Just 3? That's not enought!

See this list and link below:

DEVELOPING LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Leaders are both born and made. See if you have what it takes to be a manager, and what you can do to improve the skills you already have.

10 Qualities of a Leader—and How to Acquire Them

Managers don't become leaders overnight. Even “born” leaders don’t start out possessing all these skills. To be a strong leader, you need to:

1. Have vision. Leaders have a clear sense of where they want to go and how they intend to get there. They see the big picture, then create a strategic plan for achieving their goals.

Learn how to develop your vision : Befriend top business leaders in your community (not necessarily just those in real estate), read new and classic business books and great leaders’ biographies, and formulate a mission statement for your company. Sites for top business books include: BestBookBuys and Two-Day.com.

2. Make decisions. Leaders aren’t afraid to make difficult or unpopular decisions because they have confidence in themselves and in their abilities. They know that indecision wastes resources and opportunities.

Learn to hone your decision-making skills : Practice making decisions in areas where failure isn’t critical to increase your confidence. If a decision turns out to be wrong, learn from it and move on.

3. Take risks. Leaders have the courage to act in situations where results aren’t assured. They're willing to risk failure.

Learn how to take risks: Analyze the situation, listing pros and cons for each option, then assign each choice a risk factor rating from 1 to 5. Next determine the likelihood that each outcome will occur. This will help you determine how much risk you want to take.

TIP: Don't expect perfection. No one wins all the time. Leaders grow by making mistakes.

4. Motivate others. Leaders can articulate their vision and ideals to others, convincing them of the value of their ideas. They can inspire people to work toward common goals and to achieve things they never thought they could do.

Learn how to motivate people: Explore the different needs that motivate people and recognize that the same rewards don’t motivate everyone. Listen carefully to others to learn what motivates them.

TIP: Motivate employees by making sure they understand how their work contributes to a larger goal.

5. Build teams. Leaders create productive teams that draw the best from people. They effectively coach teams in collaboration, consensus building, and conflict resolution.

Learn how to improve your teambuilding skills : Avoid preconceived answers to every question. Concentrate on appreciating different points of view during discussions rather than just trying to prove your point. This same willingness to include others is the key to successful teambuilding.

6. Possess self-knowledge. Leaders know their own strengths and weaknesses and are able to view their behavior objectively. They recognize their shortcomings, open themselves to feedback, and are willing to make changes when necessary.

[# 7 through #10 is below]

Links:

• http://www.realtor.org/rmotoolkits.nsf/pages/brokerlead01a

posted February 1, 2008

4) Self-Aware - leaders must know their strengths and limitations. They must seek to grow & learn from others. They must always accept praise & criticism the same way - with open minds, & hearts.

posted February 1, 2008

Different people have different concepts about leadership
In my view a leader is the one who
1- leads from within
2- leads by example
3- must have a vision
4- promotes his/her team towards personal successes and achievements
5- is not afraid to say sorry, I made a mistake
6- is confident enough to say I don't have a clue about this one but I can try to find the anser/solution
7- who doesn't live in an ivory tower
8- who is not afraid to show s/he also a human person and can be vulnerable at times
9- is assertive - needless to say
10- projects fun team spirit

The problem is everyone this time and day call themselves a leader, and has become a term that is over used
Iman

posted February 1, 2008

- Be an Example for the team
- Establish Transparency
- Be Positive

posted February 1, 2008

1. Practice what you preach.
2. Don't talk out of your ass. Nothing is more annoying than a "leader"
who tries to be an expert on something of which they are not
experienced.
3. Recognize strong efforts that fell short as well as successes -- In other
words, show your team they are appreciated.

posted February 1, 2008

Courage, Intelligence, Honesty.

posted February 1, 2008

These are all good attributes of effective leader.
I’d like to add that an effective leader MUST also have a high emotional quotient (EQ). What is EQ, you ask. According to Daniel Goleman, EQ is the ability to realize one’s emotions, and how these emotions can impact one’s behavior. Furthermore, knowing how to control one’s emotions allows the individual to understand and manage the emotions of others.

An effective leader also needs to be a servant leader not an ego-driven figurehead.

I believe compassion is another attribute of a strong leader. A great leader ought to have sympathy and empathy for humankind.

posted February 1, 2008

Cheerleading ability, sense of responsibility, problem solving ability.

posted February 1, 2008

Hi Daniel,

Based in my professional experience I have identified this assortment of attributes and qualities as inherent elements for being a true leader in today’s business landscape. Let’s see what they are:

- Enthusiasm: The energy, time and passion that he/she dedicates to develop a vision, idea or inspiration from scratch and become it in an initiative or project is a direct consequence of his/her own attitude of self-confidence that reflects enthusiasm about life and profession, passion to excel and full commitment with the business goals that have been defined.

