Everyday Canvas

True Leaders

Motivational speaker/writer Stephen R. Covey says, "True leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they come to see it in themselves. Only then can you inspire others and create a community where people feel engaged."

Do you agree or disagree? Is this leadership style present in your world? Or are you subjected to a more authoritarian point of view? If you disagree what does leadership mean to you? What qualities are important for a great leader to possess?

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Encouraging people and showing them what they are able to accomplish, surely, is the idealistic approach to leadership. Is this enough by itself, though? Even if this could be one of the requirements of a leadership, don’t a few other factors such as gaining the trust and respect of people, play the primary role before “communicating to people their worth and potential”?

Simply put, getting people to take part in anything is a major undertaking. Although many may be willing in the beginning, making their enthusiasm continue is next to impossible. In addition, inside each group, society, or nation, negative and toxic elements do exist, and those will do everything in their power to undermine the good will and positive works in every way they can. This negativity combined with the shortcomings of what makes people human can eventually cause leaders to have a few or zero followers. Thus, a true leader should be able to overcome the negativity in groups as well as inspiring people and showing them their own potential.

Unfortunate as it is for us, true leaders are rare, and the leaders who are elected, given a throne, appointed, and ordained are not even good enough to lead, usually. Once they sit on the leader’s seat, they forget what they are there for, dismiss their responsibilities, and ignore their influence on the people. Any leader should never forget that she or he has the servant’s duty to the groups and masses and is there to serve them, and not for being served. In short, as leadership is built upon trust and respect, the integrity and strength of character has to come before the ability to influence people; therefore, his or her character and attitude makes a leader credible.

True leaders are the key pieces of the humanity’s puzzle, and their virtues are numerous. True leaders are most wanted for their ethics, strengths, and talents. True leaders are those who can dream and let the people dream with them. True leaders do not run away from or buckle under challenges. True leaders do not stop learning and observing. True leaders do not fear for their own safety and welfare.

Most of all, true leaders are who we need for their visions.