Qualities Any Leader Should Possess

張貼日期：Dec 29, 2016 12:45:32 PM

Kevin Swiecki

Leaders are of enormous importance in our society. They are confronted with decisions which concern the lives of many people, even if we are sometimes not aware of their outstanding position. What qualities does it need to be a good leader? Expressing ideas in a clear and persuasive way, openness for suggestions of others, and the awareness of carrying great responsibility are only some factors for leaders to perform well.

Firstly, it is crucial that leaders express their thoughts and intentions unequivocally and clearly to others. They must be capable of touching their fellow people emotionally in order to persuade them of their plans. Therefore, their behavior must serve as an example for others. Famous European football coaches such as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola who won dozens of titles in their career were enormously successful because they transmitted tactics and strategies to their players in a convincing and motivating way so that the players could show their best performance.

Openness for new ideas and suggestions is another quality all leaders should identify with. Being in charge of a high position for several years, leaders may tend to rely too much on their own convictions, ignoring precious advice from other people. In many countries in the world, we can observe how governments neglect to take into account suggestions from other parties. In Germany, for instance, chancellor Merkel who reigns the country in a coalition of Social Democrats and Christian Democrats often misses to pay attention to the opposition’s proposals; consequently, not all German citizens feel represented by their government and they become gradually skeptical towards its policies.

On top of that, leaders need to feel aware of the responsibility they take in many cases and be humble in their behavior and actions. Unfortunately, many leaders are prone to misusing their power and being too egoistic when making decisions. In the recent financial crisis, for instance, managers of big companies like Nestle and Audi, who speculated on making more and more money on the stock exchange, jeopardized many workplaces, which demonstrated their lack of humility and respect for the thousands of workers who depend on them.

In conclusion, one can state that good leaders need to verbalize themselves well, keep open-minded and accept criticism of other people. However, we should also keep in mind that leaders can make mistakes and, therefore, some monitoring mechanism is necessary to remind them of their unsatisfying performance and to upgrade their leadership.