Developing Into a Leader - The Characteristics of an Effective Leader

Can everyone lead? What is it that takes to be a leader? - These are questions that people in top positions wrestle with daily, as succession planning and leadership training are crucial for seamless growth of organizations.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

The average life span of an adult butterfly is 3-6 weeks. Someone asked a butterfly a question, "Was it worth going through the difficult and traumatic transformation process to live such a short time?"

The response of the butterfly was profound. "I gained beauty, strength and brought joy to others lives. The struggle was worth it."

For leadership development there has to be a transformation - a seed to a tree, a tadpole to a frog and a caterpillar to a butterfly. The change has to be irrevocable.

Steps to becoming a transformational leader:

1. Hone your natural skills and talents: Take the case of the famous talk show host, Oprah Winfrey. She travelled from a childhood filled with poverty and abuse to being one of the most influential women in the world. She has been blessed with an unusual ability to empathize and to be sensitive to other's needs. Today she is one of the richest women in the world and is renowned as a "self-help" guru who has touched millions of lives the world over.

2. See challenges as opportunities: "Be the change you want to see!" - M.K. Gandhi "ji" was unafraid of risks and challenges, another remarkable indicator of leadership. He gave up his white-collar job abroad, fought for his own rights, and that of others, thereby jeopardizing his life and its comforts. As a common saying goes, "A ship is safe in the harbor but that's not what ships are meant for." Needless to say Gandhi's selflessness and courage made him a top-notch leader and the world witnessed him lead India to freedom.

3. Dream big and act on it: Leaders like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela did not have their genesis overnight. They were men whose lives were inundated with struggles and who later became leaders through their rare ability to dream formerly unattained dreams. They were not stopped or bound by the chains of the past.

"The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark." - Michelangelo

Few are born with these traits and thereby deemed blessed. However, the majority are not born leaders but are transformed from their struggles. It is this transformation that generates leaders and converts the ordinary into the extra-ordinary.

Pramila Mathew specializes in Management Coaching and Leadership Development. With over 25 years of experience in the global workspace, she is one of the few Training Consultants with a background in business and psychology. She heads MMM Training Solutions, a soft skills training consultancy that focuses on training and development and business coaching as the catalyst of enhancing performance management.