What is Leadership?
Penguin January 29th, 2007
In today’s world of failing CEOs, there’s a need for a new generation of great leaders. But what does it really take to be a great leader? In order for us to answer that question, we need to define what a leader is. I think leaders can be broken down to two groups: entrepreneurs and role models.
Entrepreneurs
These are your visionaries. People who think bigger and beyond themselves. They may not necessarily know every step it will take to get to their destination, but they will make steps towards it. People like JFK who had a vision of putting a man on the moon.
It’s not enough to have just vision. A truly great entrepreneur needs to have passion. Their believe in their vision is so fundamental, that they’re willing to take steps outside of their comfortable place in life and try and make their vision a reality. Kevin Smith had passion. He maxed out all his credit cards to fund Clerks.
Finally, discipline. Despite the hardships and the failures, the great leader will look towards the ultimate goal and their ultimate purpose and not give up hope. Sometimes, over the next mountain is the sun.
Role Models
Then, there are the role models. These people lead as examples with their lives. Whether it be through exceptional kindness and generosity, or the hurdles in their personal lives that they had to over come to achieve success, whatever that means.
Sometimes there’s nothing exceptional about these people. They don’t have millions of dollars or tremendous fame. These may be your brother, your sister, your father, your mother, or even someone you just kind of know. But they’re living the sort of life that you wish you were living. And sometimes, just living is hard enough.
Great Leaders
So, what makes a great leader? An entrepreneur that’s also a role model. In order to be truly great, you must posses all these qualities. Vision, passion about your vision, discipline to bring your vision to life. The ability to live every day with integrity and character.
How does someone become a great leader? They work at it. They examine their failings and try better next time. They take criticism with kind words and receive praise with thankfulness. They are not perfect, but do the best they can to be the best they can.
Are you a great leader?
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