Key Skills and Attributes of the Effective Leader

 The ability to take responsibility – this involves the confidence to make decisions, often
based on incomplete information, and to live with the consequences of those decisions.
 The ability to contribute to the overall goals and vision of the organisation – to see what
contribution can be made and to make this contribution.
 The ability to set a clear direction for others within the organisation– team members,
colleagues, subordinates - and to convey this direction clearly. This will often take the form
of challenging, but achievable (SMART) objectives objectives.
 The ability to motivate others- The capacity to move people to action, to communicate
persuasively, to strengthen confidence of others, to change behaviors.
 The ability to delegate responsibly, in order to get the task completed and to build the skills
of the team.
 The ability to anticipate, plan for and lead change – this will often involve sensitively
dealing with any fears or concerns which the team may have regarding the change.
 The ability to analyse problems- to seek out relevant data and analyse complex information
to determine the important elements of a problem situation; searching for information with
a purpose
 The ability to manage relationships – to inspire and influence other people, to manage
conflict, to network effectively, to manage conflict effectively
 Organisational ability – the ability to plan, schedule and control the work of self and others;
skill in using resources in an optimal fashion.

Essential attributes for effective leadership include:

 Self-leadership – to control one’s own emotions, to be seen to be honest and open, to show
integrity and trustworthiness, to deal with setbacks and see them as opportunities
 Social awareness – the ability to empathise, to be sensitive to the ‘politics’ of the
organisation, to adopt a servant leadership style when appropriate. To be flexible and take
calculated risks when necessary
 Judgment - the ability to reach logical conclusions and make high quality decisions based on
available information; skill in identifying educational needs and setting priorities; ability to
evaluate critically written communications.
 Integrity: has a well established value system which has been tested in various ways in the
past.
Personal Motivation –to have a clear vision about progression of his or her own life and
career, as well as where the organisation should go.
 Decisiveness – the ability to recognise when a decision is required (disregarding the quality
of the decision) and to act quickly.
 Stress Tolerance – the ability to perform under pressure and during opposition; ability to
think on one's feet.
 Oral Communication -Articulate: makes a good impression. Ability to make clear oral
presentation of facts and ideas.
 Written Communication - the ability to express ideas clearly in writing; to write
appropriately for different audiences......students, teachers, parents, community, et al.

Bibliography
http://international-educational-leadership-community.nuvvo.com/lesson/7339-what-are-the-
attributes-and-skills-of-effective-leaders