Positivity is not just about you. It's about everyone around you.
PRAVEEN KUMAR KALAPATAPU
The subject of leadership is multifaceted. There are a variety of personality traits and qualities that make someone a true leader. The best way to nurture these qualities is a topic matter of great debate. But four of them standout to me: righteous intention, energy and persistence to execute, values, and Intellect. If a person is able to possess these four qualities, the other traits will follow.
Born out of Rightful Intentions
Most of the people often start thinking about Leadership from their perspective "How do I become a Leader". This is where failure of a Leader starts.
Selfishness cannot be the foundation for leadership development. The correct motivation, such as "How I can make a difference" or "How should I make this happen" or "How can I enable others to accomplish this" or "How can improve profitability or gain more business," is the primary factor in a leader's success. A leader cannot be developed if this essential purpose does not exist. Even if they succeed in becoming a Lead, they are only managing or heading the group; they are not really a leader. Whatever you are thinking and feeling you are projecting to others and impacting them. That's why positivity is not just about you. It's about everyone around you. When intentions are good, it sets base for core values of Leadership.
Because of their higher order goal, people like Gandhi, Netaji, Mother Theresa, and others rose to the position of leadership. They never needed to gather disciples since their objective is so lofty. Followers are internally driven to work toward the objective.
Energy and Persistence to Execute
Simply intending to do anything is insufficient. You should have the energy, perseverance, and excitement to carry out your plan and see it through as a leader. Execution is a difficult process. There would be numerous obstacles that may sap the team's and leader's vigour. Here, a leader's enthusiasm helps the team get underway.
Remember when you were feeling a little down, but spending time with an energetic person made you feel more revitalised and optimistic? That's how contagious these positive energy vibes are.
The simple fact is that each day you have a choice. You can be a virus and infect people with your negative energy, or you can infuse them with your positive energy. Either way, you are influencing people, so it's important to choose to influence people in a positive way. Positive energised people, often make you feel safe, happy and relaxed around them. For leadership, people need to be comfortable around him/her. Your energy can determine the success of a meeting, a workday, your home environment or even your overall company.
When success seems elusive, perseverance pays off. Don't give up. No one is to blame. Keep coming with all of your might, like a wave that never stops trying to reach the sky. Perseverance shows dedication.
Remember a time in Gandhi's life when he was in South Africa and vowed to fight local authorities against legislation that stripped people of their rights. Despite the fact that the cops assaulted him, he kept returning to hurl Bill into the fire as a sign of his displeasure. The team will follow him with enormous respect simply for this act of tenacity.
Sustain on Values
Leadership is a journey not a destination. While on the journey, unfortunately there is nothing straight forward in this world. There would be a plethora of choices and directions to be made. As a leader, you would have gotten the team going with the correct intentions and enough energy. However, values dictate the direction. Your values are the things you consider important in terms of how you live and do business. They establish your priorities, and they're usually the indicators you use to gauge whether your life is going in the direction you want it to. If you don't comprehend your direction as a leader, it's likely that neither will the group that works beneath you.
Only when team members see the rationale, which is built on values, they'll be able to appreciate the path. They want to see that your words and deeds are consistent. This means aligning your habitual practices, routines, and behavior with your core values. They are quick to notice inconsistency and contradictions in their managers and leaders. Being a true and authentic leader is all about alignment. Trust is merely a byproduct of this leadership behaviour.
Rama repeatedly demonstrated these ideals throughout the Ramayan. His father had asked him to abdicate the throne. He did this with smile and he didn't accuse anyone for this. His outstanding moral example made him a wonderful king. These values were foundation for Rama Rajya (Ideal Nation).
Supported by Intellect
When making decisions, intellect is crucial. It compiles all the information that is available, allowing you to decide and find answers for complicated situations. You'll have a greater understanding of situations as a result.
Even empathy, which is one of the important characteristics of a leader, is part of emotional intelligence. Leaders who are emotionally intelligent know-how team members react to different situations and how they deal with them. Leaders know how to capitalize on the strengths of their team. They know how to deviate the team towards their strengths. Intelligent leaders know how to plan and how to build the required support system. Team comes to the leader for a solution, particularly when the situation is complex and they are not able to find the right direction. Their trust of him/her would depend on how well the leader could understand and also find a way out. Everyone understands the importance of confidence in problem resolution. As teams work to overcome difficult challenges, an intellectual leader boosts their collective confidence. The most crucial thing to keep in mind is that the most hazardous thing in the world is pure intelligence devoid of values.
Not merely Pandava valour, but also Krishna's intelligence contributed to the victory at Krukshetra. Krishna guided and plotted it so well that Pandava's managed to win the war against greats like Bheesma, Dhronacharya, Karna, Duryodhana and many others. Krishna, who didn't even have a weapon with him, is the leader in Krukshetra.
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