Developing the Leadership skill from scratch

This coming week, just as there was heavy flooding in Mauritius, there will be a flood of assignments to be submitted. The assignments are to be done in groups. The question is: Does a group needs to have a leader?

What is leadership?
"Leadership, a critical management skill, is the ability to motivate a group of people toward a common goal. ."

Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent. Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge, and skills. Although your position as a manager, supervisor, lead, etc. gives you the authority to accomplish certain tasks and objectives in the organization, this power does not make you a leader...it simply makes you the boss. Leadership differs in that it makes the followers want to achieve high goals, rather than simply bossing people around.

source: concept of leadership
 

1. Talking out loud
"it's not enough to have great thoughts you have to have the courage to let the words out of your mouth ahead of time."
I use to speak loud. I am a theater guy. My dad had told me: Speak aloud so that the audience can hear you well. And since then, I always keep in my mind that when I speak, my audience can hear me well.

The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.
It's got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. - Theodore Hesburgh, President of the University of Notre Dame
I have a vision: to score maximum marks in the assignments. I am determined to work hard towards the vision set.
Good leaders are made not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader.

Emotional Intelligence
I discovered this term under Spiritual Leadership in MGT1111-Organisation and Management. This term states:

1. knowing one's emotions. Self-awareness, recognising it when it happens
2. Managing emotions - the ability of handling feelings so they are appropriate
3. Motivating oneself - Marshalling emotions in the service of a goal
4. Recognising emotions in others. Empathy, social awareness
5. Handling relationships - skill in managing emotions in others

I have to:
BE a professional. Examples: Be loyal to the organization, perform selfless service, take personal responsibility.

BE a professional who possess good character traits. Examples: Honesty, competence, candor, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforwardness, imagination.

KNOW the four factors of leadership - follower, leader, communication, situation.

KNOW yourself. Examples: strengths and weakness of your character, knowledge, and skills.

KNOW human nature. Examples: Human needs, emotions, and how people respond to stress.

KNOW your job. Examples: be proficient and be able to train others in their tasks.

KNOW your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and culture, who the unofficial leaders are.

DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision making, planning.

DO implement. Examples: communicating, coordinating, supervising, evaluating.

DO motivate. Examples: develop moral and esprit in the organization, train, coach, counsel.

I listen to the podcasts of Robin Sharma nearly every morning when I go to uni. This help me develop management/leadership skills.

He told people what to do, not how to do it.

I encourage people to think, to innovate, to be creative.I don't blindly accept what you came up with, but I expect you to come up with something appropriate which will contribute towards achieving the goal.

He led by example. He pushed his people hard. He demanded a lot of them. But no one ever worked harder than he did. He was the first one in and the last one to leave. And he worked hard the whole time he was there. He knew how to play, but he knew how to separate that from the job.

He demanded excellence, not perfection. He expected you to work as hard as he did and to be as committed to the goal as he was. He didn't expect you to do as much or as well as he did, he insisted, however, that you do as much and as well as you could.

He took care of his people. He knew everyone who worked for him as an individual. He knew their strengths and weaknesses, their aspirations, their fears. He always took the criticism from outside the group, but let each of them take the praise for what they contributed.

He was humble. I never understood why. With all he had done and had accomplished in his life, he was always modest. There was one time, about ten years ago, when he made a little boast. That one probably doesn't count though - he was stating a fact and we were both a little drunk.

He had character. He was honest and truthful. He was dependable. When he gave you his word, you always knew you could count on it. He didn't cheat. He didn't try to find the easy way out of a tough situation. He didn't waffle on his principles. He was not inflexible, but there simply were limits that he wouldn't cross.

To conclude, one day, I will try to be like him... I will try my best to lead the groups towards the vision that I share in the way the the great leader had done.