“Leadership consists not in degrees of technique but in traits of character”

~ Lewis H. Lapham

What differentiates a leader from the crowd is her behavior, her remarkable traits that speaks loud enough for her. It is very much necessary to exhibit admirable traits to be the leader you want yourself to be and make an impact. It is equally important to avoid or give up on those traits that might not serve the purpose. Listed below are a few of those that you should very much give up, to become a true leader!

  1. Ego: Do you think you are the one that keeps everything moving? Or you are the center of your team? It might be right to an extent, however it is not a good idea to over -believe and act so. It is not you alone that keeps thing moving, there is no teamwork without a team, and it is the support of your mates that contributes to the success of a team. So, keep your self-esteem level under check always. Too much of everything is bad!
  2. Inconsistency:Are you the one who sticks to your words and commitments or changes sides based on the context and circumstances? A key feature that a leader should possess is authenticity and inconsistency will only tarnish it. Being inconsistent with your plans, words will not only make your clients or followers lose trust in you but will also cause confusion and chaos in your team. Consistency is a great attribute for growth.
  3. Being Conservative:Change is the only constant and you have to leave all those not so useful conservative notions behind and change to adapt into this new age scenario of modern leaders. You should keep yourself open to ideas. Ideas should not disregarded just because they challenge your traditional beliefs. Be ready to take that risk, as they say victory comes to those who are willing to take risk and move their boundaries. So create that balance between what you learned from experience and your willingness to adapt to new ideas, blend with them to be the best.
  4. Being Blunt: Do you speak your mind bluntly? Well, if you do, please rethink on that for a minute! Honesty sure is the best policy but not being thoughtful of other’s emotions is not right. You need to understand whom you are talking to and understand their perspectives on what you say. Having empathy is the key here. A leader needs to know what to speak and how to speak at the right time. For example, instead of saying something is bad try appreciating the effort and express how to build on to the proposed idea. It should be more of ‘we’ thing rather than ‘you and me’ thing.
  5. Micromanagement:Do you plan everything to be done in detail as a manager? Do you leave space for your subordinates creativity or choice? It is very good to be efficient but over-efficiency is often annoying to those who follow you. You should learn to trust your team members enough to give them the responsibility of task, they should be given chance to voice their opinions and concerns for their own growth as well as betterment of the team.

So, what do you think about avoiding these traits to become the leader you want yourself to be? Do you have any? If yes, are you working on them?

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