Introduction
Leadership is one of the least understood and the most observed phenomenon on the earth. Leaders have some shared purposes and they want to bring changes and outcomes through their leadership. The influential relationship exists among the followers and the leaders. Influence in the leadership is not passive; it is multidirectional and reciprocal also. The changes indicated in the leadership are not particularly defined by the leaders but they are actually the purpose why the followers and the leaders are together. All the people under a leader are influenced to come together and share a common vision and bring out changes for a desirable future. Leadership is not administrative activity, it is rather a people activity that happens among people and not done to them. So, followers are required in the leadership.
The leaders possess different personal distinguishing characteristics that make them different from others like honesty and inspiring. Leaders having honest self-awareness and who can inspire others are likely to become good leaders and people are naturally influenced towards them. I believe for myself to become an effective leader, I should have qualities like Honesty and ability to inspire others.
Honesty as Leadership goal
Honest leaders are authentic leaders and people are naturally attracted towards the leaders who have an honest self-awareness. They do not have to put other down to keep them up. I also feel Honesty as one of the most important goal for leadership as I love what I do and I pass on positive energy to others also. I need to have strong ethics or I will get into trouble as a leader. In order to be successful as a leader, I have to be honest with my followers and the public for maintaining the integrity. I always have to be true to them that would mean an openness that attracts followers towards me.
Honesty: Absolutely essential to leadership
If we are willing to follow someone, whether in the meetings or boardrooms or in the battleground, we first need to ensure that the person is capable and trustworthy. She/he would not leave us midway. We want to first assure ourselves that the leader is being truthful, principled and ethical. Very initially, we need to be confident of the leader’s integrity. So, for me to be an effective leader I pursue Honesty as absolutely essential to leadership as people then would be more confident of me and would not hesitate in following me.
As a leader, I can be ethical in my actions and decisions and thus can keep an optimistic attitude to help people have confidence in me. I can develop the personal characteristics of integrity, self-confidence, and integrity which are essential for successful leadership in each and every situation and organization. In today’s scenario, people show caution about possible dangers and problems from the authority and use of power, so they need leaders who have high moral standards. They need leaders who should be highly consistent i.e. constantly following what they say they will do and also at the appropriate time. So, to be an effective leader I need to prove myself trustworthy.
Honest Attitude Affects Leadership
An optimistic and positive outlook towards life is essential for effective and successful leadership. Values like Honesty helps in developing an attitude that leaders have for their followers and about themselves. Attitude, that leader has towards his/her followers define how they relate to people, what they think about them. A leader’s style should be based on attitudes about human nature in general like whether people are trustworthy and honest. I also pursue Honest and trustworthy attitude towards life to be an effective leader and having followers with full confidence in me. I shall have an honest attitude towards myself and towards my followers.
Ethical leaders
Ethical leaders are always honest with employees, customers, shareholders, vendors, and partners. They always try to be fare and take care of the commitments and agreements with their followers and partners. Honesty and straightforwardness are the best means for any leader to be successful. I also pursue Honesty and straightforwardness for myself to become a successful leader.
What if Honesty is not followed in Leadership?
It’s very clear now that people are willing to follow you only when they consider you trustworthy, principled and ethical. They want to be fully confident of their leader and believe that their chosen leaders are people of full integrity and strong character. If I would not be honest with people, I shall not be able to be a successful leader. For example, According to a survey conducted some years ago by the USA Today, 82 percent of CEOs lied about their golf scores. Though it was a small thing, but the dishonesty of any kind became a way of business and life.
An honest leader always enhances the lives of others and uplifts other people. If I shall not be honest I would not be able to help others and would take away from others in order to enhance myself. People would then not follow me and dishonesty would prove drastic for me. So, I should be honest to serve others and help people to expand their potential as human beings.
Inspiring as Leadership Goal
An effective leader is inspiring who can focus on investing in people so that they are also inspired and energized to achieve their goals. While, on the one hand, an authority relationship is based on position and authority; leadership, on the other hand, is based on an influential relationship where the main role is to energize and attract people, inspire others to achieve their goals through challenges and purpose rather than punishments or rewards. For example, on taking a Manager’s official position, are people willing to follow him? That is what defines leadership.
An effective leader should be able to inspire and motivate followers by creating a vision of the future, personal qualities development, shaping culture and values by designing social architecture and creating necessary changes for the integrity culture. I should be able to inspire and motivate followers to be an effective leader.
Characteristics of an Inspirational Leader
It is a well-known fact that effective leaders motivate and inspire us, whereas an ineffective leader takes away energy from us and weigh down our spirits. Following are the characteristics that I am pursuing to achieve to be an inspirational and motivation leader:
I shall be authentic: People are attracted towards leaders, who are motivational and comfortable with what they are doing. They pass on energy to others and love what they do. I will also be authentic toward my work and will not put others down. Being always authentic would help me being an inspirational leader.
I shall listen to others with respect: To be an effective leader, I shall ensure that I listen to others will full respect. Whether the man is wrong or right, the person deserves the right to be listened. Listening to the people respectfully would motivate and inspire them to express their views and would enhance their trust in me for being an effective leader.
I have a passion for learning and sharing it with others: Continuous learning and sharing it with others helps in motivating and inspiring others with new ideas and methods and I shall follow my passion for learning to be an effective leader.
A good leader always inspires and motivates followers to be mindful rather than mindless. People always follow the leader who arouses follower’s curiosity, thoughts, and imagination, open challenges for them to learn and think, and encourages them to new and inspirational ideas. I shall also stimulate the ability of the followers to solve the problems and arouse their curiosity for new and inspirational ideas.
How Emotions are important to be an Inspirational Leader?
The entire team, organization, and department are influenced by the emotional state of the leader. The emotional state of one person can affect the emotional state of another person as well. For example, someone in a bad mood can bring us down. Being around an enthusiastic and inspirational person brings a positive attitude in us. I shall be an emotionally strong leader and would maintain balance and keep myself motivated so that I can serve as a positive role model for others to help inspire and motivate them with positive energy. I shall use my understanding of emotions to inspire others and leading people to something better.
What if inspiring as a goal is not followed in Leadership?
An effective leader can inspire trust by being trustworthy. I also need to be inspirational for others, by building trust by doing what I say I will do, focusing on their well-being and being fully honest with others. If I cannot be inspirational for others by bringing in new ideas and challenges and cannot bring positive energy in them, no one is going to follow me and I would never ever be successful as a leader. For example, Dawn Marshall, an effective leader became a good leader by setting examples and inspiring and uplifting other people by using a positive attitude.
Conclusion
An effective leader must have honest attitude, must be ethnic and motivational and inspirational for others. These characteristics are the essential for anyone’s personality through which they gain the capability to lead a group of people successfully in the right direction. Honest leaders are authentic leaders and people are naturally attracted towards the leaders who have an honest self-awareness. I shall have honest and positive attitude and shall not put others down to keep myself up. Similarly, I shall be motivational and inspirational for others to encourage new ideas amongst them and to arouse their thoughts, curiosity, and imagination. These characteristics are what are needed to make me a leader worth following and respectful for any leadership position. I shall follow all these goals to bring out the best from me to be an effective leader.
References
Daft, R. L. (2015). The Leadereship Experience. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
