Personal Leadership Development Helps You Understand Yourself And Others
What is the most important quality of a great leader?
There are a lot of good answers to that question, but I think in order for a leader to be the most effective, he should lead by reflection rather than manipulation.
In "Leading from the Inside Out," author Kevin Cashman made the observation that leadership is not something we do; rather, it is an expression of who we are. Getting to this point goes beyond learning skills such as the art of persuasive communication, it requires personal leadership development.
This kind of leadership development is something anyone can strive for whether you have your eye on a CEO position, or simply want to become a better leader in your family or social group. It involves personal growth and self reflection.
You have to look at yourself with a critical eye so you can identify your weak points and work on them.
Personal leadership requires that you learn about human psychology so you understand how others will react to you. Understanding basic human nature will also help you understand yourself and give you an insight as to why you react the way you do in certain situations.
For you to be a good leader and foster trust, you have to be consistent in your actions. You can be an eloquent speaker, but if you don't follow it up with the right kind of action, your words will be meaningless.
This means you must become a person of your word and always do what you say you will do. As long as you honor your word, you will gain respect, even when your followers don't agree with the decisions you make.
Wanting to become a good leader also requires you to learn how to be persuasive for those times when your followers don't agree with your decisions but you need them to act in the way you want anyway.
Even though persuasion sounds like you need to learn how to force people to do things they don't want, that isn't true.
A good leader will convince people to do things they may not agree with right away but because they trust and support you, they are willing to give you a chance to prove yourself right.
You should also work on your personal skills that prove you to be a trustworthy person.
Be honest in your dealings with people and stick true to your word while being flexible and willing to admit it when you are wrong. In addition you should always keep confidences and never stoop to gossiping.
Don't speak poorly of others and look to find the good in others. Take recognition of the talents and skills of the people around you and give them credit when it is due.
Personal leadership development is a good time to further your personal growth. In order to be a good leader you need to have many desirable qualities that draw people to you. Having charisma and a zest for life is important as well. No one is attracted to someone with a dour outlook on life.
By taking personal development courses, you will grow as a person first, on the inside. This will automatically make you a better leader. However, you must also have the practical skills needed. You can have all the charisma and trust in the world but if you don't know how to solve problems and set goals, you won't be a very good leader.
If you want to be a leader in your community, you should educate yourself on motivating groups, organizations, and the public at large. Learn about the laws and regulations that govern your organization and make sure you know what you are doing.
If you have your eye on a leadership position at work whether it is a shift manager or head of the company, you should know the business inside and out so you can lead from a position of authority.
Personal leadership development may require that you take training classes or read books on the subject. The more you learn, the better your leadership skills will become. So instead of looking at it as a class you want to get over with, consider personal leadership development as a lifelong process.
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"My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."
Pablo Picasso
"To lead people, walk beside them ... As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honor and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate ... When the best leader's work is done the people say, 'We did it ourselves!"
Lao-tsu
"No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings."
Peter Drucker
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