Munira's Musings- What is Leadership?

The term “Leadership” is being thrown around these days. I decided to take a poll to see what people thought of when the word leadership was mentioned.

Here is the common theme I found:

• A boss
• Someone who leads
• A manager
• Someone who acts
• My priest is a leader

Here is what my perspective on leadership.

Leadership has nothing to do with seniority, job titles, job positions. A requirement of a leader is to challenge the “norm” and create a vision with possibility. This happens when the leader is creative.

Leadership is art that comes from within your core. Leadership empowers people. Successful leaders must be strategic and intelligent.

The four main traits of a leader are:

Character: Understand and articulate the values that matter to you and how these can guide you in your vision

Credibility: This is a key to leadership. When your words match your actions, credibility grows.

Accountability: When a leader takes accountability, they focus on the outcomes of factors they can control i.e. behaviors and choices

Communication: Leaders should be able to communicate. Most importantly they must be apt listeners. The best leaders motivate and inspire their people through clear communication.