadership is a relative process, and the leader must take into account the expectations, values, interpersonal skills of subordinates. The leader must let subordinates know that the organizational process is for their benefit, as it provides them with the freedom to make responsible and proactive decision-making.

V.E. Hawking suggested that leadership is a group function that is transferred to the leader only when the group is willing to follow the program put forward by him.

In his works, T.O. Jacobs formulated his version of the exchange of leadership theory: the group provides the leader with status and respect in exchange for his unusual ability to achieve the goal.

All these definitions show how close the connection between the leader and the group in which he exists is, that his activity directly depends on the needs and aspirations of this group.

Among domestic researchers, some interpretations of leadership can also be distinguished. For example, G. M. Andreeva emphasizes that leadership is a psychological characteristic of the behavior of certain group members.

M. G. Yaroshevsky connects the concepts of leadership and leadership, saying that leadership can be considered as officially sanctioned leadership.

B. D. Parygin adheres to an approach to the study of leadership, which is based on the relationship of this phenomenon with the interaction of group members, says that the leader is mainly called upon to regulate interpersonal relations in the group, and leadership itself is a spontaneously emerging process, a socio-psychological phenomenon , providing an increase in the effectiveness of formal leadership in a small group.

Leadership as one of the processes of organizing and managing a small group, satisfying the need for group activities, contributing to the achievement of group goals in optimal timing and with an optimal result, ultimately determined by its content by the dominant in a given society social relations. So in her research, N. S. Zherebova considers this phenomenon.

A. S. Zaluzhny sees leadership as a personal ability to lead, dominate one person, subjugate others to himself in specific conditions. He connects the phenomenon of leadership with the solution of problems and with the organization of any activity that is important for the group.

Krichevsky, in his works, considers leadership as a means of coordinating, organizing relations between group members, a means of managing them.

According to A. L. Umansky, leadership is the result of the interaction of members of a small group in a specific time period, which is influenced both by the presence of certain qualities or their combination among its members, and their manifestation in a particular situation, as well as the mutual influence of existing qualities in a given situation. In our study, we adhere to this point of view, which does not beg the importance of other members of the group, as well as the features of specific situations and conditions, but speaks of how important personal qualities are for a true leader.

The interpretation adopted in domestic social psychology is very specific, but it affects many aspects of this phenomenon and looks like this: leadership is a predominantly psychological phenomenon in nature, spontaneously arising and unfolding in the system of informal (informal) relations between people and at the same time acting as a means of organizing relations of this type, managing them. The basis of leadership (primarily in a small group) is the process of interpersonal influence that unfolds between the leader (the most active, influential member of the group) and followers (the rest of the group, or followers), in which the leader acts as the initiating group action.

According to the above concepts, it becomes clear that leadership is a phenomenon of group leadership, capable of directing a group, while taking into account the characteristics of all its members. Regarding the person who is the subject of leadership, there are also different points of view, which resulted in specific formulations.

A leader is a representative of a small group who is nominated as a result of the interaction of its members, or organizes a group around him in accordance with his norms and value orientations with group ones, and contributes to the organization and management of this group in achieving group goals, such is the point of view of N.S. Zherebovoy.

V. I. Zatsepin believes that a leader is a leader, a person who consciously and actively leads others to achieve a specific goal.

We, in our study, adhere to the point of view of A. L. Umansky, who writes that a leader is a person who receives certain inclinations from birth, but this does not mean at all that he will necessarily become a leader. To do this, he must master certain cultural values and be at a certain information level, be able to realize his opportunities.

All studied in the study of leadership in general adhere to one of the existing various concepts: the theory of accepting roles (R. Bales, F. Sletter, etc.), system theory (G. Homans, etc.), situational theory (R. Stogdil, F. Fiedler, E. Fromm, A. Porter, M. Gregor, etc.), trait theory (M. Weber E. Bogardus, G. Opport, etc.), behavioral theory (P. Hersey, C. Blanchard , and etc.).

The most widespread and studied are three approaches to the study of the phenomenon of leadership: personality traits, behavioral and situational.

Early leadership research aimed to identify the properties or personality characteristics of effective leaders. The study of leadership from the standpoint of personality traits began with the study of the psychologist and anthropologist F. Galton, who put forward the idea of heredity in the nature of leadership. He believed that the leader has such qualities that distinguish him from others, which are inherited and which can be distinguished. According to this theory, the best of leaders have a certain set of personality traits that are common to all. Developing this idea, it can be argued that if these qualities could be identified, people could learn to nurture them in themselves and thereby become effective leaders. Some of these studied traits highlighted by F. Galton are the level of intelligence and knowledge, impressive appearance, honesty, common sense, initiative, social and economic Education and a high degree of self-confidence.

Proponents of this theory (L.L. Bernard, V.V. Bingham, O. Tad, S.E. Kilbourne, etc.) believed that certain psychological qualities and properties (“features”) make a person a leader. The leader was viewed through the prism of a number of factors. First, "abilities" - mental, verbal, etc. Secondly, "achievements" - education and sports. Thirdly, "responsibility" - dependence, initiative, perseverance, desire, etc. Fourthly, "participation" - activity, cooperation, etc. Fifth, "status" - socio-economic status, popularity. Finally, sixthly, the "situational traits" of the personality.

