An effective leader is someone who inspires, creates an inspiring vision for the future and motivates people to engage in activities to bring into life that vision. They energize team with achievable yet challenging goal, assist in defining strategy to achieve same and are accountability partner to growth. Effective Leader lead selflessly for growth of their organization and people whom he/she lead. All such organization who have such leaders are successful and each great organization have inspirational leaders behind them.

We all in order to be successful contributor to our career, organization, economy and society in large, need to develop leadership skill. Also, those who are already having opportunity to lead need to focus and develop it further so as enable growth of not only self but all whom they lead. Along with qualifications every professional needs to develop and acquire leadership skills for success. Let us not go very far but look in our homes to find a great leadership lesson. A leader, who cares, nurtures and continues to give effort unconditionally and selflessly till her last breath. It is none other than our MOTHERS. A bond between a mother and a child is of unconditional love and trust.  She is our first teacher , our first leader and she continues to guide us in every walk of life through our ups and downs. A MOTHER is an epitome of love, compassion, warmth and trust.

If we all try to learn from our mothers we can learn much more than leadership skills. But in this article let us discuss about those great qualities in our mothers that if we acquire and apply, it would definitely make us great leaders.  

Visionary

It is our mother’s vision, sacrifice and dedication that builds the future of a child and binds the entire family together. Whatever success we achieve in our life was envisioned by our mother even when we were not born. Despite challenges and hurdles a mother never gives up her dream for the child and her family. We have so many examples of great leader quoting their Mother, whose vision and grit enabled them to achieve success.

A great leader is a visionary. He/She envisions the future of a company and guides his/her team towards success.  Great Leader keep vision alive , whatever challenge may come , they contribute by providing motivation and strategy to deal with challenges.

Communication

Communication is one such skill that we all should master. Our mother does this to perfection effortlessly. She knows how to actively listen through all her senses. She guides us in all our activities, creates such a bond and trust that we can share everything with her. A child can vent all his feelings, happiness, anger, fear, etc. only to his/her mother. Similarly a good leader should have the ability to communicate effectively with everyone within and outside the organization and also make others comfortable enough that they are able to communicate with him/her. They should know how to listen actively, word and action spoken or not spoken and also art of speaking through action including verbal or nonverbal way.

Empathy

One can never be a good leader if they don’t empathize with people and understand their situation. Who can empathize better than our mothers? A mother understands her child like no one and stands by him/her through thick and thin. She consoles her crying child boosts up his morale and keeps him/her going. Empathy is one such characteristic that helps us take the right decision. A good leader is someone who puts the work behind and offer support to his/her team members who are genuinely facing challenges. Great leader enable team to perform to highest level of their capability by practicing empathy.

Accountability

In the world of leadership accountability and personal responsibility holds an important place. The most important bond that we share with our mother is that of trust. A mother always takes up the blame to protect her child. We feel the safest and most protected with our mothers. Similarly mother knows child target and is accountability partner so as to enable child perform. She even punish child so that child can take up and deliver his/her responsibility effectively and become successful. A good leader not only takes the responsibility but he/she also takes the complete accountability of a project. Leader is not the one who blames other rather points the finger at himself. They hold person accountable for their responsibility, enable them to report and guide them to achieve their target and grow to be successful performer.

Gratitude

A mother never leaves a chance to show gratitude towards her child and the family. She is the first one to appreciate us no matter how small our achievement is. A good leader is the one who never forgets to appreciate his team members. He recognizes the efforts of those people who put in their hard work every day for the success of the company.

A mother is celebrated, respected and cherished in every religion and every part of the world. No amounts of praises are enough for her. We are incomplete without her. No matter how old we are we all need our mother. We all love and respect her. This is only because of her selfless and unconditional love, sacrifice, dedication, warmth etc. towards her child and family. Any leader, who wants to be respected, regarded and successful has to be dedicated and selfless. He/She has to make many sacrifices and always think of other’s success and his organization success before his/her own.

With gratitude toward our Mother.

Coauthor: CA Adiba Maruf