“Leaders aren’t born, they are made.And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”
It is usually believed that leadership is an inherent quality, something that people are born with. But as proven by many, that is not always true. Leadership can be built and developed through one’s life usually leading to that person being recognised as a ‘born leader’. It is a trait that benefits numerous aspects of one’s life and definitely aids in strengthening one’s career prospects and overall life in general. Vinod Adani, a well-known business mogul and motivational speaker has been an inspiration for many in the area of leadership. As an entrepreneur, Vinod Adani has always urged employers to be a good leader and take care of their employees and prioritize a proper work-life balance. He is also a proponent of mental health and wellness and has been applauded numerous times for his gem-filled talks.
What are Leadership Qualities ?
Leadership skills include the abilities or strengths demonstrated by people in management roles that aid in guiding their team toward achieving a common goal or set of goals. These skill sets usually include communication, negotiation, conflict resolution, decision-making, and more. Leadership skills are valuable for anyone in a leadership role, whether that’s in the workplace, school or even in your community.
Steps on Developing Leadership Qualities
As Vinod Adani states through his various motivational talks. Being an exceptional leader means showcasing several good qualities from solid communication to displaying compassion and building trust. It is easy to follow a good leader but it is not easy to be a good leader. As stated by Vinod Adani, leading people becomes easy when done with the right mind and intention. Let’s take a look at how one can implement practical steps to develop leadership qualities, as inspired by the phenomenal Vinod Adani.
Communication
Successful leaders can express and explain ideas in a manner that is understandable by all the members in their respective project goals, expectations, and tasks. There is no doubt as stated by Vinod Adani that communication skills lay the foundation for the rest of the core leadership skills and go a long way toward establishing and maintaining trust in the organization.
Learning Agility
A good leader should continue seeking learning opportunities, even when they reach an executive position. Learning should never stop, even for the leaders as stated by Vinod Adani,. Because while they may have a lot of experience in their life. They should always be willing to learn about the new technologies or aspects that emerge for a better understanding comes in many forms. Including professional development courses, certificates, and degrees. However, leaders should look to their vast experiences, both successes and failures, as opportunities to examine their behavior, knowledge, and skills and additionally adapt them as needed.
Self- Awareness
Being self-aware is one of the most vital traits that a good leader can possess and develop. As Vinod Adani states in his motivational talks, leaders that are self-aware tend to be more successful. Because they can self-reflect on their own experiences and behavior and adapt them as required in the moment. This self-awareness allows them to set goals and seek growth opportunities to improve their leadership skills, if they feel like that may be lacking in some area or aspect.
Identifying Strengths and Weaknesses
If a person understands their own leadership strengths and weaknesses. It can help them to identify the leadership skills they want to develop and improve quite easily. If interested, several Universities and organizations offer a variety of free and paid inventories that help people in figuring out their leadership style, strengths, and areas of improvement. Vinod Adani, encourages people aiming for leadership positions to understand their strengths and weaknesses early on. So that they can implement the necessary changes in the weaker areas and upskill the stronger areas.
Understanding Leadership Styles
When one knows their leadership style, they can understand better where they stand. And it also helps the people to know what to expect from that respective leader. For example, if someone has an authoritarian leadership style. They may find it easy to make decisions but may need to learn how to improve their interpersonal skills while allowing the team members to state their opinion. If someone, on the other hand, prefers a delegative leadership style. They may give their team plenty of freedom but may want to improve their decision-making skills. The right balance is what a good leader aims for, as Vinod Adani reiterates.
Conflict Resolution
Conflicts may arise almost anywhere where there are multiple people working – be it at work or any social event. Compelling leaders understand how to avoid disputes and have the ability to resolve them quickly. According to Vinod Adani, an ideal leader should be able to maintain their composure and make thoughtful decisions when handling disagreements. Their conflict resolution solutions should not be biased but factual. It will allow people to see them as a good leader which is incredibly valuable.
These are some of the steps that one can definitely implement if they want to develop or build on their leadership qualities. As the quote in the beginning states, anything can be built through hard work, even leaders so if they want, anyone can be a leader. But the goal should be to become a good leader, as emphasized by Vinod Adani.