The most interesting result was obtained by the famous American consultant Warren Bennis, who studied 90 successful leaders and identified the following four groups of leadership qualities:

1) control of attention, or the ability to present the essence of the result or outcome, goal or direction of movement (action) in such a way that it is attractive to followers;

2) management of meaning, or the ability to convey the meaning of the created image, idea or vision in such a way that they are understood and accepted by followers;

3) management of trust, or the ability to build one's activities with such constancy and consistency as to gain the full confidence of subordinates;

4) self-management, or the ability to know and recognize one's strengths and weaknesses so well and in time, in order to skillfully attract other resources, including the resources of other people, to strengthen one's weaknesses.

It was not possible to compile an exact list of traits that would be present in the characters of all the leaders studied. For the first time, a list of 79 traits referred to by various researchers as "leadership" was compiled by the American psychologist C. Baird in 1940. However, none of the features of this list has taken a firm place in different lists. For example, only 5% of traits were named in them four times, 4% - three times, 26% - twice, 65% - once.

However, it cannot be said that this theory is unfounded. The scientists concluded that the purity of the results was influenced by the personality of the study, his personal preferences in choosing traits as leadership. The approach to leadership as a kind of personal quality or a set of traits and skills, often criticized by academic psychologists, is very popular today among domestic and foreign practitioners who deal with the selection, certification and training of managerial personnel.

One of the most important researchers on this issue is Ralph Melvin Stogdill, who in 1948 made a comprehensive review of research in the field of leadership, where he noted that the study of personal qualities continues to give conflicting results. He found that leaders tended to be distinguished by intelligence, desire for knowledge, reliability, responsibility, activity, social participation, and socioeconomic status. However, he also revealed that in different situations, different personality traits came to the fore.

The trait theory has been replaced by a behavioral approach to leadership, according to which effectiveness is determined not by the personal qualities of the leader, but rather by his manner of behavior towards subordinates. This approach to the study of leadership focused on the behavior of the leader.

Thanks to the researchers who adhere to this approach, the basis for the classification of leadership styles was laid. Leadership style is a set of characteristic techniques and methods used by the leader in the management process. It reflects: the degree of delegation of authority by the head to his subordinates, the type of power used, methods of working with the external environment, ways of influencing staff and the usual manner of behavior of the head in relation to subordinates.

This approach distinguishes between two types of possible leader behavior: work-oriented behavior and person-oriented behavior.

Relationship-oriented behavior includes respect for the needs of employees, concern for the development of personnel, while behavior focused on the fulfillment of production tasks at any cost has its own feature of ignoring the needs and interests of subordinates and underestimating the need for personnel development.

Without downplaying the contribution of research using this approach, many scientists say that there is no optimal leadership style, while this approach assumes just that. The effectiveness of a style depends on the nature of the particular situation, and when the situation changes, so does the appropriate style.

Whereas the personality and behavioral approaches focus on specific components of leadership, the situational approach highlights the fact that situational factors play a critical role in effective leadership, without dismissing the importance of personality and behavioral characteristics.

It is believed that the effectiveness of leadership is situational in nature and depends on the preferences, personal qualities of subordinates, the degree of their faith in their own strength and the ability to influence the situation. Leadership is also determined by the personality traits of the leader himself, his intellectual, personal, business and professional qualities.

The results of more recent research indicate that, just as different situations require different organizational structures, so should various ways guidance - depending on the nature of the particular situation. A true leader must be able to behave differently depending on the specific situation.

In our study, we adhere to a systematic approach, saying that its various components are important for leadership: the behavior of a leader, interaction with group members, specific features of situations, but each person has certain personal qualities that, with proper development, can make any person real leader. R. Stogdill said: "a person does not become a leader only due to the fact that he has a certain set of personal properties." We agree with his words, while realizing that this set of personal properties and qualities is important for becoming a real leader. And it is precisely on the development of these qualities that we can influence.

R. Stogdill concludes that "the structure of the leader's personal qualities should be correlated with the personal qualities, activities and tasks of his subordinates." Therefore, it is important to educate a person who can influence others, taking into account their interests.

Various authors have tried to highlight these traits or characteristics necessary for a leader. Thus, the French sociologist, one of the founders of social psychology, Gabriel Tarde, believed that leaders are characterized by a combination of such qualities as creative talent and nonconformism.

From the same positions, the personality of the leader (leader) was characterized by his compatriot Gustav Lebon, noting in it, however, a different set of features: firm conviction (“the convinced participate in those hidden forces that govern the world”), fanaticism (“fanatics and those suffering from hallucinations do history"), obsession with ideas ("ideas, and therefore the people who embody and distribute them, rule the world"), blind faith that "moves mountains". Mind, intellect, according to Lebon, are not the qualities of a leader, since "the thinker sees too clearly the complexity of problems so that he can ever have very deep convictions, and too few political goals seem to him worthy of his efforts." In his opinion, only "fanatics with a limited mind, but with an energetic character and with strong passions, can found religions, empires and raise the masses."

