Not all leaders are famous like Martin Luther King, most leaders are ordinary people; you can walk down the street and run into someone and not know that they are a very powerful leader. I personally know of a good leader that is an ordinary person; my father. Although some people believe that leaders are born and not made, I believe that anyone can become a leader if they have enough courage and are thick skinned. There are many words that people come up with when they are asked to describe what makes a good leader. The most popular characteristics used to describe a good leader would be a good listener, responsible, and decisive. When you think of what makes a good leader you should also ask what kind of education they have and what would make them be a good leader.
The first important key role in being a leader is being a good listener. Some might ask: Why should they be good listeners if they are leaders? Shouldn’t they be the ones speaking and not listening? Yes they are the leader, but they need to listen and follow directions so they do not miss any important information. They need to do this so they can know how to instruct their team on what to do.
Leaders are always looking and encouraging the team to give them feedback so they can work to better themselves. The reason why leaders like to listen to feedback is so they can know what they that would be considered their strong point so they can work from that and make it even better. On the same note they need to listen to the critiques on what they did that was a weak point about them so they know what things they should avoid. If someone is calling themselves a leader but they do not like to take the positive criticism, then they probably are not a real leader.
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...ne can look up to if they wish to become a leader themselves. These leaders can show them what they should do in order to become a good leader like them. Any ordinary person can set their mind to something and have courage and become the next leader to change the world.
Works Cited
Rich, Maeve. What Makes a Good Leader? 2010 28 May 2010 http://www.life123.com/parenting/young-children/good-leadership-skills/what-makes-a-good-leader.shtml
What Makes a Good Leader? 10 Core Competencies of a Good Leadership from W8illiam S. Frank. 27 May 2010 http://www.bizzjournals.com/dencer/stories/2005/08/09/smallb3.htm?page=1
White, Barbara. Seven Qualities of a Good Leader. 1997. 27 May 2010 http://www.groco.com/readingroom/bus-goodleader.aspx
10 Qualities of a good Leader. January 15, 2008. 27 May 2010. http://penfieldrobotics.com/forum/index.php?topic=1750.0
First we have to ask ourselves, what makes a good leader? Depending on who you ask, that answer will vary. A good leader is someone who is very goal oriented, but bases their goals as a group, not on one’s own desires. A goal oriented leader would use language such as, “We need to get this done,” rather than, “I need this done”. You see this in the novel from Ralph when he is very insistent on keeping the signal fire lit, so as there can be a chance for rescue. Another great quality of a
These leaders influence and show praise, as well as being selfless in everyday actions. The leaders have integrity and get to know their followers. As has been noted, George Washington was a transformational leader who stood by his men and didn’t see them as a means to an end. In the same fashion, Martin Luther King Jr. bears these traits and keeps inspiring people to this day. He had determination and risked his life to have equality for African Americans.
The role of a leader is often inaccurately defined as an individual who is in a position to give orders. However, there are enormous differences in the attributes of an outstanding leader, and one of mediocrity. An outstanding leader, above all else, is a role model for their peers. In doing so, a leader of the highest caliber is trustworthy in both their peer’s trust for the leader as well as the leader’s trust of their peers. A leader must also display exceptional skill in communication which transcends speaking and, more importantly, includes listening and consideration to the ideas presented to them. Furthermore, a leader must be supportive of and willing to help their peers build their own strengths. The attributes listed above represent only a small subset of what makes an outstanding leader. Yet,
What makes a person a great leader? Is it the ability to speak well? Is it the wholehearted belief in the issues at stake? Or could it be that the person is more knowledgeable in the subject matter? Many people feel that Malcolm X had all these characteristics; however, he was different than other Civil rights activists because of his beliefs in fighting for civil rights with all ways including violence. Malcolm X was an influential leader because of his charisma, his beliefs in the pursuit to challenge nonviolent integration, and his leadership in the Islamic nation.
