The Three Key Ingredients of Leadership You Need

What comes into your mind when you think of the word leader? For most people, an image comes to mind in which people are following behind one person.

That is exactly what the job of a leader is; to lead. Leadership is not specific to an industry, nor is it the one-size-fits-all story. In every situation, place, and position, the job of the leader varies. A true leader will show adaptability, whatever the situation is. Leadership is the quality under which all elements will mix to bake the perfect cake.

To be a leader, you need to look beyond within yourself, think with compassion, do with generosity and talk with words that inspire. Being a leader is a responsibility, and those who live up to it, maintaining the standard of their responsibility, are the true leaders.

Just the way there are three primary colors, there are three key ingredients of leadership. All other traits count as secondary and are a part of a leader’s list of qualities, rising from these three key ingredients.

These are:

1. Character

Norman Schwarzkopf says:

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

Character lays the foundation of a leader. It defines the mental and moral qualities of a person, describing who they really are. Your character is the set of rules you decide to live your life by. Those morals are displayed in your leadership.

The basics of a good character and high morals are identifying the difference between right and wrong, and always doing the right thing, even if you do not feel like doing it.

Responsible behavior and accountability are two essential character traits a good leader possesses. The one who stands up front and owns his actions, and takes care of whatever goes wrong is a great leader.

Humility is another aspect of your character that is prized in a leadership role. If you are down-to-earth, humble, and respectful to people, it will make you a good leader. People find it easy to talk to those who possess these attributes. Humility creates a sense of importance for your followers. Most people, when given a position of authority, lose gratitude and eventually are disliked.

Compassion is another virtue of your character. A great leader displays compassion, empathizes with the group of people he is meant to lead, understands them and takes them along accordingly, helps them through the entire process of whatever has to be done. This plays an important role in creating a bond of love between the leader and those they are leading.

Displaying strong character induces feelings of trust and loyalty amongst the people. If people do not trust you, they won’t follow you, and without followers, you cannot be a leader.

2. Knowledge

Ever heard “knowledge is power”? It is not just a phrase that you were required to write essays on in 10th grade. Knowledge is powerful if you have a grip on the topic. This era of leadership revolves around knowledge and the utilization of knowledge.

A person who possesses more information on a particular topic amongst a group of people automatically develops a higher position. The person knows more about whatever is being discussed. People are more likely to be quiet when that person speaks, listen to him carefully, and agree to his opinions and suggestions, as they would be for the betterment of the respective group of people.

Knowledge is an essential ingredient for leadership. The more knowledge you have, the better you will be able to guide people. Guidance is a virtue deeply rooted in good leadership.

A person having high-level knowledge of digital marketing will be given a position where he can guide other employees of the digital marketing agency. A person who knows about roads and places will be followed by others to reach the destination.

Besides the field, leadership requires knowledge about communication. The art of conveying your message verbally and nonverbally, and making people act upon it, also contribute to making you a great leader.

Knowledge doesn’t mean memorizing books or all information available on the internet. However, if you don’t know what to do and how to do it, you will not be able to guide others, hence showcase poor leadership.

3. Confidence

People who tend to avoid the spotlight and remain low-key find it difficult to lead a group of people. On the other hand, people who stand upfront and are bold enough to push themselves to the top make excellent leaders. A key to great leadership is confidence. Believing in yourself will not just move you to the top in life; it will also inspire and motivate people that see and follow you.

A confident person develops leadership qualities better than a person who lacks them. Confident people have a higher decision-making power which is essential when you have to lead a group of people. The one who is at the front needs to make decisions and then stand by them firmly.

Confidence is the key ingredient one should possess to be a great leader. However, in this case, you should always make sure that your confidence doesn’t turn into over-confidence.

Confident people are comparatively happier than most people. They think with positivity and are true optimists. They trust themselves and believe in their credibility. They are more open to risks and know how to get out of unforeseen situations. A person who doubts himself and his decisions cannot guide the people and thus cannot be a good leader.

Conclusion

No formula makes a good leader, as the leader is a person who knows well; how to adapt to different situations and is flexible. A leader is the one who can make spontaneous decisions and make the followers act upon them.

Character, Knowledge, and confidence are the three key ingredients of good leadership that give rise to more qualities within a leader. You need to have these in yourself if you want to become or call yourself a leader.