Do you have these questions in your mind?
how to become a great leader step by step?
What makes a good leader?
Are leaders born or are they developed?
Can I become an effective or good leader?
If yes, then
in this, I will go through 10 step-by-step methods to become a great leader
Let’s start with the word leadership. What does
leadership mean? There are many definitions of leadership. Everyone defines
leadership differently, but let’s try to understand the word leadership.
If we break down the word leadership into”
lead ” and “ship”,
Lead means to show someone the right way. A ship
is a kind of boat that floats on the water. This means there is a person who is
guiding the ship, and the people on the ship as well.
A leader must know exactly where he or she is
moving.
What are the top 10
qualities, characteristics, or traits of a successful leader?
1:
Visionary
Having a vision is probably the most important
quality of a leader. A leader has a vision. A great leader looks at the world
and how it will be in 10 years. In some cases, they look at the world and how
it will look after hundreds of years.
Steve Jobs was a visionary man. He gave us a
mobile phone that we can use without buttons. When politicians draft a bill to
pass in the assembly or parliament, they think about its effects after 10 or
maybe 20 years.
If a leader does not have a vision of where he or
she is going he or she will end up nowhere. In the case of a ship, if the
captain of the ship does not know where he or she is going; they will either
reach the wrong place or lose fuel and the ship will sink into the water.
2: Consultation
Before taking a decision, a leader gathers his or
her team members and consults with them. A good leader listens to the ideas of
his or her team members but the final decision is taken by the leader.
A successful leader gives importance to the ideas
of his or her team which boosts respect in the hearts of his or her team
members.
His or her team members respect him or her. In
the past, we have witnessed some dictators who took big decisions without
consulting their teams but effective leaders don’t do this.
They give importance to the ideas of their team
members.
3: Appreciation
Good leaders do not undervalue their team. They
value the achievements of their team. Sometimes, they appreciate their teams in
the form of appreciating words. They sometimes reward them to show their
appreciation.
Appreciating each other motivates the team to
work hard and achieve more milestones. When leaders do not appreciate their
team for their successes, they feel demotivated and stop working hard.
Great leaders accept the achievements of their
teams.
4:
Leading by the example
A good leader knows the importance of leading by
example. There are a lot of leaders who give instructions to their employees or
teams to do this and that…
They fail to follow those instructions
themselves, which in turn enables their team not to follow the instructions of
their leaders. Successful leaders set an example for their teams.
At the battle of Khandaq, the last messenger of
God, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) led his team of companions by setting
an example for them.
One of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) came and said,
“I’m so hungry that I tied a stone to my
stomach to lessen the feeling of hunger.”
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) showed his
stomach to his companion. His companion was surprised to see that the two
stones were tied to the stomach of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
5: Planning
To achieve any goal, we need to have a
plan. Good leaders make plans in advance to achieve their targets. They
constantly review their performance every day.
if they make a mistake, they avoid repeating
those mistakes again. Planning makes their life easier, more efficient, and
more productive.
6: Patience
Sometimes, the odds are against us. We do not get
the desired results. It may take more time than we expect.
When Elon Musk decided to make a reusable rocket.
He invested his money into the project. On the first attempt, he failed. He
tried again and failed.
If he had failed for the third time in a row, he
would have gone bankrupt. However, he remained patient and kept putting in the
work, and on the third attempt, he succeeded.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah struggled for decades to get
independence. A good leader remains patient during difficult times. It’s one of
the most significant qualities of a good leader.
7: Humbleness
Another quality of a successful leader is that
they are not arrogant; they respect their team members. They do instruct their
team members on different tasks but in a respectful way.
When employees or team members make mistakes,
effective leaders correct them politely. Good leaders accept their mistakes.
They create a friendly environment for their
teams which allows the team to grow.
8: Delegation
One of the most successful business leaders,
Richard Branson said,
“An entrepreneur is not a manager. An
entrepreneur is someone great at conceiving ideas, building ideas,
starting ideas, and then handing them over to a really good manager to manage
them.”
Now from this quote by Richard Branson what we
can understand is that a true leader does not do everything himself.
A good leader delegates his or her tasks to his
or her managers because he or she knows that he or she cannot do everything.
Delegating tasks also creates a sense of trust between managers and their
employees.
9: Truthfulness
This is one of the most defining traits of a
successful leader. It is important, to be honest with leaders who make
mistakes. They do not hide their flaws.
They accept their mistakes. They let their
employees or team members know that they are human beings. They can make
mistakes, great leaders accept their flaws, and smart business owners let their
customers know that the product or service they’re selling has these flaws.
People do not follow dishonest leaders
10: Never Give Up
Last but not least, good leaders never give up if
they fail. Instead, they learn from their mistakes, they keep working towards
their goal, and they motivate their employees or team to never give up.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was
criticized by his enemies. They laughed at him, they would tease him.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was in the
minority. During the 13 years of Makkah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
faced many obstacles and many problems but he never gave up.
Throughout his life, he worked hard to convey the
message of Allah.
Finally, after 17 years of struggle, he conquered
Mecca. When he conquered Mecca, he forgave all of his past enemies and did not
kill any of them. A great leader keeps on working towards his or her goals
until he or she achieves them.
Are leaders born or made?
This is one of the most common questions that
people ask…
“Can I become a leader?
Is it an inborn skill?”
Many leaders are born with leadership traits, but
you don’t have to worry about these characteristics since they can be learned.
One can develop these above-mentioned qualities of a great leader by
practicing.
How can I develop the qualities of a great leader?
Remember that humans cannot do everything at
once. You cannot become a great leader overnight.
You need to develop these traits one by one. You
should first decide what qualities you want to develop to become a
great leader.
Make realistic goals, and be patient. You have to
practice these traits every day. Let’s start by focusing on one feature. When you
practice this particular trait many times, then work on another quality.
Keep on working until you develop all these
above-mentioned characteristics of a competent leader.
Let me know in the comments which topic you would
like me to write on next.
