Attributes of Good Leaders Print

The Scout Programs of Adventure Scouts USA encourage our Scouts to take on leadership positions, including the Team Leader position.  The Team Leader's main responsibility is to make sure every Scout participates on every level.

There are times people have a negative view of leadership, and a belief that leaders do not really do much but support their own ideas and put everyone else's down.  This is the opposite of a leader in our Scout Programs.  Team Leaders in our Scout Programs are responsible for making sure everyone's voice is heard and everyone's opinion is respected.

A good leader must respect the ideas of democratic voting and consensus before they become a leader.  Leaders become leaders because they are trusted.  A good leader does not have to request a leadership position; others request it of them.  We believe there are certain attributes that make a good leader.  boy pointing into distance

* Good leaders are patient.

* Good leaders use every opportunity as a training experience.

* Good leaders lead by delegating.

* Good leaders allow those delegated responsibilities to lead, even if they are making mistakes.

* Good leaders continuously and diligently earn the trust of others and work at honing their skills.

* Good leaders do not always win; they try hard but by competing even if they lose if they have done so with character.

* Good leaders, in the event of losing, use the loss to their advantage and learn from it.

* Good leaders are those who are comfortable making decisions and decisively do so.

* Good leaders manage time and determine accurately how long a project will take to complete.

* Good leaders make sure difficult responsibilities are completed by those who started the project rather than passing it to others.

* Good leaders have those they lead practice completing tasks accurately and timely.

* Good leaders know practice makes perfect.

* Good leaders are prepared when necessary to stick with a decisive decision

* Good leaders learn how to get the best from those they lead.

* Good leaders value the skills of those they lead and include the use of their abilities when making decisions.

* Good leaders evaluate when necessary, in person, rather than reading or hearing within a report of the circumstances.

* Good leaders are always interested in others rather than talking about people, they talk with them. 

* Good leaders observe situations and acquire information in raw form.  This allows decisions based upon unfiltered information.

* Good leaders make decisions based upon personal evaluation of the circumstances.  When appropriate, they personally perform the task to ensure it can be achieved as desired.

* Good leaders modify what and how they do something when outcomes are not as desired.

* Good leaders are always thinking several steps ahead and ideally through completion prior to starting.

* Good leaders adapt to change and are prepared for it.

* Good leaders do more than improve something; they make change happen.

* Good leaders are able to work with all others including those who are difficult, and those who are inexperienced.

* Good leaders stick with it and with those they lead.

* Good leaders are serious about completing tasks and ensure all those expected arrive safely at their destinations.

* Good leaders challenge themselves, work hard and work smart.

* Good leaders always welcome review, act upon their evaluation, and encourage those whom share their comments.

* Good leaders always do what is right the first time, regardless of the effort required.

* Good leaders consistently obtain the best from others.

* Good leaders have vision.

* Good leaders always remember people are their most important asset.

* Good leaders always communicate accurately to all levels of membership.

* Good leaders who can truly lead are invaluable.

* Good leaders encourage each to give their best.

* Good leaders are candid, and protect others even if it is against their own best interests.

* Good leaders act on their conviction and are principled.

* Good leaders treat others the way they would like to be treated.

* Good leaders manage others by being around those they lead.

* Good leaders are seen and are interested in what those they lead do.

* Good leaders realize productivity increases as the attention on those who are led increases.

* Good leaders learn life long and encourage others to do so.

* Good leaders possess integrity.

* Good leaders look beyond cause for flaws.

* Good leaders value experience and experiences.

* Good leaders value opportunities, have fun and enjoy the moment.

* Good leaders realize that identifying extreme situations is not enough and that they must also maintain their stamina to successfully resolve the situation.

* Good leaders value the taste of success and encourage others to do so.

* Good leaders keep logs listing those responsible at which times and for what specific responsibilities, which provides clear understanding of who is responsible. 

* Good leaders know team and crew leadership should ideally be rotated.  This permits new skills being achieved, and new interaction with other leaders.  This also eliminates stagnation, which might otherwise arise. The value of the "new guy" is that they are always striving to achieve new challenges and those they are working with must again demonstrate their own capability.  Frequent rotation encourages the flow of information.

* Good leaders make routine visits should occur to enable observation of activity and to enable the discovery of unreported or potential issues.  These visits will include follow-up of information previously reported/ observed.  Anonymity shall not only be promised but also kept, when appropriate.

* Good leaders establish critical rules in three's.

* Good leaders mark tasks with identifying information of the individual who completed it.

* Good leaders motivate because error free workmanship can be achieved when desired.

* Good leaders periodically and routinely hold meetings solely for the purpose of addressing the status of ongoing projects.

 

Last Updated ( Thursday, 06 December 2007 07:28 )