Looking for That Leader

Have you ever heard a doctor, after delivering a baby exclaiming, "Nurse, looks like we have another Leader born…" in the operating theatre? Ladies and Gentlemen, this is the myth of the natural-born leader.

Should this be true, just for argument's sake, these individuals can have no interaction whatsoever with any external elements and can be isolated until they are adults can emerge from this experiment and lead a group of people; doubtful. The truth of the matter is, some people seem to have benefited from the 'right' exposure. But, exposure to what elements?

In an increasingly competitive world, successful businesses need leaders to handle the pressure. Even so, an individual can't appoint themselves a leader. Leadership is an honorary title that can be bestowed only by the followers. The same goes for top management; they can't nominate leaders any more than managers can appoint themselves. The loyalty of the followers is gained through successful results and behaviours. The effectiveness as a leader is directly proportionate to their value to the rest. Those assigned to lead others but lack the skills or motivation to do so will forever remain mere position holders.

Above all else, a leader is responsible for getting the best performance possible out of people. Regardless of how many people are involved, the leader is ultimately accountable. Leadership quality is not determined by the size of the task accomplished. Many leaders spend much of their time dealing with everyday details. What makes these people great is how they deal with common yet made others follow them.

When searching for effective leaders, look out for these 5 areas:

1. Identify those who are willing to accept the challenges and responsibilities of leadership genuinely.
2. Identify those whom you respect and willingly follow. Get past the popularity contest; media hype is usually a bad indicator. Do not be surprised to find them low key or boring. Remember, they respect you, and you respect them.
3. Assess the leader's performance. Is the result verified? Is it significant? Is it beneficial for all?
4. The person is real to all. They are genuine. They convey what they feel and think. They are hard on you and treat others the same, yet we know they care for the team.
5. The person principles are in place. It does not sway with time, situation or people.

All these 5 areas are critical in any leader. Make sure they have all five. Any mistake is very costly.