Most people want to be leaders but the actual question is, do they understand what being a leader is and do they know the DOs and DON’Ts of leadership? Within the next few lines, I will explain them and help you understand what a leader is/should be.

First of all, let us take a look at the reasons why most fail to become good leader.

Causes of failure in leadership

Here are some common reasons (causes) why most people fail to become good leaders. If you see anything that you can relate to, do realign where you can.

• INABILITY TO ORGANIZE DETAILS

Efficient leadership calls for the ability to organize and master details. A leader should never be “too busy” to do anything that might be expected of him/her as a leader. When anyone acknowledges that s/he is “too busy” to change plans, or paying attention to some sort of emergency, then s/he is admitting his inefficiency. A successful leader must be the master of everything which is connected to his/her role (position). Attention to details is important in any position (role).

• UNWILLINGNESS TO RENDER HUMBLE SERVICES

Great leaders are always willing to perform any sort of work which they would ask another to perform. When a leader thinks s/he is “too good” for some work, then s/he is not really a good leader (or a leader at all). “The greatest among you shall be the servant of all” is one truth that all true (great) leaders observe and admire. A leader should always be a do-it-all and not a think-they-not-it-all.

• EXPECTATION OF PAY FOR WHAT THEY “KNOW” INSTEAD OF WHAT THEY DO

The universe does not pay for what you know, but instead it pays for what you do, or induce others to do.

• FEAR OF COMPETITION FROM FOLLOWERS

The leader who fears that his/her place will be replaced by one of his/her followers is almost bound to realize that fear sooner or later. A competent leader teaches/trains understudies to whom s/he can assign all of his/her position’s information at will. And in this manner should the leader maximize and plan to be in multiple places, and pay attention to many problems at one time.

• LACK OF IMAGINATION (CREATIVITY)

Do you know what’s the number one characteristic HR Managers and CEOs are looking for? Creativity and Uniqueness. A leader should be able to come up with ideas on a daily basis. If a leader lacks imagination/creativity, then he really cannot lead. Without imagination, a leader is incapable of responding to emergencies and creating plans to guide his/her followers effectively.

• SELFISHNESS

We have all heard of leaders being selfish, haven’t we? The leaders who claim all the glory for the work of his/her followers is likely to be met with resentment. A great leader should not claim any of the honors, s/he is glad to see the glory go to his/her followers because s/he knows that most people can strive more for respect and appreciation than for money alone.

• INTEMPERANCE

Followers have little or no respect for an intemperate leader. Intemperance in all its forms kills the endurance and strength of those who engage in it.

• DISLOYALTY

Loyal leaders tend to be the foremost reliable leaders, and mostly those who grow a business quicker. As a leader you should be loyal to yourself, to your team, to your employees, to your company and to your employer. The key success in leadership lies on the ability to grant trust and take trust, if we are not loyal to the people we surround ourselves with, how can we expect them to help us grow? A leader who is not loyal to himself/herself, to his/her colleagues, those above him/her, and those below him/her, cannot long maintain leadership. As leaders we fail to recognize this key and until we realize this we are not going to succeed.

• EMPHASIS OF THE “AUTHORITY” OF LEADERSHIP

An effective leader leads by inspiring his/her followers and not by instilling fear (terror). A leader who tries to intimidate his followers with “authority” comes by intimidation within the category of leadership. If a leader is a true leader, s/he would have no need to announce the fact except by him/her conduct — namely, his/her sympathy, empathy, and honesty, would show that s/he knows his/her work.

• EMPHASIS OF TITLE

A good leader does not need a title to respect his/her followers. In general, the person who speaks so much of his/her title has nothing else to emphasis on. The doors of a true leader’s office are open to those who wish to visit. And their working quarters are free from formality or show. A good leader will never say “I am a leader” but instead, will show his ability of leading people.

• ABUSE OF POWER

Leadership is not about how much power you hold over people but how much influence you can create. Leadership is all about inspiring people to do well, inspiring them to follow your vision. Many leaders fail because of their abuse of power, because they see themselves as better than anyone else.

Now that we have covered the reasons of failure, we can take a look at the values of a good leaders.

Tips to become a good leader

Here we will learn some values/tips to become good leaders.

• UNWAVERING COURAGE

This is more easily described as self-confidence, knowledge or courage. No follower wishes to be dominated by a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage for very long.

• SELF-CONTROL

A person who cannot control himself/herself, can never control others. Self-control sets a mighty example for one’s followers. Great leaders stand out in times of crisis as being level headed and able to steer their project through stormy seas.

• A KEEN SENSE OF JUSTICE

Without a sense of fairness and justice, there is no leader who can command and retain the respect of his followers. Real leaders have the respect of their peers and their teams, and they treat everyone as equals in terms of the amount of respect they are due.

• A DEFINITENESS OF DECISION

A person who wavers in his decisions, shows that s/he is not sure of himself/herself. Therefore s/he cannot lead others successfully. Good and strong leaders make decisions quickly and fairly, and then stick to those decisions. However a great leader should be strong enough to understand and admit that there are better decisions when there are flaws in his/her decision.

• A DEFINITENESS OF PLANS

A successful leader should plan his/her work, and thereafter work his/her plan. A leader who moves by guesswork, without realistic, concrete plans, is similar to a ship without a propeller. sooner or later s/he will crash on the rocks.

• THE HABIT OF DOING MORE THAN PAID FOR

This attribute is mostly called fairness and work ethic. One of the consequences for leadership is the requirement for the leader to be able to do more than his/her followers require. This can be translated as a concept about never asking someone to perform a job that you would not be able to do yourself.

• A PLEASING PERSONALITY

No careless person can be a good leader. Leadership is calling for consideration and respect. Followers won’t value a leader who doesn’t score high on all the aspects of pleasing personality.

• SYMPATHY AND UNDERSTANDING

A great leader must have compassion for his/her people, and s/he must consider them and their problems. Nowadays, we refer to this as empathy rather than sympathy, but the meaning is the same. A great leader needs time to get to know the members of the team and their ambitions and expectations.

• MASTERY OF DETAIL

Successful leadership calls for mastery of details of the leader’s position. This is not to imply that the leader is the subject’s specialist, but that s/he is capable of understanding the details that have been given to him/her and of being able to challenge, dissect and execute.

• WILLINGNESS TO ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY

A good leader must be able to assume responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of his/her followers. If s/he wants to change this responsibility, s/he will not remain the leader. If one of the followers makes a mistake and shows that s/he is incompetent, the leader must acknowledge that s/he is the one that failed. True integrity, accountability, heartfelt transparency, is the mark of a successful leader.

• COOPERATION

A good leader must recognize and implement the concept of cooperative effort and be willing to persuade his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for POWER, and power calls for COOPERATION. Great leaders have great teams with great teamwork.

These are tips that have been around for about 75 years, most of the time we do ignore the smallest things which seems to be very impactful in the long run.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

Lao Tzu