A famous line goes like this, “If you are ready to face your deepest failure, you will stumble into great success.” On the contrary, we could say that, if a person wants to climb the road to success, he should be ready to take risks.
Being a leader involves taking up the initiative to steer across uncharted territories to pioneer to the unknown.
Here are some leadership qualities.
See beyond the fog
A man once decided to swim across to the other side of a dangerous channel. In spite of the risks posed by the sharks and other aquatic life, he managed to carry out his endeavor with escorts accompanying him on boats. About the ninth hour, a thick fog covered the area. He managed to go on…. ten hours… fifteen hours… twenty hours … twenty two hours. After twenty two hours with no improvement on the condition, he gave up and got into the boat to reach the other side. As they just started, he was dismayed to find that the other side of land was hardly twenty yards away! He missed his record of swimming across just because he gave up twenty yards before his goal.
Being a leader involves going into foggy situations where the future seems bleak and you feel like you are hanging on a cliff. But, if you are determined to reach your goal, you should be bold enough to go beyond what your eyes can see. You may not be able to see the other side, but if you continue to press forward, you will stumble onto the other side.
Press through the opposition
When Christopher Columbus was leading his crew into the ocean, he faced a lot of resentment and opposition when they didn’t find land for a long time. With the diminishing food and fuel supply and the uncertainty of finding land, the crew was adamant in going back. But, Christopher Columbus did not budge to their demands and pressed against the opposition. Long story made short, he had the final laugh when he finally found America!
As a leader, you will also come face to face with a similar situation. People may try to talk you out and will strive to make you give up. But, when you dig your heels and press on, you will certainly pass through to the other side.
Stand out from the crowd
A leader is one who stands out in the crowd at every juncture. He does not go with the flow or fit into a mold. His thoughts, actions, behavior, personality and attitude set him apart and make him a pioneer. Most of the world leaders and tycoons are where they are simply because they stood out their crowd. You should set yourself as a standard for people to follow. Are you standing out of the crowd? Are you breaking out of the box and reaching the unreached?
Go an extra mile towards excellence
A leader should always strive towards excellence in everything he does. He should walk in truth and be a person of integrity and do the right thing whether people are watching him or not. Joel Osteen says, “People of excellence go the extra mile to do what’s right”. Are you a person of excellence? Are you faithful in little things? Are you doing the right thing even when nobody is watching?
Learning and growing always
Albert Einstein said, “Once you stop learning, you start dying”. How true is this fact? You should never be satisfied and settle in life but rather always strive to learn and grow on a daily basis improving, practicing, updating and sharpening yourself. Top leaders spend time building their leadership qualities.
What do you think are the top leadership qualities?