Leadership DevelopmentWhat makes a good Leader? Can you define specific qualities? Or perhaps Leaders are born, and not made? This document takes a look at this minefield and asks 'How do you become a Good Leader?' | ||
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Leadership StyleWhat does a leader look like? No cookie cutter models here. Everyone can develop their capacity to lead, from church committees to local pressure groups to business teams to political parties. When someone is committed to, and practises using their leadership capabilities at all levels in their life, then they can and will develop their own potential as a leader. There is a tendency, in our Western culture, to see Leadership as synonymous with white, middle class, male, in charge. There's a kind of unspoken template of what leadership is supposed to look like. Now we know that isn't true. Leadership can and does come in many different shapes and forms. Good leaders don't conform to a template. Indeed, leaders are people who don't usually follow the party line. They have an edge to them, they get up people's noses sometimes, they make decisions - lots of them - that often others don't like. They say the things that need saying in a way that others understand. Don't let the picture get in the way However, it is important to acknowledge that people developing their leadership skills are often hampered by their picture (or other people's picture) of what a leader is supposed to 'look' like. This is when it's important to understand that the role of leader is not only completely individual (remember, they don’t fit a mould!) but also has to be worked at with belief and will and determination by the person occupying it. It's different for everyone Not only that, leaders will be experienced differently by the individual people they lead. One getting encouragement, another understanding. That, of course, will be due to the leader's ability to see what each person needs (more on this later). In addition, not every leader is going to be a great leader in the sense that the world around them acknowledges their leader status. Many leaders get no 'public' recognition, only their personal satisfaction of a job well done. Next page leadership theory Home page leadership development Read more about leadership skills training, development and coaching tips @ Impact Factory Find Impact Factorys next available Open Leadership Development Course For Tailored Leadership Development Training see Leadership Development Training For One-to-One Leadership Skills see Executive Coaching If you want some in-depth thoughts about Leadership, read the article called Leadership - Are Leaders Born or Made? on our Jolly Good Read page |