Ralph Stogdill in 1948 and Richard Mann in 1959 tried to generalize and group all previously identified leadership skills. So, Stogdill came to the conclusion that basically five qualities characterize a leader: 1) mind or intellectual abilities; 2) dominance or dominance over others; 3) self-confidence; 4) activity and energy; 5) knowledge of the matter. . Later, R. Stogdill added vigilance, popularity, eloquence to them.

After analyzing the literature on the chosen research topic, we identified a number of leadership qualities that, in our opinion, can be considered leadership qualities and the development of which will be directed by the developed program.

The qualities chosen were: social activity, self-esteem and self-confidence, intelligence, as well as communicative and organizational inclinations.

The concept of social activity is a special case of the concept of activity, which is used in many fields of knowledge. According to some authors, social activity is the highest form of human activity, which manifests itself as the ability to act consciously, not only adapting to external environment, but also purposefully changing it.

Domestic scientists (L.P. Bueva, O.I. Ivanov, JI.H. Kogan, V.G. Mordkovich and others) define social activity as a quality of a person that contributes to the transformation of the environment and the individual himself. The social activity of the individual as a dynamic quality of the individual, contributing to the implementation of the social orientation of the individual and its readiness to manifest itself in various aspects of life, including cultural and leisure activities, is presented in her dissertation by Leonova E.I.

A detailed and realizing the main meaning of social activity is the definition given by V. Z. Kogan, and we take it as the main one. Social activity is a conscious and purposeful activity of a person and its holistic socio-psychological quality, which, being interdependent, determine and characterize the degree or measure of the subject's personal impact on the object, processes and phenomena of the surrounding reality. He highlights the importance of activity in the development of personality and says that it is a real manifestation of human social activity.

Complementing his opinion, N. P. Fetiskin identifies motivators of the socio-psychological activity of the individual, noting that young people's knowledge of their basic needs is the starting point of self-motivation, personal management, and, accordingly, a significant plus for building their own life path, career.

The next personality trait is intelligence. AT explanatory dictionary S. I. Ozhegova gives the following definition - intellect (mind) - the mental ability, the mental beginning in a person.

According to academician N.N. Moiseev, intelligence is, first of all, goal setting, resource planning and building a strategy to achieve the goal. Stern V. also believed that the intellect is a certain general ability to adapt to new living conditions.

In our work, we adhere to the opinion of Eysenck, who speaks of the intelligence quotient (IQ points) - an indicator of a person's ability to learn something new. This is the degree to which a person can observe and understand what is happening.

Intelligence includes several components. Curiosity - the desire to diversify to know this or that phenomenon in significant respects. This quality of the mind underlies active cognitive activity. The depth of the mind lies in the ability to separate the main from the secondary, the necessary from the accidental. Flexibility and mobility of the mind - the ability of a person to widely use existing experience, quickly explore objects in new connections and relationships, and overcome stereotyped thinking. The logical thinking is characterized by a strict sequence of reasoning, taking into account all the essential aspects in the object under study, all its possible relationships. Conclusiveness of thinking is characterized by the ability to use at the right time such facts, patterns that convince one of the correctness of judgments and conclusions. Critical thinking implies the ability to strictly evaluate the results of mental activity, to subject them to critical evaluation, to reject the wrong decision, to abandon the actions initiated if they contradict the requirements of the task. Breadth of thinking - the ability to cover the issue as a whole, without losing sight of the initial data of the corresponding task, to see the multivariance in solving the problem.

The next, no less important quality of a person is self-esteem.

Domestic psychologists, considering self-esteem, first of all emphasize the importance of human activity. According to A.N. Leontiev, self-esteem is one of the essential conditions, thanks to which an individual becomes a personality. It acts as a motive for the individual and encourages him to meet the level of expectations and requirements of others and the level of his own claims.

Borisnev S.V. considers self-esteem as a property of a person to evaluate himself, his social status and communicative role in a particular situation. We adhere to the point of view of A.I. among other people. Relationships of a person with others, his criticality, exactingness towards himself, his attitude to successes and failures depend on self-esteem. Thus, self-esteem affects the effectiveness of human activity and further development his personality.

V.V. Sinyavsky and V.A. Fedoroshin talk about such personality traits as communicative and organizational inclinations, directing their diagnostic material to study them.

Communication abilities are individual psychological characteristics of a person that ensure effective interaction and adequate mutual understanding between people in the process of communication or performing joint activities. They allow you to successfully make contact with other people, carry out communicative, organizational and other activities, as well as determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of information exchange, perception and understanding of another person, and development of an interaction strategy.

