Do You Have These 8 Important Leadership Qualities?

By Lilian Wamaitha
What makes for a great leader?
Is leadership something you are born with or something that you pick up along the way?
According to Muthoni Ndegwa, a Client Service Manager at a leading recruitment firm, leadership is made.
Nobody is born a leader. It is possible however, to stand out as a leader anywhere. And the people who have these qualities excel most in their careers as well as life.
There are those qualities that you probably already have that demonstrate that you are a leader. If not, it is very easy to acquire them.
1. Leaders acknowledged their mistakes and take responsibility of what has not worked
Leaders are not those who cower in a shell the moment things don’t go well and wait for other to take fault.
They acknowledge that they had something to do with that project that didn’t succeed.
It doesn’t matter whether you were the team leader or just a follower; you demonstrate great leadership skills by acknowledging that you had a part to play in something rather than just accepting your role when something succeeds.
2. You focus on delivering results rather than survival
We all know those people who will use others for their own success.
It’s them or no one else. They will push people around, destroy other people’s careers as long as they emerge among the top.
In short they focus on survival and gaining that promotion even if they are not delivering.
Leadership is about realizing that to excel, you need others just like their need you.
3. Support others
Some people think that will get to stand out as great leaders if they work on their own.
This is the person who will want to outshine everyone in all tasks.
They are happy when others fail.
Great leaders are those who during their rise to the top push others to succeed as well. They do not succeed alone but work towards the success of the entire team.
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4. Great leaders don’t just communicate, they listen
Effective communication is not all about talking and talking.
Listening to others as well and taking their opinions into account is a trait for great leaders.
If you are looking to be recognized as a leader, start listening more than you talk.
It never always about you, you know?
5. Great leaders are role models
Leadership is all about setting the pace for how others will act.
You don’t tell people to do A while you do B.
Leaders in short, lead by example and this is something that all of us should start cultivating now.
6. Leaders Build Relationships
As a leader, the importance of forming and maintaining relationships cannot be overstated.
Good leaders should be able to work well with teams and manage different people at the same time.
To do this successfully, the ability to effectively interact with all characters and temperaments is vital.
You will only excel at your job if you are able to form relationships with the right people.
That’s why you find some people getting hired immediately after an internship. Not because there was favoritism or the boss was a relative, no.
It is because they decided to build relationships with the decision makers.
7. Ability to Solve Problems
Another important skill that every employer in Kenya is looking to find in professionals and job seekers today is the ability to quickly solve problems.
For instance, at entry level, you are still learning the ropes. You only have classroom knowledge, which is basically theory and has nothing to do with practical application.
However, you can make the experience worthwhile by asking your boss to let you in on the difficult tasks.
Taking on challenging work can help you learn the skill of problem solving faster than your peers.
You can also volunteer to help out on other challenging tasks from different departments. This will come to pay off later in your career.
8. Inspire others
Being a leader means you are part of a team, and as a leader you should be able to motivate and inspire those you work with.
When a team member needs encouragement or guidance, offer it. Sometimes, all a person needs is someone to listen and be sympathetic.
There are some skills like leadership that were never taught in class. Instead, we have to rely on our own experiences to cultivate them. Leadership is not born but made. You can be a leader in your own capacity. It doesn’t matter if you are in charge or not. That’s the beauty of it. So start being the leader you were born to be.
Lilian is a Communications Officer at Career Point Kenya. Got any career related queries? Email them to lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke.