let's talk about the skills great leaders must master:
The Ability to be Inspirational. A leader needs to be able to inspire others. Yes, we need to hit the mind with our message, but we also need to stir the heart and its passions as well. The leader who is only rational will have bored followers who aren't inspired to go anywhere. The leader who is only emotional will have excited followers who do not know where to go! It takes both. Help them see the big picture.
Good Communication - Especially Vision. Great leaders are those who can take the vision they have and communicate it in ways that their followers can easily understand, internalize and own. Many leaders have great vision but fail to lead their organizations anywhere. Vision that is only kept in your mind is not vision, but a dream. Vision communicated clearly, memorably and passionately, so that people can grasp it and follow, is what will take your group, whether large or small, to the next level and beyond.
The Ability and Will to Delegate. Great leaders know that they cannot do it all on their own. They may be able to do a lot on their own, but they will never achieve the powerful impact that is possible until they learn to delegate, and then choose to do so. There is an old proverb that says, "One can put 1,000 to flight and 2 can put 10,000 to flight." When we delegate to capable people we increase our effectiveness and impact exponentially. Unfortunately, too many leaders do not attain greatness because they refuse to let anyone else do anything. Learn to delegate--to the right people--and you will be moving in the right direction.
The Ability to Teach Important Principles. When you look at great leaders of history you see men and women who are able to teach. Christ, the greatest leader in history (his organization thrives in every country 2,000 years after his death) primarily led people by teaching them with stories. He knew that he would have to transfer concepts to his followers that they could remember and apply. In fact, they called him "teacher". A good example of a modern day business leader who used teaching is Jack Welch at General Electric. When Welch began leading GE, it had a market cap of 4 billion dollars. Before he retired, it had reached as high as 400 billion dollars.
The Ability to Set Goals, Strategies and a Course of Action. The leader is responsible for a few key areas. Vision is one and we have discussed that. The leader is also responsible for setting the goals of the organization. They must determine (with the help of others) what the team will shoot for. They need to be big enough to stretch the followers but realistic enough so as not to discourage them. The leader must also set strategy and plot the map to get there. Managers can take care of the rest, but the leader is responsible for giving the general strategic direction.
The leader must set the course of action, defining behaviors of the organization that will be acted upon. Setting the goals will give your team what it needs to shoot for. Defining the strategy will show them how to get there. And setting the course of action will show them what to do while carrying out the strategy.
Keep People Focused on the End Goal. Followers operate on a day-to-day basis. They get tasks done that need to be done for that day or week, or even quarter. Leaders are different. They are "big picture" people. They know that the organization will outlive them and because of that, the perspective must be for the good of the organization, not just the individuals. They must see where the end is. Skilled leaders have learned not only how to inspire those following to catch a vision and pursue it, they've also learned how to paint a vivid picture of the end results that will continue to motivate them to accomplish the goals of the organization.
Remember, you can always increase your skills. Even if you just increase them a little bit, you will increase your effectiveness and your impact significantly. Even the smallest of change in a trajectory will mean a large change in distance
The key traits to look for in people who can become leaders with you? Here are the main traits to look for:
1. Tough Mental State. Leaders face tough situations and need to be able to stay focused. A tough mental state is essential. You want people who eat hard times for breakfast, because they will inevitably be called to do so!
2. Tenacity. Again, they will face hard times and obstacles head on so they need a high "capacity for tenacity!" As Robert Schuler says, "When the Going Gets Tough the Tough Get Going."
3. A Proven Ability to Lead Others to a Goal. The best people to make titled leaders in your organization are those who have already shown the ability to lead others. Too often leaders make the mistake of saying, "Maybe if we give him the job, he'll rise to the occasion."
4. A Desire to Rise Above the Status Quo. Leaders never think in terms of average. They have no desire to be average. They see themselves higher, they want to be higher, and they are willing to do what it takes to rise above the crowd.
5. Has the Respect of a Broad Range of Co-Workers. If you want to get a good idea of who your next leaders are, look to see who already has influence among your group. Once you find them, your job is to help them rise up and extend even more effective influence in the organization.
6. Successful Past Leadership Experience (Even if Small). Look at what people in your organization do outside of their time with you. Do they lead in other areas of life? If so, then they probably have the capacity to improve their leadership with you as well, since most leadership principles are applicable to a wide variety of situations.
7. Excellent Communication Skills. As we have seen throughout the One-Year Plan, communication is essential to success, especially successful leadership. Do they speak clearly and memorably in ways that cause others to listen? If so, then you are probably looking at leadership potential.
8. Takes Responsibility. Notice I didn't say "accepts responsibility." Good followers will say, "okay," when assigned a task. Leaders look ahead and ask you if they can take projects on. This is key to finding people who want to lead - they take on additional responsibilities and then deliver!
