Traits of an effective leader Leadership can be defined as the process where a person socially influences other people for

the accomplishment of a common task. Described below are some of the traits of an effective leader: 1. Trust: For the leader to be able to lead effectively, he should conduct himself with utmost integrity and honesty. People will follow their leader only if they have complete trust in his ideas and actions. 2. Passion: The leaders passion and enthusiasm towards his goal can be a great motivator for the entire team. The leader should be able to easily inspire his team and this can be done only if he passionate for the common objective. 3. Confidence: A confident leader can generate confidence in other. It is important to be confident in order to get the best from the team. 4. Optimism: A good leader is always optimistic no matter what the circumstances are. An effective leader is able to motivate people in difficult times and find a ray of hope in times of darkness. 5. Tolerant: Effective leaders always keep a cool head and have a calm and composed demeanour. Ambiguity and emotions does not adversely effective him/her. 6. Analytical skills: A leader is able to analyze the situation and plan ahead keeping the end objective in mind. 7. Excellence: Excellence is not desirable but essential for the leader. He/she not only maintains high standards but continuously strives to raise the bar for himself and the team in order to achieve excellence. The above discussed traits lay the foundation of creating an effective leader. Some of these are naturally present; others can be developed through training and coaching. Leadership Matrix The leadership grid is based on the following two parameters:

People Orientation This parameter measures the degree of concern demonstrated by the leader towards his team, their interests, needs and development Task Orientation This parameter demonstrates the concern of the leader towards the objective and goal of the team.

Taking into account the above mentioned dimensions the Leadership matrix details the following five leadership styles:

1. Socialite: High people/Low Task The underlying philosophy in this style of leadership is that a happy team is more productive. A leader falling under this style is most concerned for his people and assumes that they will take care of the teams objective. Under this style the work environment is very relaxed and enjoyable but the productivity might be low. 2. Impoverished: Low People/ Low Task This type of leadership is not seen to be effective. This type of leader neither strives towards improving the work environment nor towards increasing the productivity of the team. The result is mostly an inefficient and dissatisfied team. 3. Authoritarian: Low People/High Task This style is also commonly known as produce or perish leadership style. Leaders who use this style of leadership believe that employees will only work if they are made to and people do not have any innate desire or motivation to work. Such leaders make very strict rules and do not have aspiration to improve work environment. 4. Team Leadership: High People/High Task

This is believed to be the most effective style of leadership. The underlying philosophy is that both task and people are equally important in order to achieve the goal. If people are involved in making decisions, it will be easier to execute them. This results is an environment of efficiency and high motivation. 5. Middle of the Road: Medium People/ Medium Task This styles aims to strike a balance between the two parameters. While this approach might seem to be the most optimum one, more than often it fails to achieve the desired result. The leaders might have to settle for average performance and results.

References: http://www.groco.com/readingroom/bus_goodleader.aspx http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/matrix.html http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_73.htm