- Perseverance: It is one of the key factors to be considered, the ability to be disciplined, persistent, going ahead is spite of the difficulties, failures and opposite forces that could affect the expected course of any transformational project or strategic business initiative where he/she participates actively.

- Creative thinking: Feeling the freedom to dream asleep, having the willpower to encourage an innovative mindset in the workplace, a true leader will posses the empowerment needed to become all those dreams and innovations in powerful energy to develop real projects showing enough motivation to generate outstanding outcomes and being instrumental to create, produce and promote top-notch products, processes and/or services.

- Humility: Open mindset and humility to learn effectively from mistakes or failures and by this way to internalize experiences and extrapolate learned lessons that can be used afterward advantageously in life, business and/or management.

- Personal empowerment: A true leader is confident about how his/her skills, competences and inner abilities that when are applied consistently and applying the appropriated strategic focus can signify a clear differentiator to reach success in any project or venture no matter how difficult, risky or challenging this could be.

- Excellent communication: The capacity to communicate ideas, information and knowledge motivating effectively to co-workers, being influential over Senior Management to ensure effective commitment and converting all these ideas in viable projects and in tangible realities by working hard with teamwork’s spirit and with strategic focus are inherent qualities of a real leader.

- Innovator: Being curious with reference to science, society and business is an exceptional quality of a professional who is passionate to dedicate time, resources and talent to research and integrate data, information and knowledge about practices, products and methodologies that could are dispersed and beyond of their present time can signify a competitive advantage if are well understood, analyzed and integrated. A real leader excels in his/her capacities of applying creatively out-of-the-box and lateral thinking.

- High self-esteem: An effective leader is by nature a self-confident person who has the courage to overcome doubts, uncertainties and fears while being upbeat to be faithful with him/her beliefs, convictions and viewpoints even beyond of him/her personal limitations, business constraints, odd appreciations and even, envy of his/her co-workers.

- Willingness to learn: The learning curve of a successful leader never ends. Each opportunity and situation is a new chance to learn and go through the “knowledge’s highway” to succeed.

- Courage: When everybody seems to be opposite to his/her venture he/she shows consistently how much emotionally strong he/she is, while being persistent enough to identify, describe and follow the proper path to make that him/her dream comes true.

I hope this helps you.
Octavio

posted February 1, 2008

Emotional intelligence
Social awareness
Personal awareness
Professional competence

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF

Links:

• http://www.andersonservices.com

posted February 1, 2008

Boy, Daniel, three is such a little number for such a big topic! I'd have to say that the most important 3 would be visionary, ethical, motivator.

posted February 1, 2008

Hi Daniel,

Great Leader - we just had a conversation with one of my colleagues on this. Whether leaders are born or can be made? What kind of characteristics they should meet in order to be "GREAT".

All what I read as answers for this question are obviously true. But this would also mean, that it is almost impossible to become / be a GREAT leader.

I think great leadership is always confirmed by the team the person leads. Therefore you should also meet the requirements /as leader/ of other, i.e. your current team. In the team each individual will have different requirements towards the GREAT leader. This could mean, that you, as a leader will behave differently with each team member to win them and to get their trust and make them see you as a real leader.
So you should ask YOUR team member, what they think, who is a GREAT LEADER! Have fun in the conversations, because they will be fun!!!

Rita

posted February 2, 2008

I think it's different for everyone. Most people seek out leaders that inspire and push them to the next level.

1) The ability to make the tough decision (in making that tough decision not worried about everyone liking you)

2) Passion (people love following people with passion)

3) Communicator (must be able to get the message across)

posted February 2, 2008

How about a bit of cross-fertilization?

Links:

• http://www.linkedin.com/answers/management/organizational-development/MGM_O...

posted February 2, 2008

1. Trust and transparency
2. Courage and conviction
3. Intelligence and vision

posted February 2, 2008

The top 3 are:

- Thinks about the future

- Communicates the vision

- Mobilizes and energizes others to start moving

Terry

posted February 2, 2008

I would modify your second choice (listen) to make it Communication, because great leaders, in my experience, know what to say and how to say it to get their messages across--in addition, as you say, to listening. The only other quality I would add to your short list is Self Knowledge. I don't think you can lead unless you know yourself.

posted February 2, 2008

The greatest problem about this question is the word 'must' and I agree with Peter on this. A leader emerges for a variety of reasons and the moments can be transitory - you only have to look at Churchill for that, outside of rescuing Britain from Nazi rule in the most extraordinary way, his actual leadership skills outside were poor.

