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A good leader is someone who has a vision and a commitment to a purpose. The purpose can be anything ranging from a very simple community initiative to a complex international issue e.g., cleanliness of a neighbourhood children’s play area to tackling and opposing international terrorism. Any issue needs a strong belief that there is a need to change something and the commitment to push for that change. A leader must also have the grace to accept whether the change happens or not.I have a strong personality and believe that an issue must be owned first by the local community. I have too identified a few such issues for which I have rallied around. The aftermath of 26/11 left deep scars and even today I lead an initiative that comes up to support people emotionally that were directly and indirectly impacted by that event. I am comfortable with myself and what I am. This is the first thing that I see in myself as a leader. I have a strong sense of commitment to myself and my causes .
I can rally around them and convince people of why they are important and relevant to us in our daily lives. I believe in taking responsibility for my actions and the actions of my team. I know that I were to stand up I also need to accept responsibility for failure that comes after a well-thought out action. Things may not always go as per what we planned and this is where a leader must stand up to say, “Yes, I got it wrong!” and not shirk responsibility. Shirking will shake the organization and the credibility of the leader .The ability to be consistent under trying situations is one of the qualities that I possess. Consistency is crucial to a leader’s behaviour. I strongly believe that a leader should not be changing stance often to play it to the convenience of the situation or what is called as ‘playing to the gallery.’ I believe, if a leader takes a stance, it must be uniform in all situations unless there is strong evidence that is strong enough to change the leader’s stance. Consistency is highly crucial for being an effective leader. Vacillation and inability to make decisions often costs a leader dear. I am not saying that a leader must be obstinate, but, it is important the leader be firm on a particular stance that has been taken. When evidences point the other way, the leader must not only convince himself, but also convince his team and followers, as to why they need to change a stance. Finally, I possess a rare quality of being able to walk the talk. This is what creates credibility and a strong sense of loyalty in the team that gives an impression to the people that I mean exactly what I say, and they have that confidence that they can rely on it, and my words are not a mere lip-service in any given situation. All these and more are the qualities that I possess in being a good and effective leader.
References
Baron, P. T. (2007). Suit Yoruself - The Secret of Career Satisfaction. NY: Little Brown and Company.
Dean, K. W. (2011). Values based leadership: How our Personal Values Impact the workplace. Retrieved from www.valuesbasedleadershipjournal.com: http://www.valuesbasedleadershipjournal.com/issues/vol1issue1/dean.php
