What makes an effective leader? While there is still debate about whether a leader is born or made, many of a good leader's skills are developed and honed over time.
A leader's role is always to ensure his or her team achieves the task in hand, but an effective leader will also ensure they meet more subtle requirements:
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Strong focus on the goals in hand. A strong goal orientation is one of the key skills expected of effective leaders.
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Integrity. Team members are motivated by a leader who has clear, rigid values and principles about their work and people, which they stick to during their day-to-day activity.
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Good engagement with others. A good leader will make time to influence, give feedback to, actively listen to, an mentor his or her team while ensuring their positive attitudes. This is a particularly valuable skill in times of adversity or pressure.
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Looking at the bigger picture. Effective leaders can see further than the immediate problem or situation, putting issues into perspective and context. This is often accompanied by a developed capacity to generate a far greater range of potential solutions.
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Resourcefulness. Leaders should be able to find a way to come up with new solutions to problems. It is also essential to be able to generate energy and inspiration to spark new ideas and answers.
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Organisational clout. Leaders must influence and mange upwards as well as the team involved.
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Effective communications. Good leaders put thought into how, with whom, and when information is discussed.