What’s it take to be a good leader? If you read all the literature, you’d think you’d have to have a certain set of skills and abilities, a certain type of degree or certificate. Sure, it helps if you can manage change, be proactive, not be afraid to take risks and have an understanding of your emotional intelligence. But I firmly believe we are all leaders in our lives already. I think about my professional life – taking control of my career, leading teams, spearheading projects and initiatives. I think about my personal life – setting goals, achieving visions, leading my siblings through elder care issues and challenges, partnering with my spouse to craft the life that we want, and volunteering in my community. All these things have some common threads – change management, courage, passion, emotional intelligence and a bit of risk taking.
Here are three views of leadership for your consideration.
- In Roselinde Torres’ TED Talk, she asks us what it take to be a good leader by posing three questions for us to answer: questions about change, diversity and “seeing around curves”. How would you answer her questions? Are you a leader that dares to be different? Listen to her 9 minute talk here.
- Entrepreneur magazine, in the article “22 Qualities That Make A Great Leader” lists 22 qualities that make a great leader, among them passion, integrity, positivity and communication. All qualities we all use in varying degrees every day. Check out the article and it’s animation.
- Daniel Goleman, author Emotional Intelligence, in an article for the Harvard Business Review Dec 2013 titled “The Focused Leader” indicates that by focusing our attention into three broad buckets—focusing on yourself, focusing on others, and focusing on the wider world—this will illuminate in a new light the practice of many essential leadership skills. He says that attention is the basis of most essential leadership skills – emotional, organizational and strategic intelligence. What are you focusing your attention on? Whether or not you have the official title of leader, as managers, employees, husbands, wives, parents and individuals, we’re all leaders whether we think so or not. Given that, what qualities will you focus on to become a better leader?
Paul Papierski is a member of the Workplace Learning and Development Team. For more information visit his bio link on Workplace Learning and Development Web page.