I read somewhere that leadership is “the process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”; now if that describes leadership, then what attributes does a leader have to have in order to lead?

All leaders, whether they lead a massive company like Coca Cola, or a small independent company, they will have certain characteristics. A leader should be cool and confident under pressure, they should be courageous and they should act as role models. So if that is what may define a leader, then what should a leader do?

A leader should always have a vision

A leader should have a vision as they should always know what they want to achieve, if a leader doesn’t have a vision then they have no real direction. Having something to aim for as a leader is incredibly important, as if their followers believe they don’t really know what they want to achieve, then they will lose faith, and being an authoritative figure as a leader is incredibly important.

A leader should always have a plan

Leading on from having a vision, a leader should always have a plan in order to achieve their objectives. Planning is incredibly important, as your plan is kind of your compass so that you can find the right direction in order for you to achieve your vision. Having a plan will help the leader achieve what they want to achieve but it will also instil confidence in those following, that the direction, vision and plan is there. You may notice that leaders don’t expand their businesses by simply buying shares in competitors at a whim. Such plans can only be ‘sold’ to the board of directors with a clear strategy behind it.

A leader should always be resilient

An effective leader should always be resilient to ensure that they can overcome any obstacles that they may face. A leader will always have a vision, but on their way to that vision it is inevitable that they hit some stumbling blocks, having resilience is key so that they can evade or deal with these obstacles so that they can continue on their mission. A leader will always use their resilience to tackle problems, instead of passing blame on to others.

A leader should always communicate effectively

If you’re a leader, or if you ever have aspirations to be a leader, then effective communication skills are essential. Everybody has different personalities and different ways of communicating, however, a leader will concentrate on what they are good at. Leaders should have the ability to instil confidence and loyalty in their followers by the way they communicate, but they should also be approachable and they should welcome communication from their followers.

A leader should always lead by example

A leader should never ask somebody to do something that they are not willing to do themselves, and so a leader should always lead by example. The way a leader has achieved their leadership status is also important, as they can detail their hard work and dedication to their followers. All leaders started from somewhere, and they should be able to detail their story on how they became the leader that they are, this will help to gain the respect of their followers.

What else does a leader do?