Recently, I had the opportunity to lead one of the Rotaract Club of Toronto’s recurring monthly event, The Fort York Food Bank (FYFB). Reflecting on the event, I thought of my role as a leader. I made a list of some of the qualities and skills that I believe every leader should possess in order to achieve effective leadership:

Communication – as a leader, you must be able to communicate with members of your team. The leader should be able to give clear and concise instructions, clarify any misunderstanding, listen attentively and respond with courtesy. Further, they should be able to ensure that everyone on the team understands the goals of the task at hand.

Passion and Commitment – as a leader you should be passionate about the project or activity you are undertaking, as it can radiate positive energy which makes team members feel a profound sense of belonging. The team members would be motivated by the leader’s determination and dedication to ensure the success of the project. The FYFB event is my favourite Rotaract event because I get to interact with patrons from all walks of life. One of the greatest feelings in the world is knowing that you are making a difference, serving others and seeing a smile on their faces is just humbling.

Integrity – as a leader, you should lead by example, you must have respect for team members and be honest and transparent with good news as well as bad news. You should also be ethical and fair with regards to matters involving individuals as well as when it comes to making decisions.

Confident and a positive attitude – as a leader you must be confident and have a positive attitude because team members look up to you. In order for team members to trust and have faith in your leadership, you have to be competent. The leader must also be positive and help team members to see the positive outcomes that would result from the task.

Delegate and be decisive – a great leader should always delegate tasks to the people who can complete them efficiently. Leaders are responsible for teams and therefore should be able to make prompt decisions which would be best for the team.

Inclusiveness – as a leader, you should value the opinions of everyone involved in the team. When team members are able to share their ideas and provide feedback on matters, they feel valued, and they are more likely to cooperative and achieve goals.

Build Connections – as a leader it is important for you to get to know the individuals you are working with, it would give the leader an insight to the individual which in the long term can strengthen the relationship and make future collaboration motivating for both the leader and the individual. I had the privilege of meeting new persons. We built a great rapport, because of this I am confident that we can work on future projects together.

Recognition – a leader should never take all the credit for themselves; you must congratulate and give praises to individuals for a job well done. You must also remember to thank everyone involved in the project or activity for their contribution no matter how small.

To conclude, I believe an effective leader has to have the courage to lead members not just to achieve a specific task or goal but at the same time allowing everyone to feel like they are a part of something greater than themselves.