Leadership
Leadership is one of the 24 character strengths, as suggested by Peterson and Seligman (2004). More specifically, leadership is the disposition of organizing and encouraging a group to get tasks accomplished while managing to maintain harmonious relations in the group (VIA Character, 2020). Some individuals who had leadership as a character strength were Franklin Roosevelt and Martin Luther King (Peterson & Seligman, 2004).
As a leader, should leadership be one of my central character strengths?
Having a leadership role does not necessarily mean that one of your central character strengths must be leadership (Pearce, 2019). Instead, good leaders are aware of their central character strengths, and they understand how to combine them to be the best versions of themselves (Pearce, 2019).
How can I concretely combine my central character strengths to be a good leader?
For you to combine your central character strengths, it is important to firstly reflect on them by asking yourself for each central character strength:
- In what moments at work can I use my central character strengths to be a good leader?
- How does the concrete application of my central character strengths positively impact my team?
Once you have finished the reflection, use the SMART methodology to apply your central character strengths at work.
The SMART methodology
The SMART methodology is a technique to achieve goals assuming that objectives should be specific (S), measurable (M), achievable (A), relevant, (R), and timely (T). An instance of a goal developed with the SMART methodology would be applying one central character strength at work (S), on every Monday (M), once a week (A), in one situation and finally, observe its positive consequences in the following week (T).
Take-home message
Not all good leaders may have leadership as one of their central character strengths, but they surely know how to combine them to be the best version of themselves, and thus to be good leaders (Pearce, 2019).