L.I. Umansky divides organizational skills into three groups: organizational flair, the ability to exert emotional and volitional influence, and a tendency to organizational activity. L.I. Umansky highlights the ability of a leader to independently engage in organizational activities, boldly take on the functions of an organizer and responsibility for the work of other people in difficult and unfavorable conditions, the need to carry out organizational activities and the constant willingness to take on it, receiving positive emotions from its implementation and boredom, if it is not study.

It was this set of personality traits that was diagnosed in the course of our ascertaining experiment as leadership. Those qualities that, under all other objective and subjective conditions, allow a person to become a leader, a real leader of the group in which he exists.

Leader- this is a person who is moving towards his goal, and is able to lead other people along with him. A leader is not born, but made, and you can become one. To do this, you should know what qualities of a leader distinguish him from the rest.

Leader Qualities

1. Having a goal and a vision of the result

The goal is driving force leader, this is the meaning of his existence.

She is his God, a beacon in the impenetrable night, and nothing excites the leader more than achieving the goal.

What the leader does is also important. But the way to achieve the goal, the business that the leader is busy with, does not concern him as much as the vision of the final result.

There are two fundamental attitudes in the head of a leader: for what and with whom.

Leaders know where they are going and how they are going to get there.

2. Self-motivation

25. Maturity

Contrary to popular belief, age is not a measure of maturity.

Young leaders are able to act like seasoned professionals, and many older people can act like teenagers.

Maturity is based on actions that correspond to the behavior of a mature person, which is especially evident in difficult situations.

In addition, your self-confidence and your ability to move forward without excuses is one of the most important indicators maturity.

26. An example for others

Actions mean more than words. People will definitely notice if you are selfless and make every effort to grow your business.

But if you're lazy and don't care how things are, your team will follow suit.

Great leaders always lead by example.

27. Ability to build relationships

It's all about who you know. Leaders need not be reminded that there is much truth in this statement.

You need to understand the value of building long-term relationships in your industry with other people and bet on mutually beneficial partnerships.

Building a collaborative network of valuable people is critical to your long-term success.

28. Social skills

Most often, the leader is charismatic, sociable, friendly and open.

He speaks to people in a calm, respectful and attractive manner.

Just as employees want to work with people they like, so too do customers prefer to shop with people they like.

Therefore, you need to become one of those people if you want to.

29. Public communication skill

Leaders should not have any problem with public speaking.

Situations in which public communication occurs can range from simply speaking at a meeting to pitching a new idea to an audience full of people.

Communication skill not only allows you to effectively convey information to the audience, but also increases your authority as a leader.

30. Honesty and openness

Every year the world becomes more transparent, and there are fewer secrets in it, which is why honesty is the best policy.

People respect those who are able to honestly share information with others and respond calmly to good and bad news.

This is the only way to act according to the situation and timely adjust the plan for moving forward.

31. Ability to listen

To give your team members feedback, support and attention, you need to make every effort to listen when they share information.

Leaders listen first and then speak.

Listening is more than silence, because you also need to ask the right questions.

32. Devotion

Leaders stay true to their values and relentlessly move towards their goals, despite external pressures that try to change them or make them conform to the usual framework.

Every success story you've heard likely has reverse side: long hours of exhausting work and many unsuccessful attempts.

But a leader cannot be stopped just like that, because he has the loyalty to his word, dedication to the cause and long-term focus on his goal.

33. Empathy and compassion

While focusing on your goals, you should also pay attention to the needs and feelings of others.

Goals are achieved not at the expense of other people, but with their help.

After all, the law of the market is: Identify a need and fill it. Everything you do, you do for the end user.

You need to know not only the degree of your influence on people, but also what you need to do to show understanding and empathy towards others.

34. Ability to stand up to others

Most people try to avoid confrontation for fear of controversial issues. But leaders know how to offer an honest and mutually beneficial way to solve a problem.

Problem solving on initial stage its occurrence will save a large number of time, not to mention a headache, compared to a situation where it remains unresolved.

35. Delegation of rights and obligations

As a leader, you should encourage other people by empowering them to make right decisions.

Delegation of authority is not only about giving your team the freedom to make their own choices, but also about giving everyone necessary tools, to decision was efficient and productive.

36. Negotiation skills

Leaders know how to get what they want and can be very persuasive about it.

To achieve the desired result, they satisfy the needs of others by building trusting relationships.

In resolving disputes over big deals leaders are practical, fair, and firm in the negotiation process.

37. Clarity

Leaders are able to communicate their thoughts clearly in a way that can be easily understood, after which they are convinced that there are no misunderstandings.

This ensures that projects and tasks that are delegated to other people will be completed without errors.

38. Ability to teach others

Leaders must share the methodology and processes that form the basis of their projects with their team members.

If your managers are poorly trained, your employees will have the same low level which will negatively affect the final result.

The best way to understand something new is to teach it to others.

39. Interest in Feedback

Leaders not only have the quality to impart knowledge, but they themselves value learning and have a willingness to ask for advice.

They are open to feedback and are able to take criticism positively so they can use it to make necessary adjustments that can benefit their path to success.

40. Trust in your team

This quality of leadership can be questioned, but the credibility of your team depends largely on the people you hire, their propensity to learn, and the work you delegate to them.

