Thought for Today: What Are The Major Attributes of Leadership and Do You Have Them?

What are the major attributes of  leadership and do you have them? Yes, I know it seems off-base as I appear to be talking about management and supposedly business on my Life Is About Living Blog.

Do you not want to live successfully? To me that means money to live really well, great friends, family and loving and harmonious relationships.

Answer this - do you not put your management skills to work every day as you go about your daily lives, including the myriad responsibilities and challenges which you accept as normal? Obviously most of us do not think about our life skills in this way but this is what we all do in one form or another every single day. 

Believe it or not, this topic is included in Chapter 7, Organized Planning: The crystallization of desire into action - Napoleon Hill's sixth step toward riches in Think and Grow Rich. By the way, I have skipped two chapters (Planning and Imagination) and will cover them at a later date.

If you can't manage your own mental attitudes, what makes you thank you can manage others. It is simply impossible for you to inspire others to high levels of achievement if you cannot inspire yourself to do the same.  Napoleon Hill Foundation

Yet, from my quick research as seen in the two links below this post, the topic is covered mainly on business blogs and websites and are aimed at business and would-be business leaders. What a crock!

Successful leaders are everywhere, be it in your grassroots community or a protest march. Good leadership skills are essential for success in any endeavour. When they are absent chaos occurs; be it in the workplace, home-business, family etc. Think on that for a bit.

For now, let us concentrate on these major attributes of leadershp which bear not only repeating but sharing as well.

1- Unwavering Courage - This is based on self-knowledge and one's occupation. No follower wishes to be doinated by  a leader who lacks self-confidence and courage. And no intelligent follower will be dominated by such a leader for any length of time.

2 - Self-Control - The man who cannot control himself can never control others. Self-control sets a forceful example for one's followers which the more intelligent among them will emulate.

3 - A Keen Sense of  Justice - Without a sense of fairness and justice, no leader can command and retain the respect of his followers.

4 - Definiteness of Decision - The man who wavers in his decisions shws that he is unsure of himself. He obviously cannot lead others successfully.

5 - Definiteness of Plans - The successful leader must plan his work, and work his plan. A leader who operates by guesswork without practical, definite plans, is comparable to a ship without a rudder. Sooner or later he will land on the rocks.

6 - The Habit of Doing More - One of the penalties of leadership is the willingness to do more than is required of his or her followers.

7 - A Pleasing Personality (Charisma) - A slovenly, careless person cannot becomea successful leader and I would add here, even if the person possesses the requisite qualities. You want to attract not turn off. Leadership demands respect. Followers will not respect a leader who does not get top marks for a pleasant personality. 

8 - Sympathy and Understanding (Act  like a human being) - The successful leader must be in sympathy with his followers. Moreover, he must understand them and their problems, and that does not mean he or she is a pushover.

9 - Mastery of Detail - Successfull leadership calls for the mastery of details of the leader's position. That man or woman has to know what is happening and must have the necessary experts to call on as and when necessary.

10 - Willingness to Assume Full Responsibility (The buck stops with me) - The successful leader must be willing to assume full responsibility for the mistakes and shortcomings of his or her followers. If he or she tries to shift the blame will cause him or her to lose their position. If one of his or her followers makes a mistake through incompetence, the leader must consider that it is he or she who failed.

11 - Cooperation - The successful leader must understand and apply the principle of cooperative effort and be able to induce his followers to do the same. Leadership calls for power and power calls for cooperation.

When you are a leader by consent you will be followed. However, when you assume the role by force you get nothing. Think for instance of a step mom or step dad who is resented by the siblings and the parent tells them that they are going to accept the situation and that's all there is to it.  What do you think happens then?

So, do you think that you have these leadership attributes? Share with me how you go about your daily business being a leader for your child or children, loved ones, office mates, and friends.

Because you should know that these qualities exist in all of us and I am not saying go out an be a leader, and many do not want to be.

What could be interesting is for you to identify the qualities you like in yourself and those you admire in people you are drawn to. I bet they'll have some similarities to Napoleon Hill's list.

Have a quick read also of:

Howard H. Haller's Leadership Attributes (2009)
Washington Journal's Empowering List of Leadership Attributes (1998)