Great leadership is important in any endeavour as it facilitates success and growth individually and collectively. Throughout life you will hear the importance of leadership and how all good leaders are successful. But what exactly does a great leader look like?
Encouraging Others
Great leaders are those that push others to be the best version of themselves. They bring out the best in others by praising their good work and giving valuable feedback. They also show that they trust those that they are leading which allows them to contribute. Trust allows people being led to express concerns to the leader which leads to a better working environment. Leaders will also go out of their way to not only praise big achievements but small ones as well. Praising little things helps people feel appreciated and lets them know that their attention to detail is being noticed.
Self Awareness
Great leaders are very self aware. Michael Jordan, leader of the dynastic Chicago Bulls said in his documentary that he “never asked someone to do something that he didn’t do”. They realize that the same standards they hold for others are those that they themselves have to abide by. Otherwise, people will pick up on it and lose respect for their leader. They also have to realize that just because they are in a leadership position doesn’t mean they know everything. Realizing their own strengths and weaknesses will help them in delegation. Self awareness will show people that their leaders are humble and make people feel more motivated to work for them.
Delegation
This is the most important part of being a leader. Delegation is splitting up responsibilities to make sure that everyone’s strengths are being utilized. It also involves facilitating teamwork and putting people in positions where they can grow their skills, have autonomy and enjoy working. When delegating, it’s important for leaders to give clear instructions and provide people with the tools they need to fulfill their responsibilities. In many situations, it’s also key to make sure people understand why they are being delegated the tasks that they are and its significance. This will ensure that people care about the work that they are doing.
Active Listening
Most people think great leaders are great speakers and although this is often true, listening is actually more important than speaking. Good leaders spend more time listening to others than they do speaking. This means listening to people’s concerns or ideas about how things can be improved. Giving people’s ideas the time of day will make people feel valued and motivated to see their ideas come to fruition.
At LSA, we focus a lot on leadership for youth and even have programs dedicated specifically to leadership such as “The Successful Leader: Leadership and Self-Actualization”. Although leadership can be developed at any time in life, learning leadership skills at a young age helps in a youth’s psychological development. Click below to learn more about our leadership programs as well as our other life skills programs.
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