PREPARING FUTURE LEADERS

In the school we, the teachers, are prepare students to lead their lives in various ways whether it is personal life, social life or professional life. In todays world, where competition is at its peak, it is important for a student to learn this skill as well.

Though certain people may seem to have that zeal that inspires others to follow their lead, the ingredients of true leadership aren’t really a mystery. Many people have researched and studied the qualities that leaders possess, and they have observed many common factor among leaders.

If your students are aspiring to take on a management or leadership role in an institution or organization, or if they simply wish to have more influence in their circles of friends and classmates, encourage them to begin building the characteristics of a leader right now.

Here’s a quick summary of the traits of a leader :

• Self confidence: A leader who is self-assured, without being bombastic or overbearing, instills self-confidence in team members”. Your self-confidence and calm demeanor can help others feel more certain that they, too, can overcome hurdles and achieve a challenging goal.

• Humility: When you’re willing to share credit with others, and also willing to admit that you’re not perfect, others see that and appreciate it and are more likely to follow you.

• Core self-evaluations: Research shows that four related self-perceptions relate to effective leadership: “self-esteem, locus of control [that is, taking responsibility for what happens in your life], self-efficacy, and emotional stability”.

• Trustworthiness: People trust you when your attitudes, words, and motives align with what you actually choose to do. This includes being honest about mistakes, refusing to gossip and shift blame, and doing things the ethical way .

• Authenticity: Be yourself, and act in line with your core values and personality. People will notice if you’re trying to be someone other than who you really are.

• Extroversion: Most leaders maintain an outgoing demeanor, show an interest in people, and gladly participate in group or team activities.

• Assertiveness: Be up front about your needs, concerns, and opinions. However, don’t forget to be tactful!

• Enthusiasm, optimism, and warmth: Staying positive, being approachable, and expressing positive thoughts and feelings through both verbal and nonverbal communication help you build rapport with those around you.

• Sense of humor: Your ability to make people laugh can help others feel comfortable and relieve tense situations. 

• Passion: Leaders show an extremely strong commitment to and enthusiasm about their work.

• Emotional intelligence: A solid leader exhibits empathy towards others, has a good understanding of emotions of both others’ and their own – and recognizes that their own mood can have an effect on the entire organization’s performance. 

• Flexibility and adaptability: A leader can bring about change… so it follows that he or she must also be ready and willing to adjust to different settings and situations.

• Courage: Willingness to take risks on new ideas may put you “out there” for criticism and blame… but it also carries the reward of bringing new ideas to fruition. 

Through awareness of what it takes to be a leader, you can begin building habits that lead to increased effectiveness in the task in hand.

Meenu Sharma

The Mann School