Department of psychology

Semester: First
Subject: Sociology
Topic: Leadership
Assignment to: Madam Mubashrah
Assignment by: Muhammad Umar
Roll No: 3331
 Leadership
Everybody defines leadership differently but I really like the way John C Maxwell defines
leadership, “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” Irrespective of how
you define a leader, he or she can prove to be a difference maker between success and failure. A good
leader has a futuristic vision and knows how to turn his ideas into real-world success stories. In this
article, we take an in-depth look at some of the important leadership qualities that separate good
leaders from a bad one.

15 Leadership Qualities That Make Good Leaders.

Want to become a great leader? Here are fifteen leadership qualities that can make you a good leader.

1. Honesty and integrity

2. Confidence

3. Inspire Others

4. Commitment and Passion

5. Good Communicator

6. Decision Making Capabilities

7. Accountability

8. Delegation and Empowerment

9. Creativity and Innovation

10. Empathy

11. Resilience

12. Emotional Intelligence

13. Humility

14. Transparency

15. Vision and Purpose

1. Honesty and Integrity

leadership qualitiesThe 34th President of United States, Dwight.D.Eisenhower once said, “The supreme
quality of leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter
whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.” Honesty and integrity are two
important ingredients which make a good leader. How can you expect your followers to be honest when
you lack these qualities yourself? Leaders succeed when they stick to their values and core beliefs and
without ethics, this will not be possible.

2. Confidence

leadership qualitiesTo be an effective leader, you should be confident enough to ensure that other follow
your commands. If you are unsure about your own decisions and qualities, then your subordinates will
never follow you. As a leader, you have to be oozing with confidence, show some swagger and
assertiveness to gain the respect of your subordinates. This does not mean that you should be
overconfident, but you should at least reflect the degree of confidence required to ensure that your
followers trust you as a leader.

3. Inspire Others

leadership qualitiesProbably the most difficult job for a leader is to persuade others to follow. It can only
be possible if you inspire your followers by setting a good example. When the going gets tough, they look
up to you and see how you react to the situation. If you handle it well, they will follow you. As a leader,
should think positive and this positive approach should be visible through your actions. Stay calm under
pressure and keep the motivation level up. As John Quincy Adams puts it, “If your actions inspire others
to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” If you are successful in
inspiring your subordinates, you can easily overcome any current and future challenge easily.

4. Commitment and Passion

leadership qualitiesYour teams look up to you and if you want them to give them their all, you will have
to be passionate about it too. When your teammates see you getting your hands dirty, they will also give
their best shot. It will also help you to gain the respect of your subordinates and infuse new energy in
your team members, which helps them to perform better. If they feel that you are not fully committed or
lacks passion, then it would be an uphill task for the leader to motivate your followers to achieve the
goal.

5. Good Communicator

Good Communicator - TaskQue BlogUntil you clearly communicate your vision to your team and tell
them the strategy to achieve the goal, it will be very difficult for you to get the results you want. Simply
put, if you are unable to communicate your message effectively to your team, you can never be a good
leader. A good communicator can be a good leader. Words have the power to motivate people and make
them do the unthinkable. If you use them effectively, you can also achieve better results.

6. Decision-Making Capabilities
good leadersApart from having a futuristic vision, a leader should have the ability to take the right
decision at the right time. Decisions taken by leaders have a profound impact on masses. A leader should
think long and hard before taking a decision but once the decision is taken, stand by it. Although, most
leaders take decisions on their own, but it is highly recommended that you consult key stakeholders
before taking a decision. After all, they are the ones who will benefit or suffer from your decisions.

7. Accountability

good leadersWhen it comes to accountability, you need to follow the approach highlighted by Arnold H
Glasow when he said, “A good leader takes little more than his share of the blame and little less than his
share of the credit.” Make sure that every one of your subordinates is accountable for what they are
doing. If they do well, give them a pat on the back but if they struggle, make them realize their mistakes
and work together to improve. Holding them accountable for their actions will create a sense of
responsibility among your subordinates and they will go about the business more seriously.

