Being a leader by nature is the trait that the majority of recruiters are looking for while checking the piles of resumes from their applicants. However, the concept of leadership is far more complex than it might seem at the first glance and those who attribute themselves the trendy definition oftentimes lack the clear-cut understanding what goes along with the eloquent phrases. What should we bear in mind while discussing the concept of leadership and outlining its influence on the efficient performance of any organization? Though the answer is multi-layered and requires solid argumentation, everyone would agree that having a good leader in the ranks of a team is a recipe for the success.
During the period of me actively considering the available job offers, I had a chance to attend a few interviews, which most probably appeared to be more beneficial for me in terms of self-esteem and realization of my professional skills, rather than acquiring a dream job with an exorbitant salary and rapid career opportunities. There were tons of unforeseen questions and awkward pauses, which made my expectations vanish into thin air. One of the questions was connected with the defining role of leadership traits in the formation of a highly-qualified specialist. Do I consider myself to be a leader? The answer did not come up to my mind right away because I never thought about the definition itself. Yes, I am hard-working and responsible person, but is this enough to pull a group of people into the desired direction? My brain has got some food for reflection.
The first conclusion that I made for myself was that there exists a huge gap between managers and leaders, because those who are empowered do not always have enough experience and authority among the colleagues to be the driving force of the development and professional growth. Managers monitor and, excuse the tautology, manage the situation to set some objectives. In relation to this, the value of great leaders comes to the foreground because they pull together the efforts of all members of the team and ensure the successful implementation of the set-up goals. They guide the team while being a part of it and this is the primary difference.
Secondly, I tried to paint the portrait of a great leader using the characteristic features that he (or she) has to possess. In my opinion, a leader should always be flexible because the reality is rich in surprises and not everything goes in accordance with the elaborated scheme. Once the strategy is suddenly changed, a leader should be able to adapt himself to it quickly and thing over the new ways of reaching the team goals efficiently. Also, leaders should be good at communicating their thoughts to the employees since nobody will trust a person who fails to show his self-confidence and the strength of character. Despite the long period of evolution, people still resemble the animal world in their desire to follow the pack leader. The company’s goal defined in a clear and confident manner is perceived by team members as achievable and, what is more, highly desirable. Another trait of a leader is courage and patience to continue fighting for the decent goal despite any possible hardship. Finally, I cannot overlook the significance of such thing as “presence”. Acting aloof or raising himself above other people will not win a credit for a person, who is eager to become a leader. True leaders should always listen to their team members and work on the implementation of their suggestions on different levels of the company hierarchy. The defining pillar of the described leadership style is the mutual respect earned by the honest and fair cooperation between the different parties.
To sum up, I would like to emphasize that leadership presupposes immense responsibility for the team members who trust in your expertise and are always ready to follow your advice. The highest praise for a leader is to see that the whole team has tuned themselves into the beat of the common goal and are afraid to let each other down. Thus, I am truly convinced that you can possess some inborn characteristics, but you need to put much time and effort to grow into a true leader, who is always ready to strain every nerve for the common goal.