by Mutha

Created on: March 29, 2009

Leadership can make or break an organization. An effective leader needs to inspire others and motivate them to accomplish whatever task is at hand. In deciding who should fill leadership roles, which qualities should be required?

Integrity - Integrity is the most important quality a leader must posses. Integrity alone will not make an effective leader, but a leader without integrity will be detrimental to the success of any organization. Integrity is necessary to build trusting relationships. Even the most charismatic leaders will lose their following if they can not be trusted. Leaders who lack integrity can be harmful to an organizations goals and even lead to legal problems. A candidate who has proven themselves to lack integrity should not be considered for a leadership position.

Attitude - A positive attitude goes a long way. Good leaders are always looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. Optimism is often the best motivational tool when things are looking down. Leaders who are able to maintain their cool will have a positive effect on the people they need to motivate when the going gets tough.

Selflessness - Effective leaders do not appear to be selfish. A leader who is willing to spread the praise and except responsibility for failures will gain respect. Leaders who do not seek glory, will often find it. Individuals who seek to impress their superiors are not often the best candidates for leadership positions. It will be more beneficial for an organization to promote individuals who are more concerned with the job at hand rather than those who are concerned with what others think of them.

Commitment - Leaders set the tone in an organization. If the leader is willing to go the extra mile to accomplish the task at hand, others will follow suit. The opposite is true. If the leadership is not willing to set personal desires aside when it is necessary to get the job done, others will not.

Compassion - It is important for leaders to always stay the course. However, they must not let their personal drive and commitment cause them to lose sight of the personal aspects of leadership. Leaders must be able to be compassionate towards others. When people do not think that the organization cares about their personal needs they will not be as productive. Leaders need to know when to be compassionate. Too much compassion can be seen as weakness and may cause some resentment. Compassion in moderation breeds loyalty.

There are many things to consider when deciding who should fill a leadership position. Often times the candidates for the job will have a variety of characteristics that are considered desirable and some undesirable. Integrity should always be the first consideration. A combination of integrity and these other desirable characteristics will often be the best choice for a leadership position.

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