Saturday, February 7, 2009

Qualities to be an effective leader

By Ethan Beh

What does it mean to be a good leader? What are the vital characteristics required? It can be very beneficial if you have leadership qualities. Regardless what your job is, or whether you are in any position of leadership, developing leadership qualities can help you get through various challenging situations in life.

A good leader has the attributes that a weak leader doesn't. Qualities such as communication, decision making, trust, flexibility etc are plentiful in an effective leader. We'll focus on the 2 most vital attribute, communication and decision making in this article.

I. Great Communicator. Good communication is one of the most important characteristic of leadership. A good leader is able to communicate well not only with the people he is leading, but with external parties as well.

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.

When support is needed, give encouragement. Where credit is due, give credit. Criticize only where it is necessary and make sure that there is always a two way communication between the leader and follower. To be a good communicator means also to be a good listener.

II. Decision Making. Part of a leaders role is to make decisions and provide direction to those under him. Being a good decision maker means ;

I. MAKE TIMELY DECISION - To make decisions within the required time frame and not spend too much time considering and analyzing each possible decision. 2. BE RESOLUTE - It means having the determination to stick long enough to a decision and not giving up halfway through. 3. BE FLEXIBLE - Be flexible enough to change prior decisions and directions when it is known the wrong decision has been made.

There are times when there is insufficient information to make a good informed decision. During times like this, a good leader trusts his judgment and instincts when making the decision. The effective leader has courage and is never afraid of making decisions.

Great communication and decision making will bring you a long way towards becoming an effective leader. Develop these 2 attributes to become a better leader. - 15246

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