It's important for you to trust your team to get the results you want without having to manage every element of your projects.

41. Ability to inspire

It's hard to love all the parts of your job, no matter what you do.

But leaders inspire their team members by letting them know that their work has a huge impact on everything around them, because their work is a way to touch something great.

What do you know… Nike is not a sneaker, but a triumph athletics. Apple does not create electronic devices, but changes the world.

The leader is able to direct others to do what he needs because other people want to do it.

42. Turning Goal into Reality

Not only do leaders have their own goals and their own vision. They have the ability to turn goals into a working strategy that will be adopted by others and eventually implemented.

43. Take the best from others

By understanding what people really want, you can help them perform better by giving them the proper incentive to do their job, and not just by providing material benefits.

To get the best from others, a leader must understand their own motives as well as that of their team, and be positive, generous, and open-minded.

It is important for you to find out what your environment wants for themselves: fame, money, recognition? Develop by developing your people.

As Antoine de Saint-Exupéry wrote: “If you want to build a ship, don’t encourage people to gather wood, divide labor and give orders, instead, first teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”

44. Reward

A person tends to expect recognition from the people they stick to, so it's important to reward your team members for their contributions, especially when their results stand out from the rest.

Cash reward is always appropriate, but a well-thought-out system of various titles and qualifications, personal awards may be less effective.

45. Ability to act according to circumstances

One of the qualities of a leader is the ability to carefully and quickly evaluate a situation or a person.

Being decisive does not mean making a quick decision, it means making the right decisions at the right time.

In doing so, don't let your determination alienate team members from the process.

46. Conduct effective meetings

Unfortunately, most meetings are never as productive as they are supposed to be.

If you are an entrepreneur, you usually have to interact with people you like, which can be distracting from your workflow.

Effective leadership is the most efficient use of the time allotted for a meeting.

Start with an agenda, eliminate distractions, set start and end times for the meeting.

Encourage everyone to accept active participation in the discussion, remind them of the importance of taking notes, and track the effectiveness of the meeting after it ends.

47. Respect for others

When you show respect for other people, it's much easier to build trusting, mutually beneficial relationships.

You must keep your promises, stop gossiping, believe in the ideas of your team members, stand up for them when necessary, and thus truly care for the general well-being.

48. Coaching key people

You should definitely build on the success of your key team members and help them grow within your organization.

In order for you to successfully lead all more people, promote the most significant employees, which will undoubtedly be facilitated by various seminars and trainings.

49. Justice

The ability to fairly assess people and events is important, since this quality allows you to adequately assess the situation and be attractive to the environment.

Without taking fairness into account, you will notice how the progress of the project will slow down, and the churn of your team members will exceed the number of new people.

Leaders who are honest and fair to their environment receive loyalty and respect in return.

50. Swiftness

Competitors do not rest on their laurels. There is always someone who will breathe down your back.

Leaders understand that in most cases we are talking about superiority in any area, so they value perseverance and speed of action.

51. Decisiveness

Decisiveness involves having a confident and effective mindset that allows you to make quick decisions and take swift action.

To take optimal solutions, evaluate each option carefully and carefully, and don't let indecision paralyze you.

52. Leaders are not afraid to make mistakes.

Often one of the greatest opportunities in life is hidden behind defeat.

In terms of learning, failure is far more rewarding than success. In fact, failure is another step towards success.

Leaders understand that they must operate in an environment of uncertainty and risk, which are an integral part of any business.

Michael Jordan said: “I missed over nine thousand shots in my career. Lost in 300 matches. Twenty-six times I've been trusted with the decisive shot and missed. I failed again and again. That is why I have been successful.”

53. Flexibility

The business world is rapidly changing, and pauses in change are not expected.

An important quality of a leader is the ability to recognize these changes and make appropriate adjustments in the direction of the business and the management of the organization.

It is surprising how many businessmen and managers refuse to make changes to their projects when there is an obvious need for it. The effect of “established mentality” is triggered.

Top managers who refuse to learn and adapt to new conditions will eventually be left behind.

To be an effective leader, your mind must be open to everything new.

54. Perseverance

Leaders know firsthand about the difficulties on the path to success, because they had to face adversity and problems face to face.

If the situation becomes difficult, leaders move towards their goal with special strength and determination.

When most people give up and get left behind, leaders step forward through adversity.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "A man's ultimate measure is not where he is in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he is in times of challenge and controversy."

55. Resourceful

Thanks to this quality, leaders can find a creative solution to a problem.

Being resourceful, you evaluate the resources at your disposal and adapt by applying new approach sometimes breaking the rules, and never afraid to ask if you're missing something.

56. Making good decisions

When you make the right decisions, you build trust on the part of your team, allowing you to make future choices faster.

Making the right decisions involves analyzing possible alternatives and carefully examining each option.

Once you've made a decision, make a plan and be sure to learn from your own and others' mistakes.

57. Strategic thinking

To think two steps ahead, you need to engage strategic thinking using analysis. options, your experience and previous decisions.

