leadership skill

 At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads other. But what makes someone a leader? What is it about being a leader that some people understand and use to their advantage? What can you do to be a leader? Here's what you need to know and do.

A leader is a person who has a vision, a drive and a commitment to achieve that vision, and the skills to make it happen. Let's look at each of those in detail. 

The Leader's Vision

A leader has a vision. Leaders see a problem that needs to be fixed or a goal that needs to be achieved. It may be something that no one else sees or simply something that no one else wants to tackle. Whatever it is, it is the focus of the leaders attention and they attack it with a single-minded determination.

Whether the goal is to double the company's annual sales, develop a product that will solve a certain problem, or start a company that can achieve the leader's dream, the leader always has a clear target in mind. This is a big picture sort of thing, not the process improvement that reduces errors by 2% but the new manufacturing process that completely eliminates the step that caused the errors. It is the new product that makes people say "why didn't I think of that", not just a toaster that lets you select the degree of darkness of the toast. Edison did not set out to build a better candle, he wanted to find a whole new way to illuminate the darkness. That's the kind of vision a leader has. 

Trait And Skills A Leader Must Have

There are things that set leaders apart from other people. Some people are born with these characteristics. Others develop them as they improve as leaders. These are not magic bullets. They are things you can do and be if you want to be a leader.

Traits Of A Leader

There are as many traits of a leader as there ae lists of what makes a leader. Here are the fundamental traits of a leader from my perspective:

• Has integrity. People have to believe that you are pursuing your dream because it's the right thing to do, not just because you are ego driven.
• Is a people person. Understands the differences that make people unique and is able to use those individual skills to achieve the goal.
• Is positive. A leader encourages and rewards people and makes you want to do it and do it right. A leader is not a negative person and doesn't waste time and effort tellng everyone what they're doing wrong.

 Beyond the personal traits of a leader, there are specific skills someone must master if they want to be a leader.

• Effective communication - it's more than just being able to speak and write. A leader's communication must move people to work toward the goal the leader has chosen.
• Motivation - a leader has to be able to motivate everyone to contribute. Each of us has different "buttons". A leader knows how to push the right buttons on everyone to make them really want to do their best to achieve the leader's goal.
• Planning - the leader has a plan to achieve the goal. He/she doesn't get too bogged down in the details, that's what managers are for, but rather uses a high level plan to keep everyone moving together toward the goal. 

Leadership Style

1. ‘Do Less and Be More Leadership’ highlights the difference between leaders with a focus of being centre stage and those for whom the vision and their people are of paramount importance. It also challenges the reader to ask some very pertinent questions about their own leadership behaviour.
2. Leadership characteristics: management vs. leadership. Great leaders know that it is a privilege to coach and develop others. They recognize that by serving and setting the example, they will attract followers and gain their support along the way.
3. Wouldn’t you feel more comfortable at work if you had an employer that “spoke your language?” In other words, wouldn’t it be easier for an employee and an employer to communicate effectively if they were aware of each other’s cultures, beliefs and morals? Some may argue that leadership skills are universal regardless of what country the leader is in. On the other side of the debate are those that say that a leader must adapt their leadership style to different national cultures.