By Kholwaphi Mdziniso | 2018-06-19

It is often said that a great leader is simply born that way and that it takes an instinctively assertive person to lead a group of people to success. However, not all leaders are necessarily assertive.

Respected and successful leaders have many things in common, and these traits make it easy to identify the truly innovative and inspiring trailblazers from the rest of the pack.

Leadership can have many different faces but the key is connecting to the people you are leading, the “tribe”(people that you are leading and believe in you). I use the term tribe because a leader follower relationship ought to be the tribe and the chief which is communal relationship.

The benefit of the chief/tribe relationship is that when the leader knows the people that pays off  well, both the people and the leader look out for each other.

 On the other hand, old school leadership really looks like a dictatorship rather than leadership. Where it felt like “enter at your own risk” if you had a question or suggestion for that leader. The truth of the matter is that today the plateau has changed to less hierarchical style leadership to that practiced by a coop (good for one good for all) style approach. Gone are the days of militaristic I say and you do leadership.

In this century effective leaders lead from the front and Pscaila (20017) share six characteristics that leaders need to have in order to lead from the front and that includes;

n Extreme Ownership

Leaders that lead from the front know that the buck stops with them, not any of the staff they are leading, not the environment – nothing but just you. You are the leader and the responsibility when you have made mistakes that have caused major upset or a victory that has been amazing, taking extreme ownership for your actions is paramount.

n Honesty

To be a great leader, first and foremost, mutual trust between you and your team is essential. Nobody is going to give their all for a leader who cannot be forthright with the information, or fails to keep up their end of a deal. Honesty is a critical trait of a great leader, and it earns respect from those who are working with you to achieve your vision

n Innovation

A great leader is never afraid to innovate and experiment, whether right or wrong, and take a chance on a new idea. Likewise, a great leader never relies on their team to do the innovating, claiming ownership of only the successful ideas. The willingness to explore and innovate separates the truly great leaders from those who are simply going through the motions in their day to day life.

n Support

A supportive work environment is conducive to a successful one. The role of a leader is to support their team through the tests and triumphs, and provide others with the means and opportunities to succeed. A great leader offers support in many forms, whether it is training, reviews, honest discussions, or simply giving the freedom to allow others to succeed.

n Approachability

In addition to being a supportive leader, one must be seen as approachable. If  you want to lead the pack successfully, it is best to keep your humility in check. A great leader is one who is available (not just says they are), and not afraid to own their mistakes when they occur.

n Delegation

You are only as great as the team you work with, so it is essential you have confidence in the people you have chosen to achieve your goals. This can be a hard one for people to grasp, as there are many perfectionists among us. However, a great leader knows, and trusts, when it is time to pass the baton and allow others the chance to shine. You will be left with very little time in your day if you insist on taking on each and every task that comes your way.

At the end of  the day the key to effective leadership is commitment to the cause, being the first on and the last off the battlefield and clear communication to everyone around you knowing that most importantly you are a human being leading other human beings.  John Quincy Adams says “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more”, then you are a leader and you are leading from the front.

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