{"id":5,"date":"2012-01-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-01-03T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/leadership-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-good-leader\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T06:48:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T06:48:13","slug":"leadership-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-good-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/leadership-what-does-it-take-to-be-a-good-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Leadership? What does it take to be a good leader?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

No matter where you are in life right now, having leadership<\/b> skills can be very useful in the various situations that you face. The benefits it brings in helping you handle tough situations are priceless.<\/p>\n

Contrary to popular belief, leadership<\/i> skills are not just confined to people in positions of leadership<\/u>. You can be the CEO of a company and yet not be a good leader.\u00a0 The same applies to all the Presidents we\u2019ve had here in the U.S.\u00a0 Can you name some that you felt WERE NOT good leaders?<\/p>\n

Leadership.\u00a0 Are we born leaders?<\/span><\/h2>\n

These people are able to influence and inspire others easily. They have the characteristicof leadership. Leading comes naturally to them. However, this does not mean that leadership abilities cannot be developed. Just like everything else in life, it can be learned, practiced and developed to perfection.<\/p>\n

What are Some of the Effective Characteristics of Leadership?<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

1. Good Communication<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is THE most important characteristic of leadership. A good leader is able to communicate well not only with the people he is leading, but with anyone that leader comes in contact with.<\/p>\n

So what does it mean to be a good communicator? For starters it means saying what is required, not what is desired. Good leaders tell the truth like it is, without sugarcoating or fearing of hurting others feelings (shooting from the hip is how I describe it).<\/p>\n

A good leader knows what to say to get the best out of their followers. A good basketball coach never praises his star player after a great game. This is so that the player will keep on working hard to improve. However, after a lousy game the coach is always the first person to go to the player, give him a pat on the back and encourage him.<\/p>\n

Criticize when necessary, give credit where it is due, encourage when encouragement is needed, and always listen to what your followers have to say. Being a good communicator is also being a good listener.<\/p>\n

2. Decision Maker<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Part of a leader\u2019s role is to make decisions and provide direction to those under him. Being a good decision maker means ;<\/p>\n

Be timely \u2013 Being able to make decisions within the required time. Not spending too much time analyzing and considering each decision.<\/p>\n

Resolute \u2013 This means having the firmness and willpower to stick to each decision long enough to see it bear fruit.<\/p>\n

Flexible \u2013 To have the flexibility to change directions and decisions when it is discovered that the initial judgment may not be the right one.<\/p>\n

Sometimes it is not possible to have all the information to make a decision. Often times. instinctive judgment is needed. A good leader trusts his judgment and has the courage to use it.<\/p>\n

Courage to make decisions defines a good leader.<\/p>\n

3. Clear Vision<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another characteristic of leadership is to have a clear vision. A good leader is clear on what he wants. This clarity of vision is imperative to ensure that the whole team is continually moving in the right direction. A ship needs a captain who knows exactly where it is supposed to go. There\u2019s nothing worse than having the destination constantly changed and the maps regularly replaced.\u00a0 A clear vision provides stability and certainty.<\/p>\n

4. Trust Others And Be Flexible<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Trusting other people is another characteristic of leadership. A good leader knows how to trust others, especially his followers. For everyone there is always this natural urge to try to take everything on board, to review all work etc.\u00a0 All this to try to ensure that everything is fine.\u00a0 There is nothing wrong with that, however often times it is done excessively.\u00a0 We must know that no one can do everything and be everywhere all the time. I\u2019ve seen many real life examples of leaders who just can\u2019t let go. They have no confidence in their subordinates and don\u2019t trust them.<\/p>\n

A good leader is trusts others. They believe in the abilities of others and are flexible enough to accept that everyone has their own way of doing things. Good leaders don\u2019t force their others to do things their way.\u00a0 It is important to trust others because it encourages followers to be independent rather than dependent. The leader then won\u2019t be bogged by having to provide guidance and directions all the time to the follower.\u00a0 Not only that, when trusted by their leader, people will usually perform better and more creatively. It gives them more self belief and a boost in confidence.<\/p>\n

5. Lead By Example<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a common saying but it is still very important. A leader has to lead by example. He has to set the standards. The leader must be the one putting in the most effort. He has to be the one putting in the most heart and passion into the cause. Only then will the followers be inspired to do the same. This is how the great leaders in the history of the world have inspired millions.\u00a0 Leading by example includes taking responsibility as well. Putting the blame for any failures on others will only make a leader lose the respect of his followers.\u00a0 A good leader always takes responsibility for everything.<\/p>\n

6. Be Congruent<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

For a leader to inspire and influence his followers, he first needs to gain their trust. Nothing helps gain trust more than showing congruency.\u00a0 Congruency means having your thoughts, words and actions all aligned.\u00a0 It means practicing what you preach. Doing so proves a person\u2019s dependability and trustworthiness. A leader who says one thing but does another will find it very hard to gain his followers trust.<\/p>\n

7. Be Part Of The Team<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A good leader does not consider himself to be the boss. A good leader views himself as part of the team and equal to all other team members. Leaders who consider themselves as part of the team quickly gain the respect of the team members. Followers will be more willing to help and give their best as they have a sense that the team is \u2018one\u2019 and everyone is in this together.<\/p>\n

Final thoughts\u2026<\/p>\n

To be a good leader –\u00a0 you must identify yourself as a leader. It is a totally different mentality to that of a follower.<\/p>\n

Being a leader is not just having people working under you. When you are a leader you need to change the way you view things \u2013 the way you think, the way you do things, and ultimately the way you live.<\/p>\n

Read, study and contemplate the famous leadership quotes of great leaders in history. Learn their philosophy of leadership.<\/p>\n

Whenever you are faced with any situation in life, ask yourself \u2018What would a great leader do in this situation?\u2019 Practice doing that everyday and you\u2019re well on your way to be an effective leader.<\/p>\n

If you feel you have these leadership qualities, I\u2019d love to work with you and bring you on board My Team with Empower Network.\u00a0 I invite you to watch a free video (up and over to the right) or just Click Here<\/a>.\u00a0 I also invite your feedback post \u2013 leave a comment or two.<\/p>\n

If you have any questions, suggestions, or even criticisms \u2013 feel free to skype me (changeurdestiny22) or email me at 22debrahill@gmail.com.<\/p>\n

To Your Success\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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No matter where you are in life right now, having leadership skills can be very useful in the various situations that you face. The benefits it brings in helping you handle tough situations are priceless. Contrary to popular belief, leadership skills are not just confined to people in positions of leadership. You can be the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2381,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,1],"tags":[11,12,13,14,15,16],"class_list":["post-5","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","category-uncategorized","tag-good-listener","tag-great-leaders","tag-leaders","tag-easy","tag-empower-network","tag-leadership"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2381"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5\/revisions\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/changeurdestiny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}