What Leadership Means to Me

Throughout the course of history, there have been many great leaders. Leaders that lead glorious battles that ended in victory. There have been leaders who were tyrants with too much power. Leadership takes skill and cleverness. Good leaders have defined morals and values that are pure. The act of leadership applies these skills for the greater good. A leader must have key character traits to be successful. A good leader is loyal to his or her people. They protect and serve, putting their lives on the line. There is no greater responsibility than a position of leadership. True leaders are not tyrannical no matter how grim circumstances may be. A genuine leader only wants the best for his people. Admittedly, a leader has to make tough decisions. The ability to make these decisions requires good judgement and rationality. These aforementioned requirements are the basic foundation for a leader.

In a perfect word all leaders would be pure and uncorrupt. There are leaders that have been corrupt in the past. In my opinion a righteous and upstanding leader has no corrupt intentions. My ideal leader would be able to make decisions without malicious intent. Malice is a quality fit for a tyrannical and corrupt dictator. A good leader would do what’s best for their people. What’s more is that leaders won’t cause harm to their people. Anything that endangers a leaders followers is a threat worth avoiding. Although, leaders can operate by themselves. It is the job of their people to make compromises as well. In times of war or danger sacrifices must be made. A leader can distinguish the pros and cons almost instantaneously. Whatever decision is made, the people must be aware. Transparency is key to leadership. 

Leadership relies on a system of trust in one individual. One brave soul leads the rest of the group to happiness. This special person must have certain virtues in order to lead. Aristotle coined the idea of the Unity of Virtues. This was an all or nothing concept of human virtues and ethics. Aristotle believed that truly good people had perfect balance of their virtues. I believe a good leader has to have this same balance. Aristotle believed that you can’t be too prideful or generous. This balance of virtues allows a leader to function at full capacity. The opposite of the concept is what creates tyrants. Leadership is about having enough firmness and generosity to lead.

Being a leader is a difficult feat to achieve. I don’t believe I could be a good leader. I say this because most people believe they would be good leaders. I think leadership takes a great amount of humility mixed with courage. Leaders need to be humble yet confident in their abilities. I think there is a select few of people able to lead. Leadership is more so a natural talent. Leadership can be faked however it wouldn’t be good for the followers. A good leader can reassure even the most conservative individuals. Persuasion is a big part of leadership. You have to convince people to follow you. You have to give people a reason to believe you can do it. It really is the people who make the leader. They weed out the good and the bad to find the real. True leadership would rarely  require fear. Fear would be a last resort for a true leader. A leader will always try to inspire hope in his people. 

To conclude, leadership is a rare accomplishment for select individuals. A specific skill set is used to determine the best leaders. The greatest leaders possess the “Unity of Virtues”. Leadership is a team effort that requires understanding and patience. Great leaders inspire their people to do better. Leadership is for the brave and courageous. People trust leaders to help guide them on the path to success. All good leaders should be appreciated. Leadership is not easy, so appreciate those willing to take the challenge.

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