Leadership: Can it be learnt?

margaretjules27@gmail.com
May 12, 2012

Can leadership be learnt? Below is a blog post regarding leadership qualities and we thought this would be a pertinent subject for solicitors; often some lawyers can be brilliant at practising law without paying as much attention to their business skills. Any comments welcome below.

Leadership calls for an ability to connect with and lead a group of people towards a common goal to achieve the desired results. Galvanizing people and bringing out the best in them is also a part of the skills of a leader. It is possible for us to list out numerous qualities that are desirable in a leader. This means that it is quite easy to learn what one should to do to become an able leader but whether one is able to make such qualities a part of one’s character and personality is something to ponder over. Let’s take a look at the various parameters on which the leadership qualities of a person are judged and whether these qualities need to be inherent or can be acquired over a period of time.

1. Vision and farsightedness

It is extremely important for a leader to exhibit pragmatism. Goals are built only to fulfill a vision. Vision needs to be backed by insight. A person can work on his knowledge but one cannot turn into a visionary overnight. It is either inherent or comes from a deep understanding of the domain. A person with keen interest to gain knowledge in a domain can turn into an effective leader over a period of time on the back of his knowledge.

2. Communication

For a leader, it is important to be able to communicate with a group to effectively present one’s views and also to get people to speak their mind. For a group to achieve a common goal, communication channels should always be kept open to leave no room for doubt or lack of faith. One can train to be a good communicator. An understanding of the proactive approach that is likely to work for the better of the team can help a person in communicating effectively.

3. Motivational skills

As a person learns to communicate with the members of a group to understand the weaknesses and strengths of the team members and the team as a whole, it is possible to gauge what works best for motivating each of the team members. A willingness to engage is needed and not inherent leadership skills.

4. Analytical ability

A leader must be realistic in setting goals. For this, it is important to have the ability to understand the capabilities of each team member and to set the goals accordingly. This skill can be acquired if one works with nothing but common sense.

5. Decision making skill

An indecisive person can never be a good leader as decisions are needed to be taken at every step to achieve clarity on an appropriate course of action. A person with the requisite knowledge and understanding and an ability to take calculated risk after careful consideration can be a good decision maker. Those, having worked in a domain for long and those with a deep theoretical understanding of the same, are likely to emerge as confident decision makers. In effect, this too depends on the ability to learn.

Even for a group of people to take a person as their leader, it is important for people to believe in that person’s vision and goals. For you to prove yourself as an effective leader, do not just depend on what you know. Make an effort to imbibe the required qualities. Work on your skills gradually. You can acquire other skills but vision and foresightedness are a function of your knowledge and intelligence. Keep abreast with the happenings in your domain and never give a learning opportunity a miss.

About the author: Margaret is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on environment and styleguru. Beside this she is fond of books. She recently did an article on hyundai eon price. These days she is busy in writing an article on Bi Fold Doors .