The Major Attributes of a Leader – Based on Napoleon Hill’s Book “Think and Grow Rich”
From Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr, to Nelson Mandela, Steve Jobs, Aung San Suu Kyi, The Dalai Lama, Angelina Jolie, and Mary Robinson, the history of mankind has been fundamentally shaped by the personality, ethics and leadership skills of these men and women. But what are the characteristics that make these men and women great leaders? Napoleon Hill dedicated and invested all of his life to studying some of the greatest leaders in history of that time, and which he documented in his book “Think and Grow Rich”. The characteristics below are the major attributes of a leader:
- Unwavering Courage. The word courage comes from the Latin word cor or cordis, which means soul, heart, spirit, and mind. And this is what characterizes a true and great leader, a heart, spirit, soul and mind, someone who has great belief in themselves and their abilities, and this is what Napoleon Hills discovered.
- Self Control. A person should first be capable of being in control of his / her own reality, in order to be able to lead other people.
- Think highly of themselves. A healthy and strong self-image is a journey of hard self-development, which starts from within, and gradually as it grows and develops, it reflects to the outside world. Thus thinking highly of one’s self-image is such an attribute which enables a leader to control his / her outer experiences, through the image he / she holds within.
- Keen sense of justice. Justice is the first and foremost characteristic which a leader will be judged on by his followers. Justice always creates respect and a sense of security.
- Clearly defined decisions. This is a basic and essential skill of a great leader. Decision making must be fast and in a strong manner. No one appreciates or follows an insecure person.
- Definiteness of Plans.Leaders plan their work and work theirNothing remains to chance or proceeds by guesswork, which will eventually lead to failure.
- Sympathy and understanding. A pleasant personality is clearly an advantage. It is a powerful tool for a leader and enables and assists better levels of collaboration.
- Mastery of detail. The difference from success to failure and back, is in the small details, whether this regards the technicalities of the industry that the person works in, or the ability to observe and detect the little details that make a difference in the work environment.
- Willingness to assume full responsibility. The greatness of a leader is shown upon the mistakes and shortcomings of their followers, and for which they are ready and willing to take full responsible for. The possible failure of a follower is always considered as a personal responsibility of the leader, which puts him or her in the position to assist and guide the follower, in order to work things out towards the desired result and to that which constitutes success.
- Co-operation. Henry Ford said “Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” Thus collaboration and co-operation multiply and increase, and is therefore one of the major attributes of a leader.
- See the good in other people. There is always something beautiful and beneficial in every person, and being able to recognize what is good in each individual is a talent which can generate encouragement, motivation and enrichment in others, and is an essential attribute of a true leader.
- Last but not least, a pleasant personality. Everybody enjoys the company of, and collaborating with a person who has a pleasant personality. It is a characteristic whichbrings harmony, stability, and peace in every environment, by its leader.
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To your success,
Maria Menicou
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