A community is a social unit composed of people who share a common culture and beliefs. These include norms, religion, values, customs, identity, and practices. They reside in the same geographical location or territory. They share leaders and resources. Community leaders are in charge of a given community. That is the people, resources, and geographical area. Their responsibility is to ensure that the community remains safe, secure, and self-sufficient. This is achieved through a collaborative effort between the leader and people. The following are some of the Qualities of a Community Leader.
Qualities of a Community Leader
Respectful
A community leader should have due regard for the rights, emotions, and desires of his people. He should allow them to live as much as possible in autonomy unless personal interests become destructive. By respecting their decisions and actions, he will also gain respect from them. This will give him popular support in the community, which is essential in leadership.
Communicates
A community leader ensures that there is an exchange of information when and where required. This is necessary to keep the population aware of current and new developments in the community or leadership. It imparts the knowledge necessary for decision-making and planning. It gives them a new perspective on issues affecting them and ways of overcoming challenges.
Empathizes
A community leader views issues and challenges from the perspective of the people. He tries to experience life from their side to understand their actions and reactions better. This gives him invaluable knowledge that will assist in developing solutions to tackle their challenges and improve their well-being. The people will feel like they can relate to him, giving him more acceptance in the community. They will perceive that he is mindful of their well-being.
Integrative
A community leader is required to be a unifying force among his people. He must identify ways of bringing people together for the common good. This helps in pooling resources, skills, knowledge, and abilities. A united people can achieve goals and objectives effectively and efficiently within a short period. This improves the rate and level of development in the community. As a result, living standards are enhanced.
Dedicated
A community leader remains devoted to his people and philosophies. He does not have divided attention while serving the community. He remains exclusive to the community and protects their interests at all times. He does not serve multiple communities simultaneously since this will lead to a conflict of interest. He will be perceived as dishonest and disloyal. This will taint their public image and reduce their popularity among their people.
Humanitarian
A community leader has a servitude mentality. He is philanthropic by nurture and nature. He has the innate desire to help people, and he participates in activities that alleviate suffering. He cares about the well-being of his people, and he remains selfless. He goes to great lengths to ensure his community is protected and comfortable. He does not like to witness the suffering of his people. He ensures policies and procedures exist to benefit the community as a whole. He fights for the rights of his people and tries to eliminate oppressive practices that hinder development and cohesiveness.
Integrity
A community leader is honest and trustworthy. He conveys valid and verifiable information to his people. He avoids spreading rumors and propaganda. He gives reliable information, which helps in decision-making and taking action. He does not manipulate situations for selfish ends. He will not lie or engage in deceitful talks and activities. He practices high professional and moral standards. He abides by stipulated rules and regulations.
Accountable
A community leader is liable for the decisions and actions that are taken. He must take responsibility for the consequences of various courses of action that he approved and implemented. He is obligated to the community and must meet their expectations as he performs his role. He must always consider the pros and cons of a given plan before embarking on it since it will affect the entire population. He must always be careful and pay attention to details to avoid risks.
Transparency
A community leader is required to exercise open communication with the population and other stakeholders. He ensures that relevant information is easily accessible by those in need of it. He encourages policies and procedures that are not rigid and restrictive to the point of violating basic human rights. Whenever possible, he explains his decisions and actions to the community not to be caught by surprise. Preparing the population in advance for an anticipated development or crisis helps them participate in the problem-solving process.
Resilient
A community leader acknowledges situations and identifies ways of resolving issues. He adjusts to the changing circumstances quickly so that the community remains stable. He ensures that policies and procedures are flexible enough to accommodate changes. This will help the community overcome challenges when they arise. He can survive and operate in any environment since he makes adjustments easily. He adapts and recovers quickly from challenges and setbacks. He nurtures this attitude among his people for sustainable growth.
Authoritative
A community leader displays power and authority in the community. He must be perceived as a courageous and competent leader. He must be assertive and command respect from the population. He ensures that the community follows the rules and regulations. This will make the community members more responsible. He ensures that the community members fulfill their obligations and meet expectations.
Persistent
A community leader should never give up on adversity or his people. He remains optimistic about the future of his people and community. He conveys messages of hope and faith to his people for continued support. He remains visionary despite the numerous changes, challenges, and uncertainty. He continues devising new methods and techniques to address community concerns.
Intelligent
A community leader has the knowledge and skills required to guide his people. He has the appropriate qualifications and training to be in authority. He can grasp and learn things quickly by interpreting them in the right context. He can resolve problems effectively and in the shortest time possible. He has gone through a vigorous learning process. He has foresight due to the information, knowledge, and skills acquired throughout his education.
Coordinated
A community leader ensures that people are working together to achieve agreed-upon goals and objectives. He facilitates proper interaction of the population for better results. He assigns responsibilities to community members and oversees the work being done by them. He supervises their activities and interactions to reduce the chances of conflict and errors. He initiates mitigation measures whenever the group dynamics are negative. He ensures harmonious interaction between community members for maximum productivity.
Organized
A community leader creates order within the community. He develops structures and systems to improve the coordination of activities. He introduces policies and procedures to guide and protect the community. He breaks down tasks and assigns them to relevant members of the community for completion. Finally, he ensures that the activities in the community are planned properly and systematically implemented.
Networked
A community leader has various connections within and without the community. These connections help him perform his role and implement plans in the community. In addition, they provide information, advice, and resources necessary in leading the community. He must nurture these friendships and relations to receive support and assistance when required.
Reliable
A community leader is dependable. He has adequate information and access to resources to enhance this attribute. He makes factual decisions, and the corresponding actions must yield the desired results. He meets expectations and fulfills his obligations. He honors deadlines and strictly follows plans. He provides effective and efficient services to the community. His quality of work must remain exemplary. His role performance in the community must be of high standards. He remains trustworthy in the community to retain their support. He works very hard to achieve community goals and objectives.
Conclusion
Communities are composed of diverse groups of people. However, they share a common culture, location, resources, and leaders. A community leader oversees the daily routines and activities of the community members. This type of leadership is participatory, and the leader must collaborate with the people to be successful. He has to possess certain attributes to have an impact in the community and while performing his role. A community leader faces numerous challenges regularly since he is dealing with a large group of people with divergent personalities. Ensuring that these people live harmoniously and remain cohesively is not an easy task for the community leader. As a result, he needs adequate information, resources, and sometimes advice from his network.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a community?
A community is a social unit composed of people who share a common culture and beliefs.
- Who are community leaders?
They are people who guide the community to achieve its goals and objectives. They include religious leaders, civic leaders, youth leaders, activists, and school representatives.
