eLearning CE: Activity 3 - Rayner Tan(21)

What traits do they possess?

1. Honest - People want to follow an honest leader. Years ago, many employees started out by assuming that their leadership was honest simply because the authority of their position. With modern scandals, this is no longer true.

   When you start a leadership position, you need to assume that people will think you are a little dishonest. In order to be seen as an honest individual, you will have to go out of your way to display honesty. People will not assume you are honest simply because you have never been caught lying.

2. Forward-Looking - The whole point of leadership is figuring out where to go from where you are now. While you may know where you want to go, people won't see that unless you actively communicate it with them. Remember, these traits aren't just things you need to have, they are things you need to actively display to those around you.

   When people do not consider their leader forward-looking, that leader is usually suffering from one of two possible problems:

   1. The leader doesn't have a forward-looking vision.
   2. The leader is unwilling or scared to share the vision with others.

   When a leader doesn't have a vision for the future, it usually because they are spending so much time on today, that they haven't really thought about tomorrow. On a very simplistic level this can be solved simply by setting aside some time for planning, strategizing and thinking about the future.

3. Competent - People want to follow someone who is competent. This doesn't mean a leader needs to be the foremost expert on every area of the entire organization, but they need to be able to demonstrate competency.

   For a leader to demonstrate that they are competent, it isn't enough to just avoid displaying incompetency. Some people will assume you are competent because of your leadership position, but most will have to see demonstrations before deciding that you are competent.

   When people under your leadership look at some action you have taken and think, "that just goes to show why he is the one in charge", you are demonstrating competency. If these moments are infrequent, it is likely that some demonstrations of competency will help boost your leadership influence.

   As a leader, one of the safest ways to "toot you own horn without blowing it", is to celebrate and bring attention to team achievements. In this way you indirectly point out your competency as a leader. For example: "Last year I set a goal of reaching $12 million in sales and, thanks to everyone's hard word, as of today, we have reached $13.5 million."

4. Inspiring - People want to be inspired. In fact, there is a whole class of people who will follow an inspiring leader–even when the leader has no other qualities. If you have developed the other traits in this article, being inspiring is usually just a matter of communicating clearly and with passion. Being inspiring means telling people how your organization is going to change the world.

   A great example of inspiration is when Steve Jobs stole the CEO from Pepsi by asking him, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to change the world?" Being inspiring means showing people the big picture and helping them see beyond a narrow focus and understand how their part fits into the big picture.

   Intelligent - Intelligence is something that can be difficult to develop. The road toward becoming more intelligent is difficult, long and can't be completed without investing considerable time. Developing intelligence is a lifestyle choice. Your college graduation was the beginning of your education, not the end. In fact, much of what is taught in college functions merely as a foundational language for lifelong educational experiences.

   For more detailed explanation go to: http://www.leadership501.com/five-most-important-leadership-traits/27/

How do you think a good leader manages crisis under stressful situations?

Being honest to his/her team, look to the future and make plans for it, being competent, inspiring the team to carry on and also have faith in him/her, and making intelligent choices.