Leadership roles are vital to the success of any organization, and it goes without saying that companies are always on the lookout for people who have good leadership skills to help them achieve their overall objectives. Unfortunately, many individuals are not very confident with the skills that they have and as a result, career growth opportunities continue to evade them. The solution to this is simply to learn and develop certain leadership qualities. It is not rocket-science and in fact, the concepts are very simple. The challenge mainly is to be able to apply these every day until such time they become a part of you.

Below are the top three qualities that every effective leader possesses:

Quality #1: Action-Orientation

A leader must have a strong desire to make things happens. Being able to plan, implement, and execute is very important because in the corporate world, many factors could trigger people to be ineffective, especially when they procrastinate all the time. Leaders are reliable and take accountability for everything that involves the responsibilities given to them by their superiors. They are always “on the go,” full of energy and enthusiasm to get things moving.

While many others are busy doing non-work related activities, leaders get the job done. They work hard and they work smart because they feel fully responsible for the outcome.

To become action-oriented, use the following suggestions:

1.Be quick in making decisions, instead of wasting time mulling over trivial matters.

2.Always see the positive side of things.

3.Be cheerful in performing your tasks.

4.Make use of your time wisely to get more out of it.

5.Act, act, and act.

Quality #2: Influence

Leaders are people who can convince others to believe in their ideas and opinions. They can create change with a goal of improving the current situation. To learn how to influence others is not easy, but Dale Carnegie has outlined some great tips on how you can do this.

1.Respect other people’s thoughts and opinions.

2.Listen with your eyes, heart, and ears.

3.Steer clear of arguments, and never try to win them.

4.See it from their point of view.

5.Encourage and give sincere compliments.

6.Make others feel valued.

7.Do not boss around.

Quality #3: Commitment

One of the qualities that can truly set leaders apart from the rest is their commitment. When effective leaders make a commitment, they stand by it no matter what. While some of us will easily give up when faced with hardships and challenges, a leader will face these head on with no signs of backing down. They know that they are perceived as role models of their team and they always do their best to set a good example by staying committed to their objectives and goals.

To show commitment, you should:

1.Adhere to company policies and standards

2.Complete tasks on or before the deadline

3.Help your team members in performing their tasks and improving their performance

4.Continue to hone your skills and capabilities

Effective listening takes place when the person not only listens with the intention of answering, but rather, he listens because he wants to understand. Therefore, he:

· Focuses on the listener

· Listens to his message

· Listens to what the person is interested in

For you to become an effective listener, you need to first get rid of the barriers to listening, which are:

1. Being preoccupied. When you are doing too many things at one time, it makes listening very difficult to do.

2. Making assumptions. When people are already assuming things, they will not be very keen on listening to what the other person is actually trying to say because they think they already know the answer.

3. Making judgments. It is human nature to judge and pre-evaluate people; and unfortunately, this is one of the reasons why we are not able to listen effectively. We should keep an open mind if we are seeking to understand the listener and his message.

By eliminating these barriers, you are now a step closer to enhancing your listening skills.

Now, in addition to this, you also need to follow the tips mentioned below:

1. Ask intelligent questions. By asking questions, you get a better picture of what it is the speaker is trying to say. A note to remember: when asking questions, ask relevant ones and make sure you listen to the answer given.

2. Take down notes. Taking notes of what has been said will not only enable you to understand, but it will also help you remember. Many pieces of information could be overlooked or forgotten because these were not written down.

3. Avoid interruptions. Impatient individuals can hardly wait to interrupt but you should know that interruptions will not really lead you anywhere; if you want to understand the message, let the speaker talk.

4.Practice active listening techniques. These techniques include paraphrasing and summarizing; these not only help you understand better but they also make the speaker know that you are in fact intently listening to him.

5. Be an empathetic listener. One should listen with the ears, eyes, and the heart.  This means that he must not only focus his attention to the speaker but also be a vicarious listener; empathy will allow him to better understand by putting himself in the speaker’s shoes.

Listening is not a talent or an innate ability- it is a skill. One must make a conscious effort to really listen to the other person in order for him to become effective. Try it slowly every single day and pretty soon, you will become a natural at it. Once you have significantly improved this skill, you will come to realize that this will have a profound effect on your relationships with others.