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Become A Natural
Leader
By Tony Segal
"He (or she) is a born leader": I'm sure you've heard
this said a million times and probably never thought
twice about it. If you have, you may have realized
that most people who earn this title are already leaders.
Nobody challenges the statement that Winston Churchill
was a "natural leader", for example, or that he always
had plenty of charisma. Nobody challenges you if you
claim Bill Clinton always had leadership traits. We
assume they were born with these talents and that
is why they were elected for their leading positions in
the first place.
But that's not quite true. If we went back in time,
let's say to 1945, when Churchill lost the election right
after leading Britain to its great victory over Germany,
we would find many British citizens questioning his ability
to lead his country in times of peace.
What about Clinton? Although he ended his second term
as President of the US with 65% of the votes; the highest
presidency rating since World War II, he won his first
candidacy by only 43%. 37% of American voters thought
George H. Bush was more charismatic and a better leader
and 19% thought the best man to lead the country would
be Ross Perot.
Apparently nobody is actually born with leader traits,
claims Esther Shoval, an Israeli life coach and a thrapist.
"Some people develop these traits at an early age, with the
encouragement and help of supportive parents. Others
develop leader qualities by themselves, since these traits
and skills are teachable.
"Anyone who puts his or her mind to it can develop charisma and leadership traits, and gain the support of voters, organizations or an entire community", she says. "If you find this hard to believe, take a look at actors. They already know it. Many of them manage to enact very convincing leaders on stage or in films, with relative ease, whereas in real life they can be quite timid and shy".
So what does it really take to develop charisma, have followers and become a leader?
"There are four basic traits and skills to develop if you wish to become a good and affective leader", says Shoval: "Adjustment, tolerance of uncertainty and flexibility, interdisciplinary knowledge, and the ability to share your power".
1. Adjustment: Many people believe a leader should have a vision, but being too attached to a vision can make it difficult to adjust to changing circumstances. "Adjusting to new situations is as important to an affective leadership as a vision", says Shoval. "Good leaders are attentive, and they find the right balance between reality and optimism. They know how to face reality courageously, adjust themselves to changes and still remain hopeful".
2. Tolerance of uncertainty and flexibility: Being a leader can put one under a lot of pressure. All leaders find themselves in uncertain situations that sometimes lead to chaos. A good leader needs to develop tolerance toward such events instead of breaking down. If you want to develop these skills, try putting yourself in situations that make you feel uncomfortable and find positive ways to deal with them.
3. Interdisciplinary knowledge: Many people rise to management because they became experts in their field. But being a good leader requires being able to see the whole picture, alongside the ability to talk and listen to various people and experts. In order to communicate and get the best out of them, a good leader should be interested in many fields so he knows a little about a lot of subjects instead of a lot about a limited one.
4. Giving up power: The best leaders are those who know how to let go of their power and empower their subordinates. "Power", says Shoval, "can be very addictive. Some who achieve power find it hard to give up. however if you keep it all to yourself, you won't have time to deal with the more important tasks, you'll never let others develop their skills and independence, and you'll live in fear and resentment, with very little true respect from others".
<back
Leader
By Tony Segal
"He (or she) is a born leader": I'm sure you've heard
this said a million times and probably never thought
twice about it. If you have, you may have realized
that most people who earn this title are already leaders.
Nobody challenges the statement that Winston Churchill
was a "natural leader", for example, or that he always
had plenty of charisma. Nobody challenges you if you
claim Bill Clinton always had leadership traits. We
assume they were born with these talents and that
is why they were elected for their leading positions in
the first place.
But that's not quite true. If we went back in time,
let's say to 1945, when Churchill lost the election right
after leading Britain to its great victory over Germany,
we would find many British citizens questioning his ability
to lead his country in times of peace.
What about Clinton? Although he ended his second term
as President of the US with 65% of the votes; the highest
presidency rating since World War II, he won his first
candidacy by only 43%. 37% of American voters thought
George H. Bush was more charismatic and a better leader
and 19% thought the best man to lead the country would
be Ross Perot.
Apparently nobody is actually born with leader traits,
claims Esther Shoval, an Israeli life coach and a thrapist.
"Some people develop these traits at an early age, with the
encouragement and help of supportive parents. Others
develop leader qualities by themselves, since these traits
and skills are teachable.
"Anyone who puts his or her mind to it can develop charisma and leadership traits, and gain the support of voters, organizations or an entire community", she says. "If you find this hard to believe, take a look at actors. They already know it. Many of them manage to enact very convincing leaders on stage or in films, with relative ease, whereas in real life they can be quite timid and shy".
So what does it really take to develop charisma, have followers and become a leader?
"There are four basic traits and skills to develop if you wish to become a good and affective leader", says Shoval: "Adjustment, tolerance of uncertainty and flexibility, interdisciplinary knowledge, and the ability to share your power".
1. Adjustment: Many people believe a leader should have a vision, but being too attached to a vision can make it difficult to adjust to changing circumstances. "Adjusting to new situations is as important to an affective leadership as a vision", says Shoval. "Good leaders are attentive, and they find the right balance between reality and optimism. They know how to face reality courageously, adjust themselves to changes and still remain hopeful".
2. Tolerance of uncertainty and flexibility: Being a leader can put one under a lot of pressure. All leaders find themselves in uncertain situations that sometimes lead to chaos. A good leader needs to develop tolerance toward such events instead of breaking down. If you want to develop these skills, try putting yourself in situations that make you feel uncomfortable and find positive ways to deal with them.
3. Interdisciplinary knowledge: Many people rise to management because they became experts in their field. But being a good leader requires being able to see the whole picture, alongside the ability to talk and listen to various people and experts. In order to communicate and get the best out of them, a good leader should be interested in many fields so he knows a little about a lot of subjects instead of a lot about a limited one.
4. Giving up power: The best leaders are those who know how to let go of their power and empower their subordinates. "Power", says Shoval, "can be very addictive. Some who achieve power find it hard to give up. however if you keep it all to yourself, you won't have time to deal with the more important tasks, you'll never let others develop their skills and independence, and you'll live in fear and resentment, with very little true respect from others".
<back
"Anyone who puts his or her mind to it can develop charisma and leadership traits, and gain the support of voters, organizations or an entire community"
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