A Great Leader, Essay Example

Leadership is the tendency to influence the thoughts, behaviors, actions, and attitudes of others. Leaders can steer the people around as well as those that they encounter indirectly. Great leaders encourage and inspire people to work towards a goal. Consequently, leadership can be both positive and negative. Some choose leadership for superiority and respect, while others believe they can use it to make a difference. Yet, others just desire the power that comes along with being a leader. An effective leader must possess four major traits or skills namely communication, motivation, confidence, and ethics.

A great leader must communicate effectively. Effective communication is necessary for any type of organization to run smoothly. Verbal communication is the most obvious form of communication, but body language and verbal cues are just as important. A person may say one thing with his/her mouth, but body language and facial expressions may be delivering an entirely different message. For instance, when a leader delivers a message facing the audience directly, it shows credibility and sincerity, but when a message is delivered facing down, it depicts insincerity. Leadership is an important quality that can be used in various aspects of one’s life. Another important aspect of communication is listening. Credible leaders listen and comprehend just as well as they speak.

A credible leader must be motivated to lead for genuine reasons. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors motivate leaders. Good leaders usually have an equal amount of each of these. When a leader is motivated by extrinsic factors, he/she may be overly concerned with monetary gain, public recognition, and social status. On the other hand, leaders who are motivated by intrinsic factors are more concerned with personal growth and the growth of others or the organization they are representing. These leaders want to make a positive difference in the lives of others. They want to gain the trust of others and do a great job while remaining true to their own values and beliefs.

Confidence is the foundation of effective leadership and it depicts a great impact in one’s life. It influences leaders to work diligently and handle pressure. Confident leaders understand that a mistake allows learning.

One’s ethics directly affects which factors motivate him/her to lead. Leaders will always ensure that ethical practices are followed. They are governed by their responsibilities to themselves and their subjects. Such leaders avoid misusing their powers for personal gain and respect their titles. Most importantly, they realize that their decisions affect the lives of others.

In conclusion, becoming an effective leader is not something that happens overnight. This is, for most, a life long process. Many great leaders will say that they became better at what they were doing over time. Great leaders must be able to communicate effectively, be trustworthy, and confident in themselves and the task they are trying to complete. Great leaders are not born, but groomed over time. Effective leaders call other people to action.