7 LIKABLE QUALITIES OF A LEADER

INTRODUCTION

A leader is someone who recognizes a need, and visualizes, mobilizes and organizes resources in order to actualize and realize that need. No evocative, evolutionary and enduring contribution has ever been made without the untiring and unflinching contribution of a leader. Devoid of this attribute, man becomes reduced to an instinctual and irrational animal clamoring only for survival at the expense of others. He utilizes every opportunity to devour, diminish, and if need be, destroy others. The world is clamouring for a new generation of leaders who are not only out for what they can get, but for what they can give. Leaders whose purpose is service, whose passion is transformation and whose point is freedom. They are needed everywhere – from sports to transports; from education to entertainment; from media to ministry; from public to private organizations. But a leader-servant who can find?

A leader-servant is one who leads with the attitude of a servant. He is one whose thoughts, intentions, words and actions are in harmony with sound principles and moral values. He is one who has a well-formed spirit, a matured soul, and a disciplined taste. He is one who says what he means and means what he says. Below are seven (7) indispensable and irreplaceable qualities of leader-servants.

7 ‘LIKABLE’ QUALITIES OF A LEADER-SERVANT

1.       LOVE

Love is the genuine interest in the well-being of another. It is expressed not just in affirmations but in actions. Love, or its absence, is easily perceivable. Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care. People will naturally gravitate towards a leader that cares.

2.       INTUITION

This is the capacity of a leader to know what to do per time. It is being sensitive to an Inner Guidance System (IGS) which all humans have the capacity to develop and deploy. Intuition gives a leader a sense of direction, keeps his passion alive, and gives him the motivation for consistent action.

3.       KNOWLEDGE

Leader-servants don’t only have character, they also have competence. They have an understanding of the requirements of their leadership and apply themselves to it. One truth is always certain: You can never give what you don’t have.

4.       AIM

Leader-servants have a clearly defined purpose for all they do. They don’t act just out of feeling or duty, but with a vivid goal in view. They have a vision of what they want their followers to be, and all they do is geared towards achieving this vision. You must find out your purpose as a leader or you would live out the purposes of others.

5.       BALANCE

Leader-servants are not afraid of being vulnerable; they are secure. And this makes them to be plain with their followers. They have nothing to hide; they fear no loss. They are down-to-earth with their followers. They are practical; and the people they lead respect them for their sincerity. NOTE: No matter how long you fake it as a leader, you will be found out. It is better to confess your weaknesses than to be found out.

6.       LEARNING

Leader-servants don’t just coast through life; they learn from every experience. They know that the best way to give encouragement to the people you lead is through experience. Experience can be personal or shared. Shared experience is such you pick up by reading and observing others. Personal experience is such you acquire through your own faults and victories, and through your commitment to being a better person. Shared experience may accomplish your purpose, but personal experience will definitely be more effective. With shared experience, you use more of your head; but with personal experience, you use more of your heart.

7.       EXAMPLE

A leader-servant walks his talk. He speaks out of conviction, and it shows. His life-style and message-style are one and the same. John C. Maxwell defines him as one who knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way.

THE PURPOSE OF LEADERSHIP

1.       RECOGNITION

Leadership is service. You must be committed to adding values to people with your gifts, skills and privileges. You are recognized by your leadership. You measure the effectiveness of your leadership by the people you serve. Leadership brings recognition.

2.       REQUIREMENT

People have needs of varying degrees – from depression to oppression, from stress to distress, poverty to affluence, desolation to consolation, from mental to emotional, physical to spiritual and the need to laugh and to love. The one who puts himself in position to meet these needs becomes the leader. Leadership is the requirement for influence.

3.       REGULATION

Every one living believes in the existence of God and His creation. The purpose for which man was created is to provide leadership for the earth – directing the resources therein in meeting personal and collective needs.

4.       REFLECTION

Your leadership is a reflection of who you are. It does not matter what you say and cover up with heartless actions, the real you is reflected in your dispositions. It reflects your quest and queer. Character is who you are, and this is most revealed when you are in a position to serve others.

5.       REWARDS

There is no such thing in life as having something for nothing. You must offer some form of service to others. The amount and attitude with which the service is offered determines the rewards that are accrued to you in return.

HOW TO BE A LEADER-SERVANT

1.       Connection

Heartfelt leadership starts from within; it is first within then without. To lead from your heart, you must stay connected with your source, whatever it is. Staying with your source exposes you to understanding principles that sustain life, the value of humans and their need for help. Knowing that you are also frail, it makes you humble, and fills you with such hunger to make a difference.

2.       Commitment

The cheapest way to know what to live for is by serving others. It exposes you to responsibility. Responsibility is the back door to opportunity.

3.       Commissioning

When you discover your opportunity, seize it. And act on it. No one ever gets an award for what they intend to do.

4.       Copying

If you want to make a lasting impact, make copies of yourself. Replicate yourself in others. When you lift others up, you remain up.

CONCLUSION

It is a new dawn in the school of leadership. The need for leadership is in taking people to a desirable destination. We all have a part to play in keeping watch over others. Therein lays true fulfillment. The desire of God is to see a people spotless and stainless; a people being and living out their fullest potentials. Leadership is your opportunity to partner with God in creating a new world order. Will you partner with Him?

Ayo Bankole: An International Keynote Speaker, Creative Writer, Leadership and Productivity Coach, and Corporate MC. He has spoken on several platforms - from schools, churches, business organizations to gatherings of all classes. He is the President of Barnabas International, and Principal Coach, LEAP Academy. He designs websites for leisure. He is based in Lagos, Nigeria.