Leadership is the ability to influence and motivate human minds to achieve the desired objectives. In order to lead, it is imperative that one should have certain leadership qualities. A leader is one who leads by example; he walks the talk. His every word and his every action should convey certain message.
One is not always born with leadership qualities it can be learnt also. However, it is often argued that leaders are born they are not made. Though it might be true in many contexts but no one will disagree that these born leaders also learn many leadership qualities in due course of time.
Some of the important leadership qualities are ability to handle pressure, not losing focus during adversity, rising against the tide, showing practical and rather simple approach towards a complex problem, exhibiting patience, having tremendous self-belief and having courage to accept the mistake.
A leader needs to communicate constantly. So it is very important for them to have good communication skills. They should be able to establish a chord with the people so that the people feel comfortable in expressing themselves in front of the leader. A heart-to-heart relationship with the people is a must for any leader.
A leader needs to be visionary. He understands the future much better than others understand and accordingly take decisions. Dhirubhai Ambani was a visionary; he took certain decisions, which initially was termed insane but later changed the face of the Indian industries.
A leader should be capable of taking risks. It is said that higher the risk higher is the gain. A leader should not confine him to a shell lying in a comfortable zone and being happy with whatever he has achieved. He should not sit on past laurels. Such leaders soon lose their position and the time wave eliminates them from the peoples’ mind. Constant innovation is one of the most important leadership qualities. It helps the leader to be in sync with the modern time and help them to face new challenges much more effectively.
A leader needs to be honest. An honest leader is trustworthy. People show tremendous faith in such leaders. It is said that it is easy to preach but difficult to practice. So a leader should always preach by his action. Mahatma Gandhi did what he preached; he never compromised with his integrity. This is why even British respected him. A leader has to show consistency in his words and deeds. He should not change his stance too often as it would confuse the masses and soon he will lose his credibility.
A leader should have the ability to withstand criticism and not get carried away by it. It is not possible for any individual to please everyone. So a leader should tolerate the criticizers and should not allow his decision to be influenced by such criticism. He should always work for the benefit of the people and should not try to please everyone. A leader should have the ability to motivate others and should create a healthy environment around him.