What makes a leader?

As countless deposed kings and hapless heirs to great fortunes can attest, true leaders are not born, but made, and usually self-made. Leaders invent themselves. They are not made in one day. Rather, they develop character traits that are built over a period of time. Good leaders engage the world and those around them. A leader...

• innovates.
• is an original.
• develops.
• focuses on people.
• inspires trust.
• has a long-range perspective.
• asks the “what” and “why.”
• originates.
• challenges.
• is his/her own person.
• does the right thing.

Since leaders lead people, the style with which you do it is important. It must truly represent you and must fit with the situation, the results you wish to achieve and the people you hope will follow your lead. In truth having a particular style is not as essential to being a leader as having a vision of what could exist, being committed to the vision, bringing great energy to realizing that vision and having people to support you.

Having said that, the autocratic style of leadership is the less successful of all. It would be a good idea to develop a more involving style that gives you the benefit of exchange with and commitment from the people around you. This approach is especially useful to people within positions like yours who, by definition, can't tell others what to do (very often) and get away with it. If you have not learned the skills of working cooperatively with others in ways that allow them to see you as a leader, then learn those skills. If you find yourself dictating direction to people who regularly resist your well-intentioned efforts, then learn more participatory skills. When you have the skills, you can call on them. Without them, you are stuck with doing what you have done in the past, and you will get similar results.

A good leader is a symbol of the unity of an organization. They can express the values that hold an organization together. Most important, they can conceive and articulate goals that lift people up, carry them above conflict and unite them in pursuit of objectives worthy of their best efforts.

Leaders come in every size, shape, and disposition — short, tall, young, old, male and female. Nevertheless, they all seem to share some, if not all, of the following traits.

• The first basic ingredient of leadership is a guiding vision. The leader has a clear idea of what he/she wants to do professionally and personally — and the strength to persist in the face of setbacks, even failure.
• The second basis ingredient of a leader is passion — the underlying passion of the promise of life combined with a very particular passion for a vocation, a profession and a course of action. Leaders love what they do and love doing it.
• The next basic ingredient of leadership is integrity. Integrity may be divided into three essential parts: self-knowledge, candor and maturity. It is important that the leader never lies to him/herself, especially about him/herself. It is essential that you truly know yourself — your strengths, weaknesses, know what you want to do and why. Candor is the key to self-knowledge. Candor is based in the honesty of thought and action, a steadfast devotion to principle, and a fundamental soundness and wholeness. A good and effective leader cannot cut his/her conscience to fit this year’s fashion. Maturity is important to a leader, because leading is not simply showing the way or issuing orders. Every leader needs to have experienced and grown through following — learning to be dedicated, observant, capable of working with and learning from others, never servile and always truthful.
• Integrity is the basis of trust, which is not as much an ingredient of leadership as it is a product. The one product that cannot be acquired is trust. It must be earned. Trust is not only getting people on your side, but also having them stay there.
• The last two basic ingredients of leadership are curiosity and daring. Leaders wonder about everything, want to learn as much as they can and are willing to take risks, experiment and try new things. They do not worry about failure, but embrace errors, knowing they will learn from them.