Understanding the Skills and Attributes of a Great Leader - Essay Example

Understanding the Skills and Attributes of a Great Leader of Attributes Required By the Leader There are endless amounts of attributes that account for a great leader, but if we were to discuss the most essential attributes of the leader, they would have to be the following: 1. He Stays In Touch A great leader stays in touch by maintaining a constant communication between him and his team members providing them with a sense of security, positivity and emotional intelligence (Riggio, 2013). 2. He Remains Visible A great leader remains visible in his team members in order to ensure that he is always ready to help, he knows what is going on and he provides information to his employees as needed. 3. He Inspires His Team A great leader is the one that others look up to. He has some quality or another that sets him apart in his group, so he can inspire others to do the same (Bethel, 2012). 4. He Has Sharp Decision Making Skills A great leader has the ability to practice and present identifying problems, actively brainstorm, determine actions and actively take decisions. 5. He Leads His Team The most obvious attribute of a leader is that he is strong enough to persuade his team for taking decisions as needed. He initiates courage in his followers to follow his lead (Clinton, 2012). Description of Skills Required By the Leader In order to be a great leader, you require great skills. Every leader has these skills which makes him successful in his field: 1. He Has Vision He has the ability to focus on the bigger picture instead of trying to fit everything in the present tense. He has visions and dreams that he strives to make into reality (DuBrin, 2012). 2. He Has Confidence He has the confidence to take decisions believing he was right in his cause. He does not get stressed out under pressure and knows what he is doing (Daft, 2014). 3. He Has People Skills He knows how to network, how to achieve their confidence, how to be flexible, supportive and how to listen to them. 4. He Has Motivational Skills He knows how to encourage people, energize, motivate and inspire them. He is quick to praise, celebrate success and provide backup support to his staff. 5. He is Responsible He is responsible enough to lead by example and solve the problems. If there is a mistake, he knows enough to own his mistakes (Nemerowicz & Rossi, 2014). Using John Adair’s Leadership Model for Improving Leadership John Adair described an action-centered leadership model that has been used to provide an excellent blueprint for management and leadership of any organization, group or team. It is a simple model that can be easily adapted, applied and remembered (Potter, 2011). There are three elements of the model, which include management of individuals, management of teams or groups and the achievement of the task. When the application of this model is considered, the managers responsible for achieving the task are supposed to identify resources, aims, visions, people, systems, processes, direction, purpose and tools for the task. They follow it up by the creation of a plan, monitoring and control of activities and then reporting and reviewing the entire process (Braun, et al., 2014). The managers for the group are responsible for the establishment of communication standards, group approach, anticipation and resolution of group conflicts, monitoring and maintaining ethics, discipline and integrity. Moreover, they are responsible for the development of group capability, maturity, team-spirit, morale, cooperation and team working, and they monitor all the process going on in the group (Adair, 2015). Setting up SMART Objectives For the guidance of the team and the organization, the setup of effective objectives is very crucial for a leader. If the objectives are formulated badly, they can lead the entire organization in the direction that is wrong. In order to setup the SMART objectives, here is what needs to be done (Bill, 2004). Sort Out Differences Before starting on the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) objectives, the first thing that needs to be done is the distinguishing between the aims and objectives, and targets and goals. Objectives are supposed to be the battle-plans while the goals and aims are supposed to be aspiration-related. Using SMART technique The best way to use the SMART technique is actually using it as MARST instead (Wolf & Akkaraju, 2014). Measure the objectives that you can achieve, by counting the evidences. Then, link the measurable with the achievable, because there is no point spending time on objectives that cannot be achieved. Follow the achievable with the realistic, because if the objectives are not realistic, they will not be achievable. After that worry about the specifications of the objectives, and then set timely deadlines for achieving the objectives in that specific timeframe (Reber, 2014). How My Team Was Able to Create a Sense of Purpose I worked on a team that had concerns that few team members were putting in limited efforts and imparting a negative impact on the rest of the team. However, my team was able to reconnect with their sense of purpose and achieved the final goal successfully. At the beginning most of the team members had a problem with the routine that was setup by the leaders. As the project ensured, it became clear that while everyone was putting in their best efforts, there were a few who were disconnected with the sense of purpose. Eventually, it not only annoyed the project manager, but it also started affecting all of us. We started focusing more on complaints about them instead of focusing on the better. The team was able to find a sense of purpose as they started focusing on shared aims (Cameron & Green, 2012) and put in the Adair’s model in application (Redick, et al., 2014). Everyone took responsibilities for their activities and then reported further for success. When everyone knew what to work on, eventually the number of team members who were not interested decreased. References Adair, J., 2015. John Adair Leadership and Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.johnadair.co.uk/ [Accessed 17 March 2015]. Bethel, S., 2012. Making a difference: Twelve qualities that make you a leader. s.l.:AudioInk. Bill, A., 2004. Ten Steps to SMART Objectives. National Primary and Care Trust Development Programme. Braun, F. C., Avital, M. & Martz, B., 2014. Action-centered team leadership influences more than performance. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 18(3/4), pp. 176-195. Cameron, E. & Green, M., 2012. Making sense of change management: a complete guide to the models tools and techniques of organizational change.. s.l.:Kogan Page Publishers. Clinton, J. R., 2012. The making of a leader: Recognizing the lessons and stages of leadership development. s.l.:NavPress. Daft, R., 2014. The leadership experience. s.l.:Cengage Learning. DuBrin, A., 2012. Leadership: Research findings, practice, and skills.. s.l.:Cengage Learning. Nemerowicz, G. & Rossi, E. eds., 2014. Education for leadership and social responsibility. s.l.:Routledge. Potter, J., 2011. Leadership in Action (4/10): The Functional and Action Centred approach to leadership development.. s.l.:s.n. Reber, B. H., 2014. Strategies and tactics leaders use to manage issues. In: Creating the Future in Communication Management: A Global Study of Leadership in Public Relations and Communication Management. s.l.:s.n., p. 80. Redick, A., Reyna, I., Schaffer, C. & Toomey, D., 2014. Four-Factor Model for Effective Project Leadership Competency. Journal of IT and Economic Development, 5(1), pp. 21-35. Riggio, R. E., 2013. A Social Skills Model for Understanding the Foundations of Leader Communication.. In: Leader Interpersonal and Influence Skills: The Soft Skills of Leadership. s.l.:s.n., p. 31. Wolf, A. & Akkaraju, S., 2014. Teaching Evolution: From SMART Objectives to Threshold Experience. The Journal of Effective Teaching, p. 35. Read More