Collin Powell once said, “Leadership is the art of leading others to deliberately create a result that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.” From this quote we understand that leader is someone who can successfully direct a group of people to a certain goal. Many people strive for the leadership role and some actually become one. There are many different qualities a leader can have. The most essential qualities a leader should possess are selfdiscipline, assertiveness, positive attitude, empathy, and good communication.
Selfdiscipline is the ability to take action regardless of your emotional state. For example
, People do not want their leader coming into a meeting hung over because they went out the night before. They want someone who can keep a clear head, who they can depend on in a time of confusion , and , not give into those vices. If you can’t fix your own mistakes how can you fix someone elses? As such, selfdiscipline is important to have so that ones followers will be confident in their actions.
Assertiveness is based on balance. It’s about being true to your beliefs but also minding people’s thoughts as well. For example, if a president of a fraternity house comes across an issue of a brother doing unacceptable behavior, and he lets it slide with no punishment, the brother will
then think this is acceptable. A successful leader does not want to be known as a push over, so knowing when to put your foot down is crucial.
Keeping a positive attitude while directing a group of people is key. If a leader presents a speech with a bad attitude it’s more than likely their followers will have a bad attitude while they do whatever the task may be. Attitudes are infectious being happy will make things easier and will help motivate others. Therefore, it is important for a leader to keep a positive attitude.
Empathy must be the driving force behind a great leader. By understanding people’s feelings and thoughts it