Notes

The Cs in Leadership

Leadership is not without challenges and responsibilities. It is not about taking tasks and passing it to your subordinates.

Leaders also come in different levels: There are those who are good and there are also those who are great. It also does not necessarily mean that you have to be widely known to be considered a great leader, although there are those who create enough influence to be recognized by the wider public.

Researchers have emphasized on how important leaders are to the organization they work for. Leadership development and consulting firm, The Peterson Group even conducted a study regarding the nature of leaders in their respective fields. According to the result after 30 companies around Jakarta, Indonesia were surveyed and observed, organizations with the highest-quality leaders are 13 times more likely to outperform the competition in a variety of key metrics, including customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and overall financial performance.

Moreover, the study also reviews the different C’s which are basically the characteristics for successful leadership:

1. Character

A lot of people say character builds a person and is responsible for the impression that you will be creating to other people. The way you deal with other people and the actions you choose on every situation may define who you are. Strong characteristics are also the foundation to building success

2. Charisma

Famous author, John Maxwell once said, “When it comes to charisma, the bottom line is other mindedness. Leaders who think about others and their concerns before thinking of themselves exhibit charisma”. It is about making people feel good about themselves instead of having complaints on how concerned you are about yourself.

3. Commitment

You can never achieve something if you only will for it but do nothing. Commitment separates the dreamers from the doers and leaders are sure to be the latter.

4. Communication

Good communication skill is needed for every endeavor. It is never on what you say but on how you say it. Some individuals fail in this regard by thinking that it is enough that people see them as intelligent, saying whatever they want to say. Good communication skills also include consideration towards the person receiving the message.

5. Competence

Who would ever accept the leader who cannot stand on what he had said. Maxwell also emphasized, “Competence goes beyond words. It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it in such a way that others know that you know how- and know that they want to follow you”.