Introduction
A leader can be defined as someone with the ability to guide and lead others by inspiring them to follow him or her. A leader should influence people to achieve a common goal under his or her guidance through power, vision, and direction. A leader should possess leadership skills that are vital to ensure that he or she can influence people to follow him or her.
Its true leadership skills can be learned and improved by practicing good leadership qualities. A leader has to be someone who can form a realm and inspire them through motivation to be better team players. A good leader should always meet and train his or her teammates and maintain a good working relationship with them at all times.
Setting objectives for all members of the team is a crucial characteristic of a leader. A leader should evaluate the strength and weakness of the members of his or her team and try to harness the best combination to tackle a given task. Thus, the concept of leadership skill is a clear understanding of how a leader can effectively influence people with his or her ethics, beliefs, values, and character (Rossiter, 2009).
A skill refers to the technical knowledge that a person possesses, which helps him undertake a certain task or responsibility. A leader should be differentiated from a boss. In this case, a leader is interactive and open to his or her team members while a boss holds an authoritative figure over the team.
A boss does not involve his team in decision making while a leader involves the team members to make contributions regarding a given decision. A good leader should be trustworthy and instill confidence among team members who view him as their liaison figure in the team. Good communication skills are critical for a good leader as they help him to share information, views, and ideas with team members (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2012).
Leadership skills
A good and an effective leader should possess effective communication skills that he or she uses to pass on a message to his or her followers.
Good communication skills are a necessary tool for a leader as people will be influenced by the ability of the leader to express himself or herself to the people around him. A leader should communicate effectively about issues and advice on how to meet the set goals and objectives. A good leader has to possess management skill in that he or she can manage human skills and talent combined with a sense of inspiration.
A good leader should possess a good attitude to facilitate leadership of people and their values. A good leader should have self confidence in order to be a liaison figure to his or her team. Self confidence shows that a leader is strong in thought and power; no one wants to be led by a weak person who lacks self confidence. A good leader should also possess business skills in the execution of his or her duties (Leatherman, 2008).
Good business skills help in the management of finances and how to draw viable plans that are of great help to the whole team. Harnessing good business skills help the leader to assign and delegate duties and responsibilities to the subordinates. A good leader should create a good working relationship with people and form a special friendship so that people can approach him or her easily for consultation.
Communication skills should be well utilized by a leader in order to command an audience and respect among the team member. He or she should choose the words wisely for the leader to communicate effectively with his or her team. Communication will facilitate the transfer of information among the team members through active interaction and sharing of ideas, as well as assessing the plans of the group.
A leader should think strategically when it comes to issues that require him or her to do so. Proper analysis of the problem before decision making is crucial for the benefit of the whole team. Therefore, the leader should facilitate the execution of the decisions made (Owen, 2006).
How to be a good leader
A number of skills make someone to be considered a good leader, these skills include honesty, respect, passion, and excellent persuasion abilities. A good leader should possess leadership skills that pertain to influencing people to follow him or her through sharing integrity, values, and a vision. A good leader should share his or her vision and actions. This is meant for the whole group to benefit from the ideas that he or she shares through a close engagement with team members.
Great leaders engage members in the decision making process through the contribution of ideas that help to tackle challenges and recognize the efforts that these team members play (Hughes, Ginnett & Curphy, 2012). Great leaders are compassionate people and should care about the welfare of the team members. Such leaders should listen to people and try to find a solution for the economic difficulties that they might face.
A good leader monitors the growth of his or her team through close evaluation of each person’s task and objectives. He or she should be involved in training the team members on different tasks. A good leader should lead by example, and his or her follower’s progress is determined by how the leader carries him or herself.
A good leader should empower team members by setting attainable objectives for individuals and the whole team at large. A leader should make sure that team members have access to facilities and resources that will help them attain their set goals and objectives. A leader does not have to do everything in the team. The leader should involve team members through job delegation of duties through training and job development (Leatherman, 2008).
Conclusion
For effective leadership, a leader has to have a clear understanding of his or her followers. Good and effective direction should be portrayed by a good leader through communication and a sense of charisma that helps to win the support of his or her audience. A good leader should be flexible in his or her execution of duties.
Flexibility of the leader will ensure that not every problem uses the same solution. Thus, the involvement of the followers in the decision process is vital. A good leader should be consistent in order to gain respect and credibility from his or her followers. A leader should be reliable in an effort to set a good example to the followers. A good leader should be supportive to other team members.
Leverage of the team strengths is crucial for the whole team as it helps to work on weak areas and offer significant resources and skills to their strength. Thus, with good leadership in an organization, a lot can be achieved through cooperation and teamwork. A leader should be a person of high integrity when performing his or her duties in a given organization.
References
Hughes, R.L., Ginnett, R.C. & Curphy, G.J. (2012). Leadership: Enhancing the lessons of experience (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Leatherman, D. (2008). Quality leadership skills: Standards of leadership behavior. Amherst, Mass.: HRD Press.
Owen, J. (2006). The leadership skills handbook: 50 key skills from 1000 real leaders, Philadelphia: Kogan Page.
Rossiter, D.E. (2009). Leadership Skills. New York: Infobase Pub.