The Most Effective Leadership Trait by Emily
Emily's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2021 scholarship contest
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The Most Effective Leadership Trait by Emily - December 2021 Scholarship Essay
Effective leadership has many qualities and traits. To be a good leader you do need to embody a well rounded set of traits including being ethical, self awareness and confidence, and being well organized. While all of these are important, I believe the most important and effective trait of being a great leader is having strong communication skills.
Without effective communication skills, a leader in unable to provide a clear vision of the goals of the group or the project. Everyone needs to be fully aware of what is going on for things to flow smoothly so that the end goal can be obtained. This can apply to work projects, academics, sports teams and much more. If the leader of the group is not effective at communicating, it often results in a chaotic situation.
I have personally been involved in situations where my group has not had an effective leader. This has always resulted in the end goal not being met properly. The situations that I have seen where the leader of my group did not properly communicate with the group members has left me feeling confused and unsure of my role and what I am supposed to be trying to accomplish. It has always resulted in my group not doing their best work and has left a sense of frustration with us all.
Excellent communication skills is the key to being a great leader. Words do not have to be harsh to be effective. Choosing words and expressions that suit the situation at hand will inspire members of the group to express their thoughts and ideas. I have always taken more pride in situations where I feel comfortable expressing my ideas to the leader of the group. Good leaders should always be conscious of the words they choose and how it is perceived by their audience.