Common characteristics amongst people generally acknowledged as good leaders are more revealing. Great leaders like Ghenghis Khan would hardly rate on the chart today but interview a few of his followers from beyond the grave and they would tell you his vision and sense of purpose turned a backward steppe people into an empire that stretched from China to Bulgaria (to put that into perspective, most ordinary Americans have not left their state let alone their country - the Mongols coquered much of the known world on horseback). Alexander the Great did similar feats. What these guys had was that they inspired greatness in the individuals who followed them. Whatever you say about their motives or methods you can hardly say that of many modern day leaders and they would hardly qualify as listeners or have massive integrity.

So leadership can display itself in many forms for many situations or eras.
For me - it's the ability to look for inspiration in whatever the circumstance, whether it's to get a vision or wisdom or when in crisis to get instructions or encouragement - you look for a consistent clarity of purpose and what is expected of you. While it would be nice, you don't respect them just for their compassion.

One great quote about one who served the famous rugby captain, Martin Johnson, who inspired England to win the World Cup and the British Lions to beat South Africa was that 'You would not want to let him down'. There were connotations of fear but more of shame and inner disappointment that if you failed to meet the standards he or she set, you were left dejected. This is one of the things leaders have in common, they set standards by their own actions and vision to inspire others to aspire to meet those standards and jettison those that fail to meet the standards.

In that sense, while having an EQ is really nice, you wouldn't want that to make you hesitate in a crisis when instant decisions could mean life or death.

Links:

• http://www.calxeurope.com

posted February 3, 2008

Hi Daniel,

a genuine and authentic leader should be visionary, charismatic and transformational. This opinion is based on the following reasons. Just shortly, we should know that charisma and transformational leadership highly contribute on the influence of leader's personal attributes and the trust of followers.

These characteristics are also very important during time of change and crisis. The major role of leadership is crucial, when is needed to highlight a vision, to apply leader's intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration in relation to company's status quo.

Secondly, those leaders, who are visionary, charismatic and transformational are potential source to creation competitive advantage and its sustainability that can be resulted from organizational growth through strategic implementation, through acquisitions, continuous innovation and growth through people. All of these are results of leader's long-term endeavors in the way how they affect a company business. I would say, that is the core for successful business on today's competitive and global markets.

Best regards,
Peter

Links:

• http://www.wrigley.com/wrigley/about/about_wrigley_way.asp

posted February 3, 2008

In their primes, Qin Shi Huang Ti. Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, General George Washington, Field Marshal Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel, General George Patton, General Douglas MacArthur appeared to have qualified as great leaders for large portions of their respective careers.

To me, their one most salient common quality was explicit leadership, which to me is not as easy as it might sound.

Deportment, cultivating the perceived ability to visit consequences upon one's followers, and a degree of gravitas seem to me to have attended those leaders of the past.

They seem to me to have had the ability to identify and secure good counsel and able help.

The sustainable ability to command with confidence seems to me to be an essential attribute of a successful leader.

In that part of today's world to which I am privy, I seem to observe many people appointed or elected "leader" who appear not to work out as all-that-great leaders for one reason or another.

Consistency appears to me to be another characteristic of the great leaders of history. Machiavelli encouraged Lorenzo Medici to be able to appear beneficent while commanding respect; it seems to me that most great leaders of note were not renowned for integrity as we seem to popularly connote the word today.

One might know where one stood with the great leaders of old, or one might not; and people seemed to suddenly die every day.

I think indifferent leadership lacks decisiveness and may underestimate the currency of respect.

I hope this may make some sense.

posted February 3, 2008

1. Innovation
2. Creativity
3. Empathy

posted February 4, 2008

Hi Daniel

Everyone serves as a "leader" in some capacity because leaders are relational through relationships, influence. Thus a father, mother, brother, or sister are leaders. The CEO, middle manager, and line worker are leaders. We can exert our leadership for good or for ill.

I think the greatest people/leaders:
1) serve life by taking care of themselves; others; and the environment
2) know themselves and help others know themselves
3) know that they are part of something bigger than "self" and help others gain a sense of purpose and destiny

Bill

posted February 4, 2008

Charismatic, Honest, Intelligent

posted February 5, 2008

Generosity, Credibility and Support

posted February 6, 2008

Enthusiasm is not a top 3 quality. I don't want a cheerleader as my leader. In fact, those folks who are 24/7 enthusiastic drive me and others nuts. They have no sense of reality.

Leaders should have a strong stomach, a strong sense of personal responsibility and a willingness to identify, embrace and applaud other folks' skills.

They should be humble and willing to listen.

They should maintain a sense of humor and be able to laugh at themselves.

Too many leaders isolate themselves in ivory towers and surround themselves with layers of "yes" assistants.

For my money, I'd rather have a leader who is grounded in reality and tells it like it is. If the next 12 months are going to be brutal, I would rather hear it now, than to be lead along on a series of half-hearted cheering sessions.

posted February 6, 2008