What is a Leader?
Many experts will tell you that Leadership is one of the most important things for business success. So leadership and the traits and characteristics of a leader is something we should study and learn. Correct?
Leadership is a matter of intelligence, trustworthiness, humaneness, courage, and sternness . . .   When one has all five virtues together then one can be a leader
Sun Tzu – The Art of War
Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.
Peter F. Drucker
Don’t tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
George S. Patton
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.
Dwight Eisenhower
A leader is a dealer in hope.
Napoleon Bonaparte
I must follow the people. Am I not their leader?
Benjamin Disraeli
The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it.
Elaine Agather
Delegating work works, provided the one delegating works, too.
Robert Half
Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men — the other 999 follow women.
Groucho Marx
The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.
Theodore M. Hesburgh
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
Theodore Roosevelt
Many thoughts and ideas on leadership by some great people – possibly some great leaders.
My model of a leader is someone who has the ability to work with people. They have emotional intelligence along with high moral standards, a good work ethic and knowledge of the practical side of the business.
A good leader is not the one that talks the loudest – sometimes true leadership is not talking at all. A leader must show by example, be open to change, communicate with all the people at every level of the business.
A good leader looks ahead, has a vision and steers his business towards that vision like a captain of a ship. A good leader does not have to make abrupt changes, for he knows this will only upset the order of things, and not bring about true change.
A good leader understands the culture of his organization, understands his customer, has a solid relationship with all of his publics (suppliers, intermediaires and interested stakeholders). A good leader takes the pulse of his business at many times and in many ways.
A good leader listens!
A great leader responds to what he hears at the correct time, in the correct way, with the correct amount of force, using the correct tools.
A great leader has patience and perseverance.
A great leader loves what he does, day in and day out.