When you are considering taking long-term action, you need to plan ahead and then start the process while assessing the situation as a whole.

The leader knows how to influence events, and also creates them himself, instead of waiting for some event to happen.

58. Managing Uncertainty

After making any mistake, you usually have two options: to refuse to proceed or to find a better way.

Leaders know when it's time to push and when to quit. They establish control over uncertainty by making thoughtful decisions.

59. Organization

You'd better not go out to sea with your ship unless you know where the sail is. Similarly, you will not be able to manage your business if you are not organized.

Leaders know how to keep their affairs in order, because this is the only way to be truly effective.

60. Creativity

Contrary to popular belief, creativity is not innate quality leader. This skill can be developed.

Absorb new knowledge and acquire new abilities, be open and constantly ask new questions.

Often the basis for creativity is not the creation of something fundamentally new, but the combination of already known elements in a unique way.

61. Intuition

If logical thinking is akin to mathematics, then intuition is rather an art.

Leaders often listen to their intuition.

In some situations, it can be difficult not to use logic, but the risk and uncertainty in business sometimes make it mandatory to use intuition.

Stop blindly believing everyone around you and learn to trust yourself.

62. Gaining new experience

To be ready for the unexpected, leaders actively build experiences that enable them to learn and grow.

Set more ambitious goals, challenge yourself to become better, while enjoying new experiences.

63. Reading and education

Read everything related to your industry.

Leaders know that education does not end with graduation.

To stay on trend, you need to be aware of both time-tested and new information.

64. Interest

Leaders often have an insatiable desire to learn, to push themselves beyond their own limits, and to explore what other people have not touched.

Expanding your horizons can be as simple as reading a book. To do this, you just need to ask yourself the question “Why?” more often. and enjoy the journey into the unknown.

65. Professionalism

Professionalism implies the presence and continuous improvement of the skills necessary for the development of the project, as well as serious attitude to your business.

The professional does what he has to do, and the amateur waits for inspiration.

66. Focus

Life is full of distractions, but a leader knows how to stay on track and stay focused on his goal.

It is important to be able to purposefully allocate your time and eliminate non-essential work.

Max Lucado said: “A man who wants to lead an orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.”

67. Improve life around you

Leaders are focused on a brighter future, so they want to share their success with those around them: business partners and customers, family and friends, employees and their families, and so on.

Leaders show generosity and gratitude by giving positive influence on the lives of the people around.

Improving other people's lives also means helping them become better people.

Help others grow by helping them reach their potential, both professionally and personally.

Remember to be an example by letting people learn from your experience.

68. Helping others to succeed

You get more satisfaction from the ability to give than from the ability to receive.

Leaders take pride in helping other people succeed.

69.

Like a professional athlete, leaders strive to improve every day.

They know that there are always opportunities to develop themselves and their team.

Leaders are very interested in knowing what they are capable of and how far they can get.

70. Persistence

Perseverance means the ability to maintain enthusiasm and faith in what you love without giving in to failure for an indefinite amount of time.

Without perseverance, perseverance and discipline, it is unlikely that impressive results will be achieved.

Not giving up for an extended period of time is the quality of a winner.

71. Independence

Undoubtedly, the leader knows how to cooperate with other people.

But he is deeply convinced that with or without some person, the leader will still achieve his goal.

72. Patience

The desired results will not occur overnight.

Leaders don't give up when faced with obstacles, they work hard, but they also know how to enjoy their life's journey.

73. Energy

Leaders are not only highly energized, but they also know how to use their time effectively.

To energize, you need to stay healthy and active, as well as passionate and positive about your work.

A leader is a person of any group, organization, team, who has a recognized authority and has influence, which manifests itself in the form of control actions. It is in every group or community of people. The qualities of a leader are not only innate, they can also be formed and developed, and this is what we will consider in our article below.

Key Leadership Traits

Society changes, leaders change. Each of the human collectives requires special qualities from the leader. Some character traits are needed by the captain football team, others - to the captain of the ship. But you can also find general leadership qualities. Such character traits that are in demand in our society are:

honesty;
openness to new knowledge and willingness to change;
imagination;
self-confidence;
sense of humor;
enthusiasm;
rationality and rigidity;
readiness for change;
the ability to see and hold the target;
the ability to quickly find the necessary means to achieve the goal;
interesting appearance and charisma.

Leadership development is daily labor, and it will require all your strength.

What does a leader look like

Who is the leader on the outside? Look - successful man always noticeable. If there firm decision develop leadership qualities, work on your appearance. Charisma is a collection external characteristics person as a leader, attracting people. You must have:

good stylish clothes;
neat hairstyle and well-groomed appearance;
clean shoes;
stylish accessories - briefcase, watch, diary, gadgets.

