The Traits of a Good Leader Date:   Monday , March 05, 2012 There are thousands of literary materials describing what it takes to be a superior organizational leader. Some authors claim an exceptional leader possesses certain traits or skill sets; others say it's all about the personality. Still others maintain it's the daily behavior and not necessarily the intentions or thoughts, that are drives leadership. In the traditional sense, leadership can be defined as one's ability to get others to willingly follow. A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of the end point, as well as a firm handle on what success looks like and how to achieve it. But vision alone is not enough as leaders must also share the vision and act upon it to make vision into a reality. Jack Welch, former chairman and CEO of General Electric Co., said, "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion." Certain character traits are inescapable when we talk about leadership. These include: Integrity: Integrity is the culmination of outward actions and inner values. A person of integrity can be trusted because he or she never departs from their intrinsic values, even in times of difficulties. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity. Honest business dealings, stable reactions, well-controlled emotions, and an absence of unreasonable outbursts are signs of integrity. Dedication: Dedication means spending the required time, energy and focus to accomplish the task at hand. A leader inspires dedication by example, doing whatever it takes to complete the next step toward the vision. By setting an example that the leader is willing to get the job done, he/she shows followers that the leader will not ask for a staff to complete a task which he/she is not willing to do. Nobility: Nobility ensures that the leader shares credit for success as much as possible and takes personal responsibility for failures. This circle of magnanimity allows followers to share the accomplishments towards the vision. I have always looked at the bigger picture. My varied interests in life have given me multiple opportunities to observe and interact with people from different walks of life. Driving the reigns of the Compuware family is an enriching and delightful experience for me. My core objective is to provide an honest leadership to the Compuware family in India. The employee leadership will in turn bring the right innovations and solutions to our customers. Already established as the leaders in Application Performance Management, we intend to keep up the pace by focusing on expanding our collaborations and partnerships in India. Being known as the market leader in Application Performance Management does act as a catalyst to further our reach to our customers, but long term goal remains very clear; which is to set the global standard in this category. Our projected road map in the coming years includes: a) Increasing our customer base in the next five years and positioning ourselves as leaders in APM space with solutions which are suited for the Indian markets b) Delivering customer value via our enhanced partner network and expanded employee strength. c) Customers can leverage our benchmark solutions that will enable India companies to view their company performance viz-a-viz competition in the same industry. d) To increase market awareness among enterprises, enhancing partnership with service providers Whether it is to provide leadership among the ranks or leadership within the industry – nothing is more inspiring for success as we continue to attain achievement, and achievement is the key factor that motivates everyone across all cultures. When employees see the leader has a vision with attainable goals, and gaining results in a timely manner, then that person's credibility increases throughout the organization. Coupled with timely communications, the process will inspire and almost guarantee success.