Leadership is the potential to influence others towards achieving a certain objective. In everyday life leadership plays very important role in achieving our goals in life and also in developing a coherent environment with others. There are different styles of leadership applied by our leaders and all depend on the leaders themselves and the role of the followers in attaining the set goals and objectives be it in an institution or a company. The different leadership styles or theories commonly used in leadership include: Dictatorship leadership in which the leader has all the mandate to decide on what to be done and expect his followers to adhere to the commands, Democratic leadership style on the other hand has the leader playing very minimal role and leaves the followers to do what they feel is right, the other style is the Leisezz Faire style where the followers are left to do things their own style without interfering with affairs of others. All in all a good leader should first be knowledgeable on the different styles so that he or she can know on which style to use for his people.
There are several signs that can tell us who a potential leader is and the one who can be entrusted to take the challenging responsibility of a leader. A high potential leader see thing in a broader perspective beyond his peers. He is capable of organizing complex situations into simple achievable goals. A potential leader also has the ability to put off his ego for the improvement of the companies goals rather than his personal interests. (Oren, 2002p. 180-209)
A potential leader can be identified if he or she display high level of aggression and drive, this is a characteristic that can be identified at a very tender age for growing children. Children who are inquisitive in life and who like satisfying answers to their questions have a potential to lead others. They deal with facts and not circumstances. A good leader is a good listener and this is learnt from childhood. If a child is capable of following his parents instructions or his elders instructions, then he or she has a character of a leader. A leader should be capable of gathering information from his followers, that is listen broadly before he or she can make decisions.(Stephen, 1999p.78-86) He must also be able to synthesize the obtained data for making conclusive decisions. If a person has this character of making decisions based on the wide and broad analysis of the available information they have obtained, then this shows that the person has the potential to lead others.
A leader should also be able to show high potential in balancing inherent tension in his day to day judgment. This character is developed through education and nature. The nature teaches us how to make viable judgment on different circumstances long term and short term. For example nature is very unforgiving in that if you destroy it then in future you will suffer for it. Leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Koffi Anan has always been in the front line to oppose the war on other nations by the strong nations and especially the use of dangerous weapons that will have a longterm consequences on the environment and affect on the future generations. A good leader will therefore be able to make long term plans for future gains. In a company or an organization the leader has many challenges in making decisions on the company and the shareholders or between the customers and the company’s employees. A good leader should not let opportunities to slip away but rather aggressive to get opportunities. In education we learn to work hard in order to get better grades that will enable us to get the best jobs and produce in our future profession. Education has an influence on leadership. The leadership potentiality can be identified in school and it should be natured at that level rest it might be destroyed through lack of appreciation of the young leader.
High potential leaders have the urge to pursue learning passionately as well as growth. The leader is stimulated by the challenges in the work environment that is full of tumultuous change which give them the desire to pursue learning and growth for the expansion of their business knowledge and increase of opportunities. (Anselmo, 2000p. 43-54)
Honesty is a character demonstrated by a potential leader. A leader is intellectually honesty when he or she admits on what he does not know but again he is ready to learn new developments in the dynamic world of technology. A person that looks for ideas and sees things in a wide perspective has the potential to lead successfully. The retired president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela has done great things for peace in the world, his leadership as a peace maker have been demonstrated by his ability to see things in a broader perspective.
Integrity is very important as it tell others about how true one is. Once people learn to trust somebody, they have the potential to work under your leadership. A character of a good leader therefore is the one who tells the truth and does not fear, he is bold when handling different issues.
Nature has proven to be very influential in the world of leadership. President Mandela learnt to be a world peace maker for what he had gone through in life. He had met a lot of injustice and through endurance, he is one of the most reputable leaders in the world today. His leadership is one of a kind and is a strong characteristic of leadership that needs to be emulated by other leaders.
According to the Development Dimension International (DDI), there are characters that can be used to identify and develop leadership potentiality. A person who steps up for leadership opportunity is no doubt a potential leader as he is always ready to face the upcoming challenges, he is not a coward. To develop this ability, such a person should be given these opportunities as they come. It is clear that most of the leaders we have today were leaders in school at very tender age.
A person who works towards bringing out the best in others and have high integrity, admit their mistakes and do not blame others for the mistakes they do but rather work to correct them. A leader demonstrates high flexibility ideas by using the various styles of leadership as they have high passion for results. (Richard, 2002 p.65-78) They are result oriented and hence can navigate through ambiguity that allows them to make quick and efficient decisions. Leaders also have a cultural fit. From childhood they show the ability to fit in various cultures for the benefit of others and prosperity of the company.
Experience in the company or in past roles as a leader also help one to have high leading potentials. When a person is assigned a duty to head a department and he has no past experience regarding the company or such a department, he is possibly going to fail in his leadership. Therefore past experiences are a key factor in developing leadership skills in a company or an organization.
References
Jennet, P. (2003). developing Creative Leadership, New York: Prentice Hall, pp. 56-130.
Anselmo, D. (2000) Leadership Potentials, New York: Wesley, pp. 23-67.
Richard, L. (2002). Fusion Leadership, London: Macmillan Publishers, pp. 56-111.
Stephen, R. (1999). Principle-Centered Leadership, New York: Mc Graw Hill, pp. 43-89.
Oren, H. (2002). The Leadership Secrets of Collin Powell, Londom: OUP, pp.180-240.
Leadership Potentials, Web.