Vive l'amour!

Just because you have followers does not necessarily make you a good leader. There have been too many individuals throughout history who have been leaders who did nothing but lead their followers onto paths of destruction. Being a good leader is never an effortless task. Each of us has some basic abilities to lead. What we need to learn and develop is how to use those innate talents. And what on earth are the traits of a good leader? Here I have some examples to give accounts of.

First of all, a good leader is who would think big; that is, he always has a vision. Alexander the Great is the person who fit into this characteristic. Alexander was historically a great strategist yet a famous leader. After his father was killed, he made a difficult decision to succeed to his father’s dying wish. And what’s more, he thought big. He even wanted to reign over many countries. This stands for why he commanded his troops to war ubiquitously. In the end, he really made his aspiration realized because of his extraordinary ambition. A person without any great ambition can hardly be a good leader. If he doesn’t aim high, he is just a follower. A follower just follows his leader for he lacks this feature.

Integrity comes to the second place. A leader should be upright, and then he’ll gain his followers’ trust. With followers’ trust, he’ll thus lead them well. Ma Ying-jeou, president-elect for the coming four years, is exactly a good example of a man with integrity. He asks himself not to be dishonest. With a bucket of strict disciplines put on himself, he finally gained people’s confidence. It is because he demands himself to cash what he has promised to fulfill that he will try his best not to let anyone disappoint. A person with great integrity can therefore become his followers’ good example. And then he can lead others further. Owing to this nature, Mr. Ma finally won the election. And after inauguration, people believe in that Mr. Ma’s integrity will have some impacts on his governing team as well. Folks hope that this president-elect could rule our country with honest.

At last, positiveness and optimism are required as well. A good leader wouldn’t waste his time and energy on always looking for the negative aspects of things. He should instead try to see and find the positive or good in the bad. And he wouldn’t be pessimistic. Mood management is also one of the important elements of being a good leader. “One who is unhappy can never get a beneficial result,” Shakespeare once put it. It’s right. Bill Gates, CEO of Microsoft, is the proof. He always wears a big smile. No matter how thorny the problem is, he can still solve it smoothly. He will never be defeated by it. And what’s more, if something embarrassing strikes him, he would face it with humor. Gates is really a good model. A good leader should face the task and take on it. And he should have the ability to handle crisis. If a person who always thinks negatively and pessimistically, he will by no means be a leader.

With the above-mentioned traits, one can achieve good leadership. However, bear in mind that leadership is most effective as a partnership between leaders and followers; therefore, leadership is not a solo show for a leader. How a leader interacts with others is also important. Ambition, integrity, positiveness and optimism are the elements that help a good leader get along well with people. With good interaction, an excellent leader is one who everyone is willing to follow.