Effective Leadership - What makes a leader effective is some of the below mentioned qualities

Effective communication-

 

Effective communication is one of the essential qualities of a leader. With effective communication a leader can influence the people in a positive way and make a lasting impact. To make communication effective one has to have effective verbal as well as non verbal communication. Effective non verbal communication means confident body language, posture, gestures, hand movements, eye contact etc. Verbal communication means the quality of tone, pace, pitch of voice, clarity of speech etc.

 

Empathy-

 

Being empathetic towards others is one of the most essential qualities of a leader. Empathy means feeling the problems of others and being compassionate towards them. The one who is empathetic is open to listens to others and understands their point of view.

 

Emotional Intelligence-

 

An effective leader is high in emotional intelligence. They are aware of their own self,  the way they think, feel, act, react etc. They know the impact of their thoughts on their emotions, their behaviors, actions, reactions etc. There is also awareness of the causes behind the pattern of their thoughts and emotions. This makes them more balanced and in control of their emotions which is empowering. Such people always act and react responsibly and not driven by emotions but by rationality.

 

Assertive-

 

An effective leader is assertive and confident. They know the difference between confidence and over confidence. They are also aware of the difference between being assertive and being aggressive. Such people make their points effectively without hurting or discouraging other people and they do know the art of saying “No” or disagreeing with someone without affecting their relationship.

 

Positive Attitude-

 

Positive attitude make a leader effective. A leader with positive attitude sees opportunity in every difficulty. Failures and setbacks are just stepping stones of success for them. Such people have a habit of looking at the brighter side of any difficulty. They take every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow. Such people take accountability for their own life and do not complain or blame the people or circumstances. People with positive mindset appreciate and encourage others. They also have gratitude for what they have in life.

 

 

 

Which is more important, skill or knowledge?

We’re seeing lots of evidence that suggests that there is a growing gap between what universities are producing and what industry needs in terms of engineering graduates, and not just in India, but worldwide.

What is interesting is it is often described as a “skills gap”, and not a “knowledge gap”. Are people just being sloppy with their words… we’re beginning to think not.

Much of our engineering education has become focused on knowledge acquisition at the expense of the development of skills.

Knowledge acquisition fits nicely with the testing-based assessment models that are so popular in educational institutions in so many countries, whereas skills require productivity and behavior assessments that few in education are able to design and deliver in the way that business wants and needs.

Skills are a different kind of knowledge. A bright person can look at a complex thing and come to understand and “know it” very quickly. Developing the skills to apply the knowledge effectively and wisely is something else all together. Much of the difficulty we are facing with education is that we aren’t recognizing the productivity and behavior aspects of both engineering as a discipline, and business in general.