Definition of a Good Leader

The madness and chaos that is the world that we live in today has left us wondering about and questioning the state of ethics and morality. One such aspect is the subject of leadership. We can almost outrightly declare that genuine leaders are becoming extinct. This Leadership essay attempts to give the definition of a good leader, while at the same time, remind us of the values that truly hold society together. We all have different views as to who a leader is. While to some, he is the face of greed and manipulation, to others a leader is a person who will stand up for the rights of the minority and the weak in society.

The different perceptions of who a leader is reveal the rot that exists in society and that has corrupted the hearts of many. The idea that for some, leaders are the best examples of the failure of our systems is not appropriate. Ideally, they are a symbol of trust, honor, friendship, security, confidence, peace and love among others. This is ironic considering that they are the complete opposite. However, this is not to imply that good leaders don’t exist. There are leaders who exhibit the character and personality traits befitting a noble leader. This Leadership essay example offers readers an insight into understanding what leadership entails and the qualities that every good leader must possess.

Leadership Essay – Focus on What is Leadership

What is leadership? A Leadership essay must highlight what leadership is and the role it plays in a society. Based on the stories from the past including the evolution of mankind, we see how as part of their survival they needed leadership. It is just embedded in our DNA the desire to follow or be ruled.

Writing a good leadership essay is only be possible when having a thorough understanding of what the terms ‘leader’ and ‘leadership’ mean.

A leader can be defined in different ways, examples:

• The individual who succeeds in getting a group a people work towards attaining a specific objective.
• They are the party left responsible to account for their actions and those of the subjects under them.
• The person who defends the rights of all in society.
• The individual that we vote for during elections to represent us in parliament.

Leadership, on the other hand, is the act of being a leader. It can refer to the group of people in charge of running an organization, or institution or country. When we speak of leadership, it is important to note that leaders are characters that are often emulated by the others in society – “monkey see monkey do”. This implies that we, therefore, must exercise caution when choosing our leaders. They must be of high moral value and ethics if we are to have a better world.

Now that we have an understanding of who a leader is and what leadership refers to, we can then proceed to define who a good leader is. We have been exposed to weird, selfish and greedy characters as our leaders for so long that we’ve almost forgotten what leadership is truly all about. A leader is not the individual that will offer bribes in a bid to have the position. So, here is the definition of a good leader.

Definition of a Good Leader

Defining a good leader is not quite straightforward. We are often challenged because as human beings, we are not perfect. This means that no single leader can possess all the qualities of a “good leader”; each will have their own flaws. Rarely will you find a perfect individual.

Every Leadership essay example reveals that a leader is judged whether he is good or bad solely by their actions, personality and character. What you do and how you do it, what you say and how you say it is closely monitored by those under you. Any person who has read “The 48 Laws of Power” by Robert Greene can tell that successful leadership or being in power can only be guaranteed when we control our actions and the words that we utter. The two have the power to make and destroy anyone, leaders are no exception.

Defining a good leader:

• A person willing to stand up for the rights of the oppressed and minority in society.
• The person who will successfully unite a people, governing them without force.
• An individual capable of making a group of people work towards realizing a specific objective successfully.

A good leader is the one that possesses good habits and character traits such as an excellent listener, virtuous, patience, understanding, strength, has integrity and is optimistic in nature among others. These traits are discussed in detail in the section below.

It is important to realize that the term “good” is relative. Depending on the values that you were raised up on, the standards of good vary. However, there are traits that cut across and that every good leader must possess.

Essay on Leadership – A Look at the Character and Personality Traits

An Excellent Communicator

Any essay on leadership needs to highlight the role of communication. We survive this world partly because of the connections that we’ve made thanks to communication. A good leader requires excellent communication skills if he is to communicate effectively with his subjects. He must be a good listener and orator at the same time.

Inspiring in Nature

Nobody fancies being around pessimistic and generally negative personalities. As a leader, a show of negativity or weakness could have a lot of damage since a majority of the people look up to you for guidance and hope. Be a pessimist and you could cause chaos. Instead, look to inspire people especially when things are far from being okay.

Believes in His Visions and Ideas

Leaders have the responsibility of guiding people to realize specific goals or agendas. Part of your responsibility as a leader is to believe in the visions and ideas that you propose. Have faith, and your subjects will have trust in your leadership and ideas.

Strong and Courageous

Strength and courage are traits that we all need to get by in life, though not all of can be strong and courageous. For leaders, however, the two qualities are a must-have. A good leader must display acts of valor and at the same time have a thick skin.

Smart

There is a big difference between working hard and working smart. In the Definition of a good leader, we can note that wisdom and smartness are tools they need to be successful in their position. Being able to tackle and solve problems requires some level of smarts.

Other traits include:

Patience

Virtuousness

Conclusion

This Leadership essay example explores our understanding and definition of Leadership and what we need to know about “good leadership”. Today’s world level of ethics and morality has sunk so much such that we have forgotten the ideals that define a true leader. Any essay on leadership always attempts to highlight the qualities that every good leader must possess. In this leadership essay example, I have also addressed the different perspectives from which society defines who leaders are and the qualities that they must hold to be considered good.