Obstacles in the form of problems and people are sure to come across the path of a leader. In the face of all these what keeps the leader going is his fighting spirit. A fighting spirit is an absolute necessity to come out as a champion in leadership. We have to learn how to fight situations and circumstances that come against us. An intimate knowledge of people is essential in fighting. you have to know what it is you are fighting against and who your enemy is. Patience is another skill to develop in fighting. For when dealing with difficult people, you have to fight with patience. You are not out to destroy the person. Your goal is to keep the bad attitudes and intentions in check and in control. Your goal is more like that of a police force than a soldier in war. In that way your fight is even more difficult because you are there for making a change in people and not to destroy them. This will require a lot of patience and wisdom in your dealings.
A Leader Is Tough
When discipline does not work, the simple rule is to fire! A bad apple is bad for the rest of the good apples and a bad attitude is contagious and will soon spoil the environment of the entire organization. You have to be tough with those who simply do not obey and listen. Preaching love in this kind of situation will be disastrous. You need to have some backbone to show them who is the boss and who is leading. Toughness is an indispensable quality in a leader.
The Leader Cares And Confronts
There are times when you have to be harsh and there are times when you have to care. The balance between the two is quite difficult. We need to rebuke and confront and we also need to love and care. The one without the other is simply cruelty and nothing else. There are times when we need to assert and other times when we need to give in and listen. It all depends on the kind of character you have. The guiding rule should be a concern and care for others even when rebuking without which we will make a mess of everything.
The Leader is Not Afraid of Making Mistakes
A bad decision is always better than no decision. We have to make decisions to move forward. Information is needed to make decisions but we don’t need to wait until we have all of the information before making a decision. Almost all of the time we will find that the information provided is not complete to make a 100 percent safe decision. But decisions have to be made. That is when commonsense comes in. Simple common sense helps in making many right decisions. Whichever methods you use to make decisions, it is always better to make one than to remain indecisive for long. A leader has to show courage in making decisions and should not be afraid of mistakes.
A Leader Is Sincere In His Words And Deeds
Insincerity is quickly found out by everybody. A leader’s motives and intentions have to be sincere if he is going to have lasting success. There are no shortcuts to becoming a leader. You have to travel the pathway of hardship and struggles because sincerity and honesty are tough things when leading people. The temptation is to give in to lies and pretensions to gain relief in the short run. You have to pay the price of sincerity in your words and deeds if you are going to be a true leader.
The Leader Develops Trust
A good leader will spend the time it takes for his people to trust in him and his abilities. He knows that people have to be convinced that you are truly their friend before they will follow you from their heart. One way a leader can develop trust is by looking at ways in improving the lot of his workers, followers, etc. A concern for others convinces them that you are indeed their friend and they are more ready to follow you. True followers cannot be obtained by brute force. You have to show them that you are indeed there for their welfare. You have to look for ways at how you will work for their benefit where you have a win-win situation. This will generate trust which will make you a true leader.
The Leader Takes Responsibility
In the heart of a true leader there is always the knowledge that he is responsible for what goes on in the organisation whether positive or negative. A true leader may enforce disciplinary measures but ultimately he realizes that he is the one who is held responsible after everything is said and done. A leader has to realize this in his heart that he is to be blamed for the faults of others. And he has to accept this fact if he is to grow as a leader. A leader cannot take credit for everything positive and then pass the blame for anything negative. Whatever his men deliver, he is responsible for it. If there is a problem then he is responsible for it without consideration of who has caused the problem. This is something a true leader will always acknowledge in his heart.