A Leader of Men

When heading an enterprise it is important to recognise that qualities required to lead a unit of diverse individuals successfully. So, are you the right man for the job?

All around us exists a hierarchy of power on top of which sits the man who calls the shots, the man who presides over events, the one who leads by example or the one who encourages others to pursue their convictions for the betterment of the unit. Such examples lie in our workplace, in our governments, in our schools or colleges, in our sporting teams or on a personal level – our families. A leader may arrive in various shapes and sizes but at the end of the day he or she is judged on the ability to pull their teams through the bad times and exploit the good to the maximum.

Now, in order to be an entrepreneur you must be prepared to lead your team to the goals that you feel are achievable or are necessary to make your venture a success. At the very beginning, it is important to first chart out the basic objectives for yourself before you setup your plans before your unit. You need to know your own game plan backwards and forwards, its advantages, its disadvantages and the possible outcomes in order to gain the trust of those around you. Remember, you are the man in charge, this is your brain child but first, you must earn the right to own it. If your team constantly pokes holes in your project it won't hold too much credibility and you will lose respect. Hence, pre-prepare your tactical and analytical setup before you put your plans into action.

Leadership is not all about screaming orders, asking the impossible of your subordinates or generally creating a cold space between yourself and your team. If you have learnt the finer nuances of the art of leadership, you will know that you must firstly be prepared to handle and delegate responsibility in a systematic and strategic manner. Task allocation according to a team member's skills or experience is an important job that must be handled by the head. Each member of your squad is an asset so you must know how to extract the maximum from him/her while maintaining a positive level of employee satisfaction.

If we look at the model of the start-up, it is important to learn all you can about each employee because more often than not, they will be required to multitask in order to meet the output requirements of your venture. The secret to man management begins with an in-depth analysis of all the attributes on offer. For example, you may have someone with an economics major on your team who is equally, if not more, adept at building websites. A good man manager would desist from spending on a specialised website building professional and instead give his economics graduate a shot at building the website first. If the gamble pays off, you have saved a significant slice of the investment pie and utilised a hidden talent on your team. The increased involvement will also spur on your team members to come forward with any other hidden attributes that you can exploit while building confidence between you and your team.

When faced with problems, a leader must demonstrate character, confidence and creativity to inspire his team. There must also be an extraordinary work ethic installed to set the pace for those working under him. Remember, all these qualities are infectious and the more independent or proactive each team member is, the more your company benefits in the long run. Several top level managers believe that a good company consists primarily of a core of leaders and battles through thick and thin like an army platoon at war. A good leader fosters the idea of camaraderie amongst his troops, a good team behaves like a family unit struggling to protect and better the next individual. When the chips are down, the head is required to channel his resources and to restore confidence. If there is dissent amongst the ranks, the leader must be willing to come forward and engage in conflict resolution. All problems must be solved within the team while the outside image of the unit remains unblemished in the public eye.

So are leaders heaven sent? Contrary to popular belief, a majority of individuals weren't born leaders. However, the leadership quality may gradually be developed within each person as time passes by and as experienced is garnered. We all tend to pick up the traits of those around us and there is no better training for a person than to work in close quarters with a great leader. From decision making, to time management to business acumen – these are all qualities that do not necessarily pre-exist within the individual. Then again, if practical sense exists, these qualities can be fine tuned, polish and carved until they are capable of taking on the bulk of the responsibility and being accountable for any or all actions of the team. Interestingly, the resultant leader could often be of higher quality and ability than its predecessor since he has had the opportunity to learn from the mistakes made and will hopefully, not repeat them again. If you want to take the fast track to leading your team, its best you find yourself a capable role model and become an understudy. Sooner or later, you'll be ready to take over the reins or start your own project.