The Truth About What Makes A Great Leader
By James Warner
February 19, 2018 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
Leaders are essential to any group or organization. They are the people that guide, control, and manage others so that they can be more productive and efficient in meeting their goals.
However, not all leaders are great ones. Some of them are just wearing the title and don’t live up to their position.
If you’re curious to know what makes a great leader, here are some points to highlight their traits.
“Good leaders tell you what to do while great leaders make you realize what needs to be done”.
Good leaders have ideas that can only alter what’s within their area while great leaders have ideas that can change the way things are done around the globe. The scale of their ideas is what sets apart greatness from merely being good.
Game-changers and out-of-the-box thinkers are great leaders because they have the power of changing the way people think. They can call their fellow people to action and steer them towards change. An organization that has great leaders with the right mindset will be able to continue growing and evolving.
A magnetic personality is what makes a great leader. Their passion and drive are visible in everything they do. Their shoulders aren’t slouched and there is a zeal that drives them to inspire the people close to them.
“Good leaders say. Great leaders show.”
Great leaders make people observe them. They know that people learn and adapt their behaviors through observation. So, they set examples of effective work culture, communication, and work ethics to influence everyone around them.
Great leaders believe in actions and in inspiring others. They believe that every person has an innate quality of greatness within them and they strive to bring that out.
A good leader will not improve you as a person as much as a great leader will. He can only tell you what should be done in your workplace but he rarely follows his own words.
Good leaders can make you feel good but great leaders can make you feel great about yourself. You will literally see yourself evolving into a better professional when you are under the guidance of a great leader.
“Good leaders cover their weaknesses while great ones work on them”
A good leader will try and cover his weaknesses with tons of excuses. He will make excuses so that he can avoid doing a job he’s weak at. This trait gets communicated to everyone, building a negative vibe.
A great leader, on the other hand, will realize his weaknesses and will try hard to overcome them, even if that involves learning from his subordinates. Great leaders, after all, have no ego when it comes to learning.
Their only goal is to make his employees and the organization better. Everything else is secondary to them.
Great leaders work so hard on their weaknesses to turn them around into their strengths.
See Also: The Importance Of Emotional Intelligence For A Leader
Good leaders aren’t motivators! They can show you the direction but they won’t fuel you up for the journey.
Great leaders will fill you with the thrill of embarking upon something new and will see to it that you stay motivated throughout.
Good leaders become bosses but great leaders become friends. A good leader will only remain your boss and will stay within his professional boundaries. A great leader befriends everyone in his team and doubles as a mentor to everyone.
James Warner
Business Intelligence Analyst and Team Leader, Experience in software Engineering Concepts and Methodologies with Global Market Intelligence at Indian Offshore Software development Company NexSoftSys.