4 C’s in Leadership
Being a leader is one of the most dynamic, exciting, and challenging things that you can do. It is important to have a solid foundation in leadership in order to be able to handle whatever comes your way.
The 4 C's are the foundation that every leader must possess. Once you have these then you are able to expand your leadership capabilities and impact in greater ways.
Character - At the core of leadership is having a strong character. This is the ability to do the right thing even in challenging situations. It is being principled, honest, and trustworthy. When you are acting with character there is an inner peace that you will have.
Compassion - This is caring about the people around you and wanting them to be successful in their personal and professional lives. It is understanding that others are dealing with very real and difficult challenges that you may not be aware of. They may be experiencing mental health issues, relationship problems, financial concerns, etc. It is keeping this in mind as you deal with others. People will be much more motivated when they know that they have a leader who truly cares about them as a person.
Communication - Leaders need to be able to effectively communicate with their teams. This communication must be consistent, clear, and transparent. Remember you are communicating with what you say, your vocal quality, and your body language. This is a skill that can be developed and great leaders are constantly looking for ways to improve upon this.
Competence - This is having an understanding of your role and being able to execute it at a sufficient level. People under you are going to ask themselves, "Does he/she know what they are doing/talking about?" If you want people to respect you and follow your lead then they need to answer yes to this question.
As a leader consistently check in to make sure that you are fulfilling these 4 C's. There may be times when one or more of these is either missing or lacking from your leadership. By checking in on this you will be able to quickly resolve this issue when it arises.
Ask yourself today, am I excelling in these four areas? If yes, then keep it going. If you are not then see which one of these you need to focus on and improve.
