Being a leader isn’t a title or a position you occupy. It’s an expression of life through an opportunity to serve. Leadership is organizing a group of people to achieve specific goals.
You having the position of a leader doesn’t mean you are better than others. Leadership is more about having a destination in mind and giving directions to people on how to get there.
History has a record of men who abused the opportunity given to them to lead. As against serving people, they used the position to subjugate and extort, some even went as far as killing the people they were supposed to serve.
On leadership, George Washington said that “Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.”
This brings us to the theme of this write-up. What are the characteristics of an outstanding leader?
1. Vision
Vision separates a leader from others. It is a clear direction of where the organization is going and how it will get there. The leader isn’t necessarily the best or the most talented of a group of people. The leader is the one who has the vision of where they want to be.
2. Character
Being a leader comes with certain expectations and it also means that people will judge you with a higher standard. As a leader, you cannot but be a person of unquestionable character. Before people submit to your leadership you need to earn their trust. No one submits to a man of dubious ways.
3. Humility
The people you are privileged to lead are not your servants. Leadership is an intelligent partnership between the leader and the led to make a dream come true. Humility is not the same as weakness. . it is the ability to recognize the uniqueness of others without you feeling threatened.
We could go on, however, these qualities are enough to give you an insight into what is expected from a leader. Let’s bring this to a conclusion with a quote from the legendary Oprah Winfrey, “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people to inspire and empower their lives.”.
Credit: 📷 Google and Wikipedia