Decide what kind of leader you are or what you want to become

formal and informal. This is a familiar situation - the formal leader is the official head of the company, but the tone in it is set by the informal one;
a leader - an inspirer who generates ideas and organizes a group around it or a lead performer who knows how to best accomplish a task;
business - organizer and inspirer production process who know how to properly distribute work tasks;
emotional - the heart of the group, causing sympathy and trust;
situational - manifesting itself at a critical moment and taking the lead in solving a specific problem;
a universal leader who combines all these qualities.

Try to become one of these leaders, use your innate features. Decide what you do best - organize work, generate ideas, or masterfully conduct business meetings. Become perfect in this and climb one more step up on the way to the goal.

Leadership qualities, such as the ability to motivate people, allow group members to reach their full potential, pushing them to do more than they could before. Its energy allows you to unlock the hidden resources of the rest - the personal properties of a person, the hidden capabilities of a group or company. A leader is a beacon that marks the way for others to follow voluntarily.

What needs to be done to develop leadership skills

What qualities should a leader have in order to lead others?

The leader is the one who can identify and keep in mind the ultimate goal, retains the ability to lead the group to it even under the most adverse conditions, infects others with her faith, energy and passion to achieve it.

Whether a person is born like this or the necessary leadership qualities develop in the process of life is a question open to discussion. But their formation with purposeful work and perseverance is possible. This is a constant work, work on oneself of a person who is ready to be responsible for others.

Vision of purpose

Determine the goal, clearly know where to go and what you want to get at the end of the path. Be able to build a strategy to achieve the desired goal. To develop such a trait in yourself, you need to study the biographies of historical leaders and successful people of our time, get acquainted with the classic literature on business building strategy, watch those who have these qualities.

Plan your every day, analyze the effectiveness and correctness of actions in the evening. Gradually lengthen the planning period.

Ability to make quick and accurate decisions

Do not be afraid to make difficult and responsible decisions. To learn how to make decisions, start where the mistake will not be critical and will not violate self-confidence. Even if it's wrong, it's a great opportunity to learn a lesson about how not to do it. Learn to defend your point of view with confidence in the correctness of decisions.

Ability to take risks

Do not be afraid to act in undefined situations, be prepared for the fact that a good result may not be achievable. Be adventurous and ready to take risks. To properly evaluate a decision, learn to weigh the situation, clearly identifying the pros and cons of all possible scenarios on a five-point scale.

Then you should evaluate the options, realizing that all solutions are imperfect and you can lose. But every mistake is always an opportunity to learn something new.

Ability to inspire team members

The leader is able to create a team with which it is much easier to achieve the goal. It unites people to achieve it, is able to motivate them to work at a level that was previously unattainable for them.

To learn this quality, learn to manipulate people, study the motives that move them. To do this, learn to listen to the person. Listening and hearing are two different things. When talking, you need to fully concentrate on the interlocutor, let's understand that you are listening to him: with gestures, a smile, nods. If necessary, write it down. Learn how to initiate discussions among team members, critically evaluate all points of view and extract a healthy grain from them. Such attention to everyone will unite the team.

Active work on yourself

Be honest with yourself and others in assessing the negative and positive aspects of yourself, get ready to change if necessary, because there is no limit to perfection.

Learn consistency, know how to restrain fits of rage and outbursts of hysterics - this sets an example for team members. Be prepared for criticism. To do this, do not be afraid to ask about what to improve in your leadership style, keep a diary - this helps to critically evaluate your actions. Provide feedback to team members to help correct behavior.

Don't try to please everyone

Remember that there are no ideas that suit everyone. Don't try to be liked. Leadership development is about not being afraid of constructive criticism and being afraid of unfair praise - it slows down progress. You should learn to find the positive side of events.

Improve your health

Working on yourself is hard work. Excellent physical shape and health are also leadership qualities. To stand out in the crowd:

devote at least an hour a day to exercise and sports. Daily physical activity must become a need;
get enough sleep - a person who sleeps for four hours a day loses clarity of thought, speed of reaction. Compliance with the regime of the day with the obligatory full sleep will allow you to maintain an attractive appearance;
eat regularly - a haggard appearance, bags under the eyes do not adorn the leader;
consult a nutritionist and choose the right diet for yourself. This will ensure high performance;
obligatory day off, min once a week should become the norm.

Violation of the diet and diet will instantly affect appearance and health. The syndrome of constant fatigue is a daily companion of violators of these rules.

How to speak, move and listen

Appearance is only a component of the characteristics of a leader. Developing true leadership skills complement:

good manners;
clear, literate speech;
restrained gestures;
good posture and ability to move;
confidence.

Learn proper manners - there is a large amount of business literature of this kind published. Watch the leaders, their demeanor. You also need to learn how to speak correctly. For this:

To learn how to move well, sign up for a dance school. This will help to match physical activity, emotional relaxation and learning the right movements. Communication in a new team for oneself is the development of communication skills as leadership qualities.

There are people who are born leaders, but do not realize their potential. But there are those who are able to become them, having developed the necessary leadership qualities in themselves. Nurturing a leader is hard work. But without it, it is impossible to talk about achieving success in life.

