Leadership Skills Books- Do You Have the Makings of a Good Leader?

Monday, January 16th, 2012 at 3:01 pm

Many people want to be a leader-they think it’s cool to be able to boss people around, have people follow them, or to always be in the forefront getting all the glory. But that is a warped view of what leadership really is. There are 12 character traits of a good leader. Let’s look at each of them in detail.

Leaders Serve Others:
This is a biggie. Leaders actually serve. They care about others they are willing to get their hands dirty. They come alongside people and get their hands and feet muddy. They don’t sit in their office just giving orders for someone else to do it. They are willing to show people how to get it done.

Develop Leadership in Others:
Leaders train others to become leaders. They believe in and trust the people who follow them. They share, delegate, give and share credit to others for their ideas and contributions. They are not a “glory hogs”.

Listen to Others and Communicate Effectively:
Leaders listen to the counsel of others. They listen to the criticism of others. They are not defensive. They don’t get angry nor do they wilt away. They accept and even welcome impute from others for they know it is a way to make the situation better or themselves better.

Good Planners and Decision Makers:
Leaders work with others to set goals and develop schedules.

Inspire Others:
Leaders inspire others to do their best, to try harder, and to remove the limits on their dreams. Yes, they inspire their followers to do what they never imagined was possible.

Learn and Grow:
Leaders are in a continual process of learning. They look for better ways to do things.

Positive Attitude:
Leaders are “the glass is half full” type of people. They are alert, energetic, optimistic, resilient, and hopeful-in spite of disappointments or setbacks.

Have Integrity:
Leaders have integrity, they are true to their word-and if they can’t keep their word they will let you know why they were unable to do so. They set a good example of honesty and trustworthiness.

Take Responsibility:
Leaders take responsibility for their own action and for the actions of their followers. They don’t shift the blame.

Take Risks:
Leaders are willing to take risks-try new ideas. They are not reckless but they are willing to experiment.

Take Good Care of Themselves:
Leaders have balance in their lives-they work and they take time to enjoy life. They take time to think and to relax.

Are Good Followers:
Leaders seek mentors whom they can follow. No one knows everything and because a leader is willing to learn new things he is more apt to follow one who is more knowledgeable.

The truth is that good leaders were once good followers. And even in that capacity they thought before acting, planned ahead, were considerate of others, were willing to serve, re-evaluated their decisions in light of new information, were open to learning, desired to be better and to do better, and was able to communicate-thoughts and ideas in an effective manner. But they did more too.

They were willing to ask questions of the leader, they didn’t blindly follow but they were wise in their decision to follow the leader-they knew, understood and agreed with the direction the leader was going. They didn’t follow the leader if it would have hurt themselves or someone else-they utilized their intelligence. By using your intelligence it will save time and will give you a chance to grow and learn from others. Neither a leader nor a follower allows someone else to think for them. They assess the situation, they review the facts, they gather opinions, and then they make a decision for themselves.

If you want to be a leader of tomorrow today-develop the character of a good leader and you can start by being a good follower. Are you willing to learn?

Michelle J. Dyett-Welcome is the author of Excuse Me! Let Me Speak…A Young Persons Guide to Public Speaking, The SMART Guide to Public Speaking, Excuse Me! Let Me Speak! Student Guide, and The Excuse Me ! Let Me Speak Teacher’s Manual. She is a professional speaker, copywriter and President of S.M.A.R.T Copy Designs Inc.

http://smartcopydesignsinc.com And lives in Far Rockaway, NY with her husband Dwain, their two sons, pet dog Peaches and their three cats–Silver, Buttons and Shadow. Visit http://excusemeletmespeak.com/ to learn more about leadership and public speaking.

Andrew Gallop: Expert article writer: Writes and compiles articles on
leadership skills. There are more articles, videos, lots of free stuff
and products at, leadership skills books.