What Makes A Great Leader

Everything that has happened in this world – whether it was good or bad took place because somewhere someone took the initiative to lead and make it happen. Therefore, everything rises and falls because of leadership. Great organizations like IBM are built because of great leaders.

What It Takes To Be A Great Leader

So who is a great leader? What are the qualities that make a great leader?

I’ve just finished reading a book titled “The Secret: What Great Leaders Do” – a great story-telling book on the SERVE leadership model by Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller. It was quite affirming for me personally, as I had previously written about some of the topics mentioned in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to anybody aspiring for a leadership position.

Great leaders are the ones who serve. They are selfless and value others more than themselves, they put the team’s or the company’s needs above their own and that’s what truly separates them from the rest.

Here’s a quick summary of the five key points mentioned in the book plus my thoughts on some of them:

S – See The Future

Great Leaders are constantly able to see the future and drive a compelling vision for the company. But where they truly show their greatness is in their ability to constantly inspire the company with the vision. They have mastered the hands down heads up approach, wherein they are able to see the future without losing sight of the present.

E – Engage & Develop

Great Leaders are great at delegating. They are quick to assess a person strengths by putting them in roles where they can be most effective. This is how they engage with the ones they lead – they learn about the people they lead and build relationships with them. Secondly, they develop people. They help people think for themselves. Great leaders don’t keep telling people what to do. They help people become great decision-makers.

R – Reinvent Continuously

Great leaders adapt themselves to different people and situations without compromising on their ethics. They are great learners and keep evolving to suit the organizational needs.

V – Value Results & Relationship

Great leaders not only understand the importance of expecting results from their employees but they also value their employees as individuals who need the support and healthy attention of their leaders. In my opinion, phenomenal leaders drive business growth by prioritizing building their employees, primarily from a self-development standpoint but also from a technical standpoint.

E – Embody The Values

This in my opinion is the most powerful way a leader can communicate to his team – he walks the talk. He doesn’t just preach the values required by the team, he truly lives them out. He embodies them. He becomes those values and sets an example for the team.

My favorite teacher said, “if anyone wants to become the greatest, then he must become the least”. This involves deep humility with a healthy confidence in who you are as a person, not valuing yourself less but thinking more of the needs of others than your own. By serving people sincerely we find meaning and purpose. Life becomes more enjoyable when the focus is outwards towards the needs of others rather than just your own.

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