Many people for some reason think that the ability to be a leader is given to a person from birth, but in fact it is not. Leaders are those people who have developed the set of qualities necessary to be what many follow. If desired, each person will be able to develop leadership qualities. If you also aspire to become a leader, this article will help you. Consider 15 tips for developing leadership skills.

1. A true leader is able to control himself, so he does not let his emotions dictate what to do. If you want to develop leadership qualities, then first of all, engage in self-control. It will be difficult only at first, and then the ability to control your emotions will become a habit and become the same natural action like breathing.

2. An equally important quality for a leader is punctuality, so it is necessary to work on developing time management skills. The ability to correctly allocate your time will make you not only punctual, but also more efficient, which is no less important for a leader.

3. Tell people only what you yourself believe in - this best exercise to develop the skill of persuasion, a very important quality of every leader. You can only be persuasive if you yourself are 100% convinced of what you are saying.

4. Develop the skill in yourself to complete all planned tasks on time. A leader is a person who is first in everything, and if you procrastinate and put off important things for tomorrow, you will not only achieve success nowhere.

5. A good leader is a grateful person first and foremost. And people become grateful when they learn to appreciate everything they receive. Develop this skill in yourself.

6. A leader who is able to lead people must first of all show interest in them. Interest is the opposite of indifference and indifference. The leader does not hesitate to show that he is interested in his team and needs the people who surround him.

7. It is important for a leader to be able to correctly define goals - after all, this is what will help direct their efforts and the energy of the team to achieve them. Work on the ability to set goals correctly, clearly define their time limits and see the end result.

8. A leader is not only a person who knows how to correctly define goals and direct people's efforts towards their implementation. A leader is, first of all, a person who first directs his energy to achieve goals and leads people in this matter.

9. The most important quality that distinguishes all leaders is a sense of responsibility. Develop it in yourself, because a good leader understands his responsibility for goals, results, and, of course, for his team.

10. Leaders who are able to lead people are people who “burn” with their idea, and charge everyone else with this enthusiasm. Therefore, it is important to develop passion in yourself, to seek internal sources to fuel your inspiration and enthusiasm.

11. Good leaders are always motivated people who clearly know what and when they want. But, in addition to this, they know how to motivate other people. To learn how to do this, it is important to be able to understand the desires and needs of other people.

12. It is very important for a leader to be able to trust people and, based on this, to delegate. Faith in yourself gives rise to faith in other people - your team. Learn to trust yourself and people, and they will show amazing results.

13. To become a leader, you must defeat negative thinking once and for all. A leader sees perspective, opportunity and rosy nuances in everything. It is important for a leader to develop positive thinking.

14. An indispensable quality for a leader is perseverance. For giving good results, it is not at all necessary to have favorable conditions - this is not a decisive factor. But, necessarily, great results will be shown by the person who did not stop, despite the presence of numerous obstacles.

15. The leader is always open to people and strives to share his experience as much as possible. Therefore, learn to communicate and be open to people, to transfer to them the most valuable thing you have - knowledge and experience.

If you decide to become a real leader, then you will undoubtedly need a lot of work on yourself. After all, a leader has a multiple set of psychological qualities and knowledge for his viability.

Leader (from English. leader) - the first to go ahead of the rest of the planet 🙂 - a person who in a certain group of people enjoys recognition, authority and has influence, which is defined as managerial activity. The leader makes the most responsible decisions of the group or organization and manages all processes as a whole, while giving direction for further actions.

In this article, we will not talk about, but about to qualities of a leader.

Leader Qualities:

1) Self-confidence

2) Sociability

It is hard to imagine without this quality of a leader, the ability to establish contacts and quickly find mutual language with the team is the most important quality not only in this path.

3) The ability to constantly learn

It's no secret that our world is constantly changing more and more. more speed. Precisely in connection with this modern leaders you just need to constantly replenish your knowledge base and make innovations in your business. This will greatly increase your competitiveness.

4) Purposefulness

Highly important quality, which separates the leader from the rest of the people. He always knows what he wants and what needs to be done to get it. After all, agree to foolishly lead the crowd when you yourself do not know where.

5) Responsibility

The ability to be responsible for one's words, actions, decisions is an integral quality of a leader. Here you can no longer say "who is to blame?". You will have to take on the entire burden of possible failures and failures, but share success with everyone.

6) Self-discipline

Ordinary people easily allow themselves all possible weaknesses. But the leader cannot afford to give up and must constantly be collected and ready for action.

7) Ability to communicate and listen to people

The ability to communicate and listen to people is one of the main leadership qualities. This is where leadership begins. You must not only communicate and convince people in understandable languages, but also be able to listen and understand each person as a separate person.

8) Ability to build a team

We all understand that without a team, a leader ceases to be a leader. Therefore, the ability to create a team is one of the key qualities of a leader. It costs a lot to attract and convince people to go under your banner.

9) Perseverance

A leader is a person who never gives up and is constantly active. He searches for answers and solutions until he finds them.

10) Ambition

The leader is always striving for lofty goals and bright results, while doing it consciously without drawing in the imagination of fabulous mountains.