How to Be a Leader: 4 Characteristics You Need to Know

Written by Howie Gitlow One Comment

Aug 2018

This week’s video is about how to be a leader.

The aim of a leader should be to help any group of people efficiently and effectively get where they want to be.

There are 4 characteristics of a good leader, a leader:

(1) Sees the group as a healthy functioning unit.

(2) Understands when a group member’s problems are being caused by things beyond his/her control.

(3) Understands that learning by experience is a slow and dangerous way to learn.

(4) Is able to predict the future with an acceptable degree of certainty.

First, a leader sees the group as a healthy functioning unit.

In other words, a leader must see the group as a collection of interacting people, each with a goal, but all focused on the aim of the group.

For example, if a group of gals is planning a bachelorette party, the leader must understand that each woman has her own needs and wants for the party, but they must keep their eyes on the goal of creating a great bachelorette party for their friend.

This type of focus may require some members of the group to not do as well as they can for the overall good of the group.

SO, if the friend is shy, don’t have a male stripper give her a sexy lap dance sticking his banana hammock in her face even though some group members may want it.

Second, a leader understands when a group member’s problems are being caused by things beyond his/her control.

To restate the above, a leader must understand the environment that the group is working in and not blame the group members for the problems caused by the environment.

For example, one of the gals loses control because it is Vegas and starts sexy dancing with the stripper and takes the attention away from the bachelorette.

Third, a leader understands that learning by experience is a slow and dangerous way to learn.

Another way of saying the above is that a leader must understand that personal experience is not always a good predictor of future events.

For example, Linda is the party planner (leader). She cannot predict that Martha is REALLY horny and is sexually desirous of the stripper based on her past behavior.

Fourth, a leader is able to predict the future with an acceptable degree of certainty.

In other words, a leader must be able to predict the future or make contingency plans if things don’t work out as planned, so the party doesn’t fall apart if something goes wrong.

Back to the bachelorette party, Linda must have contingency plans for crazy things that pop up like Martha needs a hump NOW.

Until next time, keep being a leader, and as always…Prime Your Pump!
–Howie

Use It or Lose It – How to Be a Leader

To be a good leader, follow the 4 steps we discussed.

When to Use It:

Whenever you are the leader of a group

What Do You Think?

Please comment on what has happened to you in the past when you where a group leader and things went south. Could you have used our 4 step program on how to be a leader?

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I do not know diddly squat about bachelorette parties, so had to ask the resident expert. My lovely SO attended one such debauchery years ago where the bride’s sister had a total and complete melt down over something trivial that happened, she did not know the exact details, but apparently somebody said something disrespectful about the bride, and the sister let loose with both barrels. Put the kibosh on the entire festivities. I suppose someone should have taken the sister outside and tried calming her down, and if that weren’t successful, told her in so many words “GYST”. At least the situation did not result in a cat fight, which today would be posted up on U-Tube within ten minutes.

IMO, leadership applies more to the workplace than in social situations. The leader must keep the work team/group on a path towards success of the project or situation. Back when I served in the Air Force, I held the position of site commander for two rocket launch pads. Needing to know what was “going on” and how work progressed, and of course the all-important Schedule, I developed my own leadership style, which I termed “management by moseying or wandering around”. I hated meetings, they waste too much time. But needing to know how the tasks are progressing towards readying the rocket for launch, I’d walk out to the launch pad and talk with the lead engineers – how’s progress? Any problem areas? If so, how does that impact subsequent testing? Do you need a second shift, or an overtime Saturday? Anything else I should know about? I did not depend on them coming to me, I instead went to them. I had enlisted men assigned to each launch pad to monitor the daily tasks; they kept me updated, and had the authority for on the spot real time decisions, with the caveat “let me know”.

Probably thousands of books have been written on Management and Leadership. No one book takes into account all situations or defines all styles. Maybe somewhere, buried in an obscure tome, some author describes my Management by Moseying or Wandering Around. If so, I have not read that book.

One Reply to “How to Be a Leader: 4 Characteristics You Need to Know”

Dave Savadge says:

August 10, 2018 at 1:32 pm

I do not know diddly squat about bachelorette parties, so had to ask the resident expert. My lovely SO attended one such debauchery years ago where the bride’s sister had a total and complete melt down over something trivial that happened, she did not know the exact details, but apparently somebody said something disrespectful about the bride, and the sister let loose with both barrels. Put the kibosh on the entire festivities. I suppose someone should have taken the sister outside and tried calming her down, and if that weren’t successful, told her in so many words “GYST”. At least the situation did not result in a cat fight, which today would be posted up on U-Tube within ten minutes.

IMO, leadership applies more to the workplace than in social situations. The leader must keep the work team/group on a path towards success of the project or situation. Back when I served in the Air Force, I held the position of site commander for two rocket launch pads. Needing to know what was “going on” and how work progressed, and of course the all-important Schedule, I developed my own leadership style, which I termed “management by moseying or wandering around”. I hated meetings, they waste too much time. But needing to know how the tasks are progressing towards readying the rocket for launch, I’d walk out to the launch pad and talk with the lead engineers – how’s progress? Any problem areas? If so, how does that impact subsequent testing? Do you need a second shift, or an overtime Saturday? Anything else I should know about? I did not depend on them coming to me, I instead went to them. I had enlisted men assigned to each launch pad to monitor the daily tasks; they kept me updated, and had the authority for on the spot real time decisions, with the caveat “let me know”.

Probably thousands of books have been written on Management and Leadership. No one book takes into account all situations or defines all styles. Maybe somewhere, buried in an obscure tome, some author describes my Management by Moseying or Wandering Around. If so, I have not read that book.