The Psychology of a Leader
There are leaders found in almost
every walk of life. Not everyone who assumes a position of weight can be called
a leader merely because of their might. A leader has to have certain qualities
to be called so. Let us try to understand the psychology of a leader,
irrespective of whether the leader is followed by a handful of people or by
millions.
1. Build
Relationships
Leadership gets reflected in the
ability to contribute, build, and nurture the intricacies and complexities of relationships
within the group. Some people believe that a leader can dictate terms to the
followers, which is wrong. The leader meticulously plans to respect the values
of the members and makes sure the group has a working relationship.
2. Gradual
ascension
A leader emerges over time and not overnight.
Leadership is assumed after learning the tricks of the trade. A good leader
doesn’t take up responsibilities just because they are assigned but makes sure
that there are specific plans to fulfill those responsibilities.
3. Great
Follower
A great leader always has a track
record of being a great follower – “You practice leadership by following a
leader!” The leader would have diligently followed someone and adhered to the
norms and regulations of the group before emerging as a leader.
4. High
Morals
A bad leader with high morals is 100
times better than a good leader with low principles. Unlike popular belief,
leaders need not have to be fantastic in their leadership. They just have to
adhere to moral and ethical values. If they neither have a positive goal nor
have their followers’ interest in mind, then, irrespective of their leadership
qualities, they can’t be called leaders.
5. Spurns
Cruelty
History shows us time and again that
a leader with low morals can cause millions of deaths but we rarely learn from
history. A leader may be good to the followers. However, if the goal set by the
leader is to harm or hurt others, and the method used by the group encourages
cruelty, then the leadership has no value.
6. Role
Model
It is not that the leader should have a specific group and be a formal leader. A loner can emerge as a leader, too by becoming a role model to either individuals or a group of people, or a nation. Judging a leader based on how many followers are there is less important than seeing how many people benefit from the leadership.
7. Winning
Optional
It is sometimes wrong to say that
those who win are better leaders because great leaders can lose, too. It is not
a question of winning or losing but the aims and objectives of the leader and the
group that are important. In addition, the leader’s internal behavior becomes
very crucial, irrespective of the competition.
8. Public
Benefit
Anyone with a personal agenda cannot
be called a leader irrespective of the number of followers. People who are
using others can be called businesspersons, politicians, managers, etc. but not
leaders. Most of the time the followers are rarely aware of the person’s
motives as the individual can camouflage personal ambitions. Leaders are not just
heads; they inspire, motivate and guide others.
9. Assign
Responsibility
Assigning responsibility according to
the merit of each individual is the hallmark of a great leader. Delegation of
authority, as well as accountability, becomes crucial for leaders to achieve
their objectives.
1 Create Leaders
Creating leaders is the major purpose
of exercising leadership and not to keep the followers permanently attached to
the ideal. A true leader grooms several leaders to continue the legacy and
tries to gradually disappear from the scene.
Summary
The leaders should be able to build relationships,
climb gradually into the leadership, be great followers, have high morals, spurns
cruelty, be role models, not bother about winning, look out for public benefit,
be able to assign responsibilities and create future leaders.
Who is in charge of our lives?
The Psychology of a Businessperson
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