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Have you thought about what it takes to be a great leader? And, where do you start? The foundation of genuine leadership development is authenticity. Authentic leadership is about developing your character first and foremost rather than climbing a ‘positional ladder’.
The first element we need to consider in developing into a leader of integrity is our Individual Attributes or Characteristics. This is a combination of your natural ability, your learning and potential. It also encompasses your methodologies and your conduct. In any type of organization, these attributes are vital to effective leadership. Let’s take a look at these attributes:
Ethical Action (Moral Behavior): You need to discover and learn about the moral issues and concerns that affect your organization; adopt a receptive way to deal with the moral concerns of others; consider the moral issues and ramifications of all personal and organizational activity; raise and discuss ethical issues before proposing choices or consenting to decisions; resist pressure from your organization or its partners to accomplish objectives by deceptive/unethical methods.
Strategic Thinking: You need to learn and see how every layer of your organization must work together. You also need to understand the complexities of your organization and the changes occurring in both the inner and outer environments. You must consider how your organization can best respond to these changes; comprehend the strengths and shortcomings of your organization, and the opportunities and threats confronting it; see how the organization’s objectives are affected by all the current and potential influences that will impact the organization; understand that the operational objectives and targets must be in accordance with and support the mission of your organization; monitor and respond to the conduct of present and potential competitors.
Support of Organizational Objectives: You need to help create and communicate a vision which can be understood and upheld by individuals at all levels. You also need to help others to comprehend and add to the key objectives; give noticeable personal support to the strategic direction and particular objectives set by the organization.