Leaders do not just appear out of thin air and automatically start making great things happen in the world. A leader must learn from prior leaders or role models that they are surrounded by that they look up to. Not everyone can be a leader, only some people have the correct characteristics it takes to lead others in the right direction. Those who do great things, for example volunteering at a homeless shelter, are not leaders. Many people mistake a “great person” as being a leader, which is completely incorrect (Kouzes and Posner, p. 3). While playing an active role in your community is a positive thing it does not make someone a leader of that community. All leaders have a group of people they have inspiration too and that is a good way of determining who your personal leaders are. My mother, brother, and grandfather are my leaders because I have always looked up to them and tried to mimic some of the great things that I have seen them do. My mother has always been an independent women with goals and an action plan to accomplish those set goals. Stephen, my elder brother, is outgoing and tends to have a leveled head when it comes to evaluating stressful situations. My grandfather is the most caring person I know and he is amazing at keeping situations under control in order to please everyone. These are all the qualities I want to combine into my own leadership style. I know I am not a efficient leader of these actions yet, but I plan on growing into this as I more on into my career, fulfill my set goals, and adjust to the curve-balls that life throws at me.
In order for a leader to be a leader he/she must begin with the assumption that you are the one who matters most. As a leader you have to possess that level of confidence in yourself that you are capable of leading yourself “before you can lead others”. And when you develop this belief then you are better able of affirmative influence “on others”.
Perhaps the most important qualities of a leader are passion and motivation. Especially when leading a group for a particular cause, a leader must be personally attached to that cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., for example, is a legendary leader because he fought for a cause that directly affected him. had he not been pushing for a personal reason, his actions would not have been as passionate. This would have caused a lack in motivation, another essential leadership quality. A leader faces many roadblocks and opposition and thus, must be motivated to continue fighting and leading. A leader’s attitude and opinions are valued by the group and therefore, if a leader is motivated, the group will be, too. The continued actions and successes, no matter how small, which move the group closer to its goal also help its motivation and drive.
Leaders have those indispensable qualities of contagious self-confidence, unwarranted optimism, and incurable idealism that allow them to attract and mobilize others to undertake tasks these people never dreamed they could undertake. (To Lead or Not to Lead, Unit One 36)
To be a leader you need to be able to inspire others, get people motivated, and set an example to other people. A leader needs to do all of these because if one of these aspects fails people don’t look at the leader...
Traits of a good leader are trustworthiness, respectfulness, honesty, and be stern. When you have leaders that take their role seriously, you can form a backbone to an organization that cannot be broken. You have born leaders and you have trained leaders. Martin Luther King was a natural born leader for the Civil Rights movement. King saw there was something that needed to be changed and he took the steps to change the world.
A leader is someone who _is trust worthy_. _Martin luther king jr._ is a leader because he _was able to convince some people that racism was wrong_. Also, _Martin luther king jr._ has the character trait of _bravory_ which makes them a leader. Being a leader takes determination, and _he_ shows this when he _gave his speech in washington dc at the lincoln memorial_.
To perform well as a leader, the leader must identify individual strengths, weaknesses, and potential; acquire knowledge of leadership, power, influence, and authority to get the right things done at the right time.
Throughout my life I have encountered the chance to experience position of being a leader. Being part of groups in university for class presentations, being the organizing secretary of my campus fellowship, being a youth leader in my church and the church admin, also being part of a family. Leaders are charismatic, inspirational and trust worthy. I have gained some important qualities of being a good leader through these experiences. Most of the valuable leadership’s characteristics that I obtained and strengthened are: learn to become a better leader every day, how to be a team player, to be a better listener, to be an effective communicator, to have more patience, not afraid of constructive criticism, to be outspoken, and to be a problem solver. Even though I have gained a lot, I still have more things to learn to become a better leader such as being more assertive, being more disciplined, becoming a better public speaker, and learn how to be realistic and not too optimistic. You are a leader if someone else choses to follow you.
Not all leaders exhibit negative leadership behavior. However, a bad leader is one who does not have the necessary skills to lead a group or a team. They can have a bad attitude, poor communication skills, and/or bad judgment. Their actions make their group or team feel disorganized, demoralized, and make them feel that their efforts are unrecognized. Eventually, their subordinates will perform poorly and become under achievers in their work or personal lives.
In my view most important character of a good leader is that they must be compassionate. Having a personality of caring about people is important. You can?t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them. No matter what credential they have and how much experience they have in administration but without being compassionate they can't ever become a responsible and successful leader. For example Hitler is known for his cruelty and he had no feelings for his own race. He failed to understand the feelings of Jews and thus persecuted them. He also failed to know the fact that the strength of his country lies in them, while opposite is Mahatma Gandhi, a major political and spiritual leader of India, followed nonviolent actions, avoiding any bloodshed in the country during their struggle for Independence. Because of his compassionate nature many leaders in today's world has looked him upon. So leader must be compassionate first without being influence by any ulterior motive.