8. Delegation and Empowerment

Delegation and Empowerment - TaskQue BlogYou cannot do everything, right. It is important for a leader
to focus on key responsibilities while leaving the rest to others. By that, I mean empowering your
followers and delegating tasks to them. If you continue to micromanage your subordinates, it will
develop a lack of trust and more importantly, you will not be able to focus on important matters, as you
should be. Delegate tasks to your subordinates and see how they perform. Provide them with all the
resources and support they need to achieve the objective and give them a chance to bear the
responsibility.

9. Creativity and Innovation

good leadersWhat separates a leader from a follower? Steve Jobs, the greatest visionary of our time
answers this question this way, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” In order to
get ahead in today’s fast-paced world, a leader must be creative and innovative at the same time.
Creative thinking and constant innovation is what makes you and your team stand out from the crowd.
Think out of the box to come up with unique ideas and turn those ideas and goals into reality.

10. Empathy

good leadersLast but certainly not the least, is empathy. Leaders should develop empathy with their
followers. Unfortunately, most leaders follow a dictatorial style and neglect empathy altogether. Due to
this, they fail to make a closer connection with their followers. Understanding the problems of your
followers and feeling their pain is the first step to become an effective leader. Even that is not enough
until you work hard and provide your followers with the suitable solution to their problems.

11. Resilience

ResilienceWhen the going gets tough, the tough gets going. You might have heard this adage many
times, but did you know that great leaders also follow this rule. They are resilient and have a positive
attitude. Irrespective of how difficult the circumstances might be, you will find them rallying their
followers. While most people are busy in complaining about the problems, great leaders always focus on
solutions, not the problems.

12. Emotional Intelligence

Emotional IntelligenceGood leaders always have higher influence but how do they increase their
influence on the point where people accept what they say. They do this by connecting with people
emotionally. That is where emotional intelligence comes into play.

Here are some of the reasons why a leader should be emotionally intelligent.

· Manage emotions effectively

· Better social awareness

· Seamless communications

· Conflict Resolution

With emotional intelligence, leaders can control their emotions, which prevents negative emotions from
influencing their decision-making skills. As a result, they are less likely to make hasty decisions.
Moreover, emotionally intelligent leaders are great at understanding the emotions and care about the
feelings of others. That is not all, leaders who have this leadership quality not only handles conflict in a
better way but also play an important role in conflict resolution.

13. Humility

Humility“Pride makes us artificial and humility makes us real.”—Thomas Merton

How would you feel when you are promoted to leadership status? You will feel proud. A good leader is
always selfless and always think about his or her followers. That is why the leadership styles most great
leaders adopt put lots of emphasis on problem-solving and team dynamics instead of focusing on self-
promotion.

14. Transparency

TransparencyOne of the best ways to win the trust of your followers is by being transparent. Instead of
hiding information, you should openly share it with them. By giving visibility to your followers, they will
buy into your vision and support you with conviction in achieving the goal. More importantly, it gives
your followers clarity, autonomy and make them feel more empowered while keeping them engaged.

15. Vision and Purpose

Vision and Purpose“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the
vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”—Jack Welch
Good leaders always have a vision and purpose. They not only visualize the future themselves but also
share their vision with their followers. When their followers were able to see the big picture, they can
see where they are heading. A great leader goes above and beyond and explain why they are moving in
the direction they are moving and shares the strategy and action plan to achieve that goal.

Conclusion:
To join the elite club of good leaders, you must have all these qualities but if you lack some of these
qualities, then you might struggle to make the mark in the world of leadership. You will have to set a
good example for others to follow. That is where your commitment, passion, empathy, honesty and
integrity come into play. Good communication skills and decision-making capabilities also play a vital role
in success and failure of a leader. Lastly, innovation and creative thinking, as well as the futuristic vision,
are a couple of leadership qualities that make up good leaders.

Refrence:
https://blog.taskque.com
By Sarmad Hasan