IF you want to be a leader who attracts quality people, the key to it is to become a person of quality yourself. Leadership is the ability to attract someone to the gifts, skills and opportunities you offer as an owner, as a manager, as a parent. Jim Rohn, an American successful entrepreneur calls leadership a great challenge of life. Some say great leaders are born, not made. And while there are some born leaders, many more have honed their leadership skills through extensive practice. And I believe that through extensive practice anyone can become a great leader. Effective leadership requires vision, collaboration, planning and practice. And all these take time and a lot of hard work. If you are not one of those "born" leaders, be prepared for a serious commitment for honing your leadership skills.
To be a good leader for a certain group, you will need to understand what are the qualities that the group values. Trust? Creativity? Organization? You should hone whatever qualities they attach value to (ones that will also inspire them to work smarter and harder). For example, we can remember the online shop chaldal.com started by some young friends who understand the values and trust of customers and show their creativities and worked hard that make them market leader.
In any system with finite resources and infinite expansion of population, human innovation is essential for not only success but also survival. The innovators are our leaders. You cannot separate between the two. Whether it is by thought, technology or organisation, innovation is our only hope to solve our challenges. In this regard we can recall that Dr. Mohammad Younus, the innovator of micro-credit system that not only brought him success but also the Nobel Prize.
Finally it takes a long practice to become an effective leader. Work on your skills. Seek feedback so that you can improve. Gather knowledge about your competitors. It is natural that your every approach will not be successful. Try new methods when something does not work. The more you work on becoming an effective leader, the more you are likely to get there.
Farhana Huq
East West University
A/2, Jahurul Islam City, Aftab Nagar Main Rd, Dhaka
[email protected]