What Allows for Leaders To Be Successful?

         

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           The recipe of the magic formula that would allow an individual to become a successful leader contains many distinct “ingredients”, each of which is very important if a person expects to develop his or her leadership skills and make progress in the future career. After considering all of the research that was done, it is clear that qualities such as honesty, communication, confidence, positivity, creativity and intuition are essential for an individual to develop and become a true and respectful leader. However, it is as much important that the future leaders not forget that the most successful “power masters” we see nowadays did not receive every single piece of fame while “doing nothing”, in fact they had to go through a lot of obstacles and work really hard to be where they are today. Moreover, the age of the person might affect the amount of success and respect he will receive as a leader as well. This is because whenever groups encounter problems that require some knowledge about norms, values and old ways of doing things, they would most likely endorse an older leader. Young leaders come into play when old knowledge no longer applies, and people are confronted with new challenges and have to rely on new information. Finally, in order for a person to become a well- respected leader, one needs to communicate with his or her team, listen to their own views and opinions and, most importantly, work together in order to succeed in the future and achieve as many goals as possible.

 

           Talking about the most important qualities of the leaders, as the article “Top 10 Qualities of Great Leadership - Do You Have What it Takes?” published in Profiles International website points out, “people want to work for a leader they can trust−a leader that has morals, values, and integrity”, meaning that in order for a person to become a successful and influential leader, he or she needs to be honest with all of the members of the team, as without proper cooperation, the business or company will not be able to move forward and achieve an appropriate amount of progress. Even though the concept of communication might seem “self- evident”, many people easily forget how important it is to explain the common goals that the team should be looking up to. Otherwise, “ the employees won’t understand the leader’s mission, goals, and vision”, leading to a possible failure not only in the communication, but in the overall business as well. The other quality- confidence- comes into play if, for example, the concept of communication does not work out as well as expected earlier. To add, if an individual is seeking to become a productive and successful leader, he or she must retain the quality of positivity. It is well known that in any kind of business life there always are situations that cannot be seen a year, a week or even a day before they strike the entire business community. In times like this, however, it’s up to the true leader “to think outside the box to find a solution” and use other two qualities such as creativity and intuition.

            What is more, as the article “23 Incredibly Successful People Who Failed At First” published in Business Insider website emphasizes, “rejection can feel devastating, but you shouldn't let it crush you.” In other words, an individual should always reflect on the stories of the most successful leaders we have nowadays and remind himself that, for example, J.K. Rowling was a “single mom living off welfare when she began writing the first "Harry Potter" novel.” While many young women give up at this point and don’t seek anything better, Rowling, on the other hand, managed to cope with all the difficulties and move forward. As a result, she is now “internationally renowned for her seven-book Harry Potter series and, in U.S. currency, became the first billionaire author in 2004.” Therefore, it is crucial that an individual who strives to become a better leader understands that even when others might try to discourage you from doing what you really want to do, there has to be an urge to not pay attention to these claims and simply  move forward.

            Another and also important factor that might influence the level of success an individual will have as a leader is his or her age. This is because, as the article “Age and Leadership: The Wisdom of Elders and Elephants” published in Psychology Today website points out, “the older the person is or looks like, the more other individuals tend to trust him or her.” This can be illustrated by the example shown in the article, which points out that the U.S. society has been choosing presidents that come from the older generations. One simply needs to look at examples such as President Bush who took his office when he was 64 years old, President Clinton who was 46 years old, President Bush who was in his 54th year and, finally, President Obama who was 47 years old when he captured the opportunity to work in the Oval Office. On the other hand, it is known as well that people tend to choose younger individuals when there is a situation that needs change, such as a government overthrow, instead of dealing with an older leader who might not have the same fresh ideas and enthusiasm as the younger candidate. In fact, one only needs to consider the famous revolutionary leaders such as Fidel Castro, Napoleon and Emiliano Zapata who all started to rule when they were in their 30-ies. As the research studies indicate, “whereas the majority of CEOs of the 500 Fortune companies are between 50 and 59 years old, entrepreneurial leaders tend to be considerably younger, with more than half of them being younger than 35”.

            Coming back to one of the most important qualities that the future leaders should have, the ability to communicate with his or her team members, it is very important for an individual to understand that he cannot be a true leader without having all of the respect coming from the members of the team who, as already known, are the main parts of the machine that run the entire company. As the article “4 Simple Things You Can Do To Be A Better Leader” published in Forbes website in 2014 points out, “good leaders do not simply take their position as a “stronger” one but, on the other hand, work together, hand in hand, with the team members through any kind of obstacles they might encounter.” To add, another factor that can determine the level of success one will have as a leader is the ability to learn from one’s team members. It is apparent that sometimes people who receive the leadership positions tend to become arrogant and “fueled” with pride. However, if the leader wants his or her company to move forward and make a lot of progress, he or she should never assume to know everything. In addition, it is crucial for leaders to understand that they should “always learn as much as they can from others who have paved the way for them”, meaning if an individual wants to lead the team, he needs to get involved and “soak up as much knowledge as he can.” Lastly, it is important that an individual works directly with his or hear team on various projects, as only good leaders will be able to identify gaps, ensure people are doing what they are supposed to do and know when there’s a need to adjust “certain systems and processes”, making the path to future success much easier than it has ever been.