What is a Great Leader? Articles | Entrepreneur

By: Richard Butler

 What is a leader? And I’m not just talking about a leader per se, I am talking about a great leader. Time immemorial, there have been many great leaders of our generation and from the previous ones – good or bad, dead or alive, past or present – Abraham Lincoln, Indira Ghandi, Nelson Mandela, Adolf Hitler, Richard Nixon, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King, George W. Bush, Mother Theresa. What do these people have in common?

There are many definitions of a leader. Some claim that leaders need to be intelligent to rule the world; others claim that being a leader requires gut, bravery and courage to stand out.

But what does a leader really mean?

According to Jim Kouzes, author of a leadership book called “The Leadership Challenge,” leaders are set to lead the way through their own set of examples, and through their character which include their beliefs, their values for themselves and their organizations. Second is that they have a vision of looking forward to the future and they encourage others to do the same thing. Third is that leaders are there to take risks and challenge the process of leadership. They continually expand, and look for areas where they would still grow. Fourth, according to Kouzes, they foster an atmosphere of collaboration and development. And lastly, they recognize not only team management, but also individual accomplishments as well.

A leader doesn’t only adhere to the present rules, thereby, following these rules that are already made for him. A leader makes his own path and makes his new rules so that others may be able to obey to these new set of rules. Another thing is that leaders should also be responsible not just to rule, but be able to be responsible for his own self. How can a leader lead his group of people if he himself doesn’t follow his own rules? And most importantly, just like what Mother Teresa has shown upon us, a leader is here to serve, and not just the other way around. There are some leaders now who take advantage and do the opposite – this is not what a great leader is all about. He must be able to be visible and present at all times to serve people.

These, among other things, constitute what being a leader is all about. So, am I saying that all of these leaders have the same qualities? To answer that question is a little bit difficult because all of the leaders mentioned above may possess all of these things and so much more, and yet sometimes, their leadership qualities got skewed along the way.

Take heart and be a leader in your own right.