LEADERS ARE MADE NOT BORN

Bear in mind that leaders are made not born. They do the right thing when placed in command. Leadership requires character. It grows by experience. As a leader, you have to think of your vision. Look forward to the future and have a clear idea of what you want to achieve or what you want to accomplish. Make future ideal in every way. What you are trying to do and how to do it serve as your guiding principles and values that motivate you to be functional all the time. The clarity on what you are and what you believe make you decide easily the right course of actions to take. Establish also your mission. The clarity of your values and purpose to attain something will keep you on the right track.

Courage is an important character of a leader. As a leader, you must be willing to take risk even though you are not assured of success. Go beyond your comfort zone. Initiate action with no guarantees. Remember, the element of danger always exists. Dare to go forward in all circumstances. Do not easily give up when things go against you. Persevere and carry through with bigger energy. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.

Integrity is another character that you must possess. Truthfulness is the central course for trustworthy. Always tell the truth no matter how hard to fight the obstacles are. Whatever the prize for it, fulfill your promises.

Responsibility is also a significant quality of a leader. Continually remind yourself, you are responsible. Don’t blame others for your mistakes. In short, don’t be a fault finder. Don’t complain or criticize. Lead by examples.

Concentration is another. Focus on the strengths rather than weaknesses. Focus on what can be done instead of thinking of what had happened or what went wrong in the past so it will be avoided in the future. Anticipate trends based on what is happening. Accurately predict future based on what happens today.

A leader must also practice cooperation. Your ability to workand pull members altogether for a common goal is essential for the smooth flow of work and to strengthen your organization. The better you understand yourself, the better decision you can make and better results you can get. Your ability to manage yourself and that of others is the key to your success. As a leader, motivate people in tough times. Individual performance is essentialfor the quality of the entirety of outcome of works and goals. So treat your constituents as you want to be treated. Finally, remember, leadership is not a position. It is action. The purpose of all planning and analysis is action now, not later, not tomorrow.

--oOo— The author is Master Teacher I at Macabebe High School