Many people nitpick over the differences between a “leader” and a “manager,” but in either case, a leader is someone who has responsibility for helping others accomplish a job, together with the leader. The job can be operating an investment bank, or it can be making chocolate chip cookies. The key ingredient is the leader who makes sure everyone is performing their role.
The first trait of a great leader is that he or she wants to be a leader. You hear all the time about great “reluctant” leaders, and there are people who lead well precisely because they don’t want the job in the first place. But the best leaders want to be not only leaders, but great leaders. Amazing, miraculously awesome leaders. The best leaders want to be known as the leader of the century.
To achieve this goal of being a great leader, a leader has to want his or her team to perform well. The leader has to believe in the team, motivate the team members, help them reach their individual and team goals. A leader has to truly lead the team. Not standing in the back of the room cheering the team on, but right in the trenches helping them accomplish their objectives.
And to do this, a leader has to be willing to listen to and work with team members. The leader has to be a person who hears what other people are saying and respects them as individuals. A great leader knows the team members, works with the team, and really gets involved with his or her team members. Great leaders know that involvement is the key to success for the whole team, and the success of the team determines the success of the leader.
Great leaders may be born, but they’re also made. People come prewired with the characteristics that cause them to want to lead and be interested in the job, but they have to develop the traits of a great leader through leading.
Related Course:
Become a Great Leader Hypnosis
