7 Traits of an Effective Leader Are you heading a team, a company or an organisation and facing some conflict externally and internally? Here's all you need to know
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
Leadership is a solitary road. It requires every ounce of your strength to be an effective leader. Hence, it is time to reassess your role as a leader and check if you possess the following qualities required to be an influential leader:
Courage
Courage embodies a lot of things. It is a container of risk-taking, accepting the rainy and stormy days as calmly as the sunny ones, always moving forward come what may etc. Entrepreneurs must remember that taking independent or single-minded decisions is important but having the courage to stand by the consequences of your decisions is even more paramount. Entrepreneurial journeys are solitary but courage always helps them move forward amidst soul-crushing realities.
Persistence
There is nothing new about the trait of persistence. But it takes an awful amount of stubbornness to persist. If something is not happening, targets are not getting achieved, sales are dropping, the clientele is at an all-time low, no effort is resulting in fruition, then entrepreneurs must brainstorm as to what is lacking and how can the void be filled. They must be stubborn to break through a deadlock.
Hard work
All leaders have around the world have talked about there being no substitute for hard work. Shortcuts, finding smart tactics to work are all ways to up your entrepreneurial game but one must never make the mistake of substituting these hacks for hard work.
Failures
Entrepreneurs who repeatedly face failures must consider themselves fortunate. Confused? All great leaders, businessmen, sportsperson have faced failures. Failure is only a word given for setbacks. It a deeply embedded secular word open to multiple connotations. And the connotation of the individual must not clash with the connotation of the world. Therefore face failures with pride and courage. Fall, dust off the dirt and defeat and move on.
ShutterstockAwareness
The leaders must be aware of everything happening in the lower levels of the organisation from top to bottom. Ultimately, the leader is responsible for the smooth day-to-day functioning of the organisation. It is therefore important for the leader to take the onus of the company and keep his or her eyes wide open throughout in order to avoid accidents. Even the smallest of the details must not be left out.
Shutterstock.comHumble
People will not remember you for your work as much as they will do for your virtues as a human being. Become the kind of person who when steps out of the company is remembered by his subordinates in the times to come. It is very easy to become arrogant with position, ranks and wealth. It is tough to keep your feet on the ground in the face of life when everything is going for you. All the worldly riches and material benefit are transient and so letting them become your identity is not worth it.
ShutterstockAcceptance
There will be times when some people who appear in your environment are absolutely opposite to your liking and whose work ethics are very different from your expectations from them. In such cases, the first step is to accept and embrace them for what they are. Remember, everyone has a right to existence, the right to showcase their talent and hard work in their own unique way. It is absolutely fine to dislike or not like someone. But the way to deal with them is to always look at the positives and identity one aspect in them which you would like to have and imbibe.
