larger or smaller, take its place. Leaders who
stand out, therefore, are highly creative.
Ingenuity also enables them to do much
with little, as well as to solve problems
quickly. Steve Jobs is one leader who was
known to display exceptional creative
thinking. It was his creative leadership that
saved Apple from the brink of failure when
he took over in 1997. Simplifying their
products and making them part of our
every day experience, Apple is now worth
over $700 billion dollars.
Optimistic
A leader’s task is to lift people up when
they are down and to lift them even higher
when they are already up. To do this, great
leaders are incessantly positive; one cannot
give what one does not have himself. And
as a result of their perpetual optimism,
they are able to take great risks and inspire
others to do so, which is the only route to
great accomplishments.
Humility
A humble leader is willing to learn from
both those who know more and those who
know less than him; knowledge is often
found in the least likely people and places.
The humbler a leader is, therefore, the more
he can learn. Modesty also sets great leaders
apart; we prefer to be around people who
make us feel great and who talk us up, not
who talk down to us. That is why millions,
even today, revere Nelson Mandela; if you
were a pauper, he would talk to you as if
you were a prince. Approachable, he was
sought by people of all ranks; his humility
attracted more followers than a general’s
sword could.
Curiosity
Most, if not all, of the world’s great
discoveries, were made by curious people.
Being inquisitive encourages one to explore
what others do not, thereby increasing his
or her chances of unearthing new things.
They say curiosity killed the cat, but often,
it has rewarded the inquisitive. Had the
Wright brothers not been curious about
flying, we would not have airplanes.
Compassion
Like perfume, compassion draws people to
– not away from – you. We only bare our
hearts and souls to those we are convinced
truly care. Before followers can completely
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A leader is only as good as his word. No busi-
ness, organization, or country can function at
its highest potential if its principal lacks integ-
rity. People are only willing to go to Hell – and
- back for someone they trust. If they don’t have
faith in you, you could promise them the world
and they wouldn’t walk a mile for you. A great
example of someone with integrity is Jesus: His
disciples were willing to di e for Him even long
after He had died because of the faith they had
in the integrity of His promises.
invest themselves in a leader’s hopes and
dreams, they must be fully convinced
that the leader is fully invested in theirs.
That is why Mother Theresa, though just
a nun, was able to achieve so much. Her
empathy for the poor and others made
her irresistible, so much so that, by the
time she died in 1997, I. K. Gujral, Prime
Minister of India, said of her: “A beacon
of light and hope for millions of poor has
gone out of our lives.”
Adaptable
Life is the most unpredictable entity in the
universe – just about as capricious as the
wind – and any leader who is not flexible
will fail at his mission. When the wind
blows, a tree bends, and so do remarkable
leaders when unforeseen circumstances
come their way. Had Cyrus the Great
not adapted his battle techniques when
conquering the impenetrable fortress of
Babylon, he would not have been in the
history books.
Commitment
To accomplish great things requires great
sacrifice, and great sacrifice cannot be
achieved without great commitment. Da
Vinci’s Mona Lisa took approximately
four years to complete, and Thomas Edison
made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts before
he completed the light bulb. If creating
works of genius requires unwavering
commitment, so does leading the people
you employ to create them.
Resilience
achieve great things, therefore, persevere
greatly. Pyramids, for example, stand
as a testament of what persistence can
accomplish. Relentless to see their dreams
come to life, the pharaohs of old have not
been forgotten thousands of years after
they died. A leader’s achievements are in
proportion to his tenacity. That is why the
winner in any battle is never the smartest,
but the last one standing.
Wisdom
Wisdom is the right application of
knowledge. The greater the wisdom a
leader possesses, therefore, the more he
can accomplish. Insight enables a leader
to see what others cannot, which enables
him to achieve what others cannot. It also
enables a leader to deal shrewdly with
his opponents and wisely with his allies.
Where intelligence doubles a leader’s
value, wisdom triples it. King Solomon
is the greatest example of this. Though
he ruled over a small country surrounded
by hostile kingdoms, through sagacity, he
managed to outwit every ruler competing
with him and ended up ruling a territory
far larger than any of his predecessors.
Generosity
Extraordinary leaders are generous with
their time, money, knowledge, and talents.
It is not what one receives that makes him
great, but what one gives. And, giving is
receiving inside out, so the more a leader
gives, the more he receives, and the more
he stands out.
Inspiring
If palaces were built in a day, every
beggar would have one. Leaders who Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and