Qualities That Make a Qualified Community Leader

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Qualities That Make a Qualified Community Leader Honestly speaking, the designation “community leader” is quite new to me, since where I come from in China people hardly use this word. My idea of “what makes a good community leader”, thus, may still be half-baked. Yet I do believe that the following qualities are essential for a good community leader: real passion for serving the community, effective communication skills, and the ability to coordinate. Firstly, qualified community leaders are those who are passionate about improving the general well-being of the whole community, even through really hard times. They should be able to identify the aspects of community life that can be bettered based on a sufficient understanding of the social issues in and around the community. Furthermore, they are the ones who are willing to take the responsibility and become the change-makers, instead of waiting for someone else to do so. To some extent, this idea was inspired by four social entrepreneurs I encountered during a talk held in NUS earlier this year, named UN Women Project Inspire: Meet the Change-makers. These social entrepreneurs believe that making changes, instead of money, is the more important thing to do in life, and that turned into the initial motivation behind the great work they have done. Secondly, competent community leaders should be able to communicate effectively, since the job involves a great deal of interaction with people from very different backgrounds. They encourage people to speak up, so that the whole community are able to see things from different angles. They listen to people, to better understand their needs and let them know that their opinions are valued. They also persuade and mediate, especially when there is a dispute among different groups, helping them to reach an agreement that works the best for the

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