Leadership Qualities - What Makes a Leader?

What Makes a Leader?

Leaders are rarely chosen by elections. People with admirable, desirable, and consistent behavior inexplicably rise to leadership. These people have certain characteristics that help people to recognize them leaders. Amongst these are confidence, morality, discipline and respect.

One important quality of a good leader is confidence. When a leader believes in himself, others will follow suit. Leaders cannot expect others to believe in them if they doubt themselves or the decisions they make. In addition, in order to lead, one must have a sturdy set of moral values. A steady set of values will always be a reference when one is faced with tough decision-making. People should be able to predict how their leader will react to certain situations because they know what creed they live by. A leader with moral values gives those who they lead assurance that the decisions they make will be desirable ones. Another trait that a good leader possesses is discipline. Leaders must be able to first discipline themselves and then those who they lead. With little effort, a leader should be able to put others on the right track. Finally, all leaders need respect: respect for themselves, respect for others, and most importantly, respect from others. A leader with no respect is no leader at all. People adhere only to those whom they respect; therefore, a leader must earn the respect of others through consistent and continue accountability. Any person who has these traits (confidence, morality, discipline, and respect) possesses the keys to leadership. It is their choice to use them effectively or not to use them at all.