This page is for individuals who want to become leaders, or become more effective or authentic leaders. It's about leadership and leadership development. This is about you, because everyone is a leader although we do not lead in the same way. So becoming a leader is about taking on board general wisdom about leadership: it is also about developing your unique and authentic leadership style. The other pages on this site show how organisations can use coaching to develop their staff. This page looks at some of the qualities of a leader. It's about your professional and personal development.

Leaders need to know themselves
Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom. Lao Tse founder of Taoism.
You need to know what motivates you (what you enjoy and do well), your values and character and your personality (how you relate to others and your stengths and weaknesses). These affect what you will find fulfilling, the kind of work you will be good at and find satisfying, and the areas of your work where you need support. This self discovery leads to authentic leadership: leadership that draws on the wisdom of others and also works for you.

Leaders need to be able to relate to people and communicate
87% of business issues are due to the lack of inter-personal communication skills, not the competence of the parties. Harvard Business Review 2002.
There is more than one kind of intelligence. Many people in business gain promotion on the basis of analytic intelligence, and then need to develop emotional intelligence. And what about spiritual intelligence? Through knowing yourself and your personality you can develop the skills to recognise other personalities and best ways to build relationships (at home or at work) and motivate and communicate effectively. Part of this is about learning how others see you.At times leaders need to inspire.

Leaders need to develop character
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) 30th President of the U.S.A.

We need to develop the qualities to stay in touch with the 'big picture'; to be optimistic but also realistic; to persevere yet also know when to change course; to handle opposition. We need to be able to be self-critical and more importantly value ourselves. We need to value and appreciate other people too. We need to learn to take responsibility and not blame others: to see that change starts with us.

Leaders need to learn
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Albert Einstein.
We need to be able to plan, act, reflect and review to decide what to do differently next time and so improve our skills and outcomes. We need to be real about our abilities and intelligent and humble enough to recognise when we need support. We need to stay up to date with current thinking in our field and also think for ourselves. Someone said that real intelligence is not only learning from our mistakes, but also learning from other people's mistakes (we might call that experience, history, or collective knowledge and wisdom).

Leaders need to know where they want to get to
Without a vision the people perish The Bible (Proverbs 29:18)
We need to know where we want to get to. We also need to know what we want, what outcome we are looking for, as we hold conversations and make decisions. Part of this is about assertiveness: if when other people say what they want we do not take time to connect with what we want we are not making an informed decision. Part of this is about daily life, part of it is about the bigger picture of career and vocation.

Leaders understand service
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve... The Bible (Mark 10:45)
Who are we doing this for? Leaders often find that their greatest satisfaction comes from using their leadership charism to create results that other people want. We need to listen to what others want. Part of the way in which trust is built up in relationships is through people increasingly doing things for one another. Spiritual intelligence suggests that we are connected to other people and creation in ways that we do not know but occasionally glimpse. This offers the possibility that we have a purpose that is bigger than ourselves. This requires an ability to trust. If we are always worried that our needs will not be met, how can serve others?

Can coaching from Finding True North help you to become a leader?
Turn the page to find out!