What makes a good leader?

I was just traipsing about the 'net and came across someone praising a former boss. It got me wondering: what do you consider good traits in leadership?

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Well they should be openminded and listen well. Not be afraid to stand up for themself or the underdog. That's a few.

I dunno, but The Leader is a good place to start...

1. Humility
2. Strict adherence to the rules, but the rules should be well thought out.
3. Empathy
4. Education, and expertise in the area that one leads.
5. Sense of Humor and the understanding of the importance of morale
6. Being able to admit when one is wrong and praising the person who points this out, not hiding behind pride and power.
7. Not allowing anyone to walk over them because they are open-minded and empathetic and understanding, enablism just does not fly!!!!! & stepping on the toes of one who tries to listen is like pissing on your own grave.

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“The gladdest moment in human life, methinks, is a departure into unknown lands.” – Sir Richard Burton

I've posted this thread on three boards, over 50 responses, and you're the only person who said they should stand up for themself. I agree with you.

I stood up for myself once....When I busted my arse from falling down I bought a pillow and taped it to me azzzzzzzzzz

I missed this earlier. This is a great list.
I couldn't agree more about sense of humor and not taking one's self too seriously. Personally, I can't take a person seriously at all if they demand it from others, so I'm in full agreement there.

I also totally agree about enablism. I'm actually in the middle of that sort of situation right now, so it was very steadying to see you say that. Thanks for that.

Self confidence (but this also ties into everything else...I guess they wouldn't take on a leadership role if they aren't confident.) But this confidence shouldn't be cockiness. They should have just enough confidence to believe they are capable of doing a good job, and just enough confidence to also notice when they need help, or to admit they made a mistake.

it varies from one person to another but there are rules u can follow obviously.

some are total dictators but are successful. Some are openminded and willing to take advice and still successful.

There are leaders who are efficient and fast but lack vision. Some leaders are seemingly slower but their mind works at an extraordinary pace and have great vision.

Being a good leader depends on what that particular job requires.

As someone who used to lead a merry band of dysfunctional, hairy-arsed salesmen I have to agree with 7th and say that humility is a very important trait.

I'm extremely ... ermmm ... humile.

I've had a number of bosses who I liked and they all shared a common bond - they appreciated me. There was also one who I had to be forcibly dragged away from after he called me an Irish b*stard. He didn't drink, though, maybe that was his problem.

So yeah, a good boss must be able to take a drink, like Paddys and be reasonably humile!

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

Sometimes confidence comes while you are doing the job, eg. I once applied for a job where i worked, i only did it because the big Boss called me into his office and asked me to apply He said he thought i could do it i was not an abisious person I was scared i wouldn't be able to do it, but i did apply and blow me down I got the job My confidence grew as i did the job, I think I was an ok boss, people seemed to like me, they all became my friends
I think This is really import I say to my clients, part of being emotionally strong and healthy is to know, when to ask for help

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
Buddha

Someone who gives great importance to the well-being of his/her subordinates.

I see a leader is one that takes responsibility for his team as well as for their actions. This means that the team and the leader must be able to trust eachother, know each other and work as a true team.

a good leader is also a good listener.

It is really tough to say simply because so many of the traits that a leader needs to have seem to contradict each other.

Such as a leader should have humility, but at the same time they need to be almost cocky/confident in what they are doing and proposing.

They also have to be willing to listen and change their mind, but when they make a decision, they also have to be willing to defend that decision and they can't be too easily swayed.

They have to know how to lead, with knowledge and expertise in how to motivate and make the decisions, but they also have to be closely grounded to reality and know not only how to lead, but they have to know something about the people they are leading and what it is like to be someone in that position. One of the reasons, in my opinion, that politicians do such a lousy job in office, generally speaking, is that everyone up there is a politician, they all think that they know how to lead and none of them have any idea exactly what it is like to be a normal person or how to do one of the other things that I mentioned, which is listen.

They have to be able to get over and learn from mistakes. I'll use a football example, but they always make the comment that the QB needs to have a short memory after throwing an interception and not let it change his play any in the game. When something bad happens, learn from it and move on, otherwise it tends to snowball into something that is huge and terrible. But that goes along with the ability to clean up and fix ones mistakes. For example, look at the Iraq war, most people would call it a clear mistake in going in, but Bush is doing one thing right (and I won't put all the blame on going in on him a lot of the faulty inteligence was gathered during the previous administration as well) in that he is cleaning up the mistake that he made. Pulling out and forgetting that it ever happened doesn't solve the problem, but taking responsibility and doing ones best to rectify the situation and leave it better then one screwed it up is an important thing in leadership as well.

Those are just a few things that I thought of quickly, there are many more I'm sure that are important, but I think the "perfect" leader is probably impossible, but to make all leaders better there need to be checks and balances with other different parties which might slow down things, but should cause better decisions to generally be made.

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"As I was walking up the stair,
I met a man who wasn't there.
He wasn't there again today,
I wish, I wish he'd go away."
-From Identity

a good leader knows how to listen to his people and no corruption at all..

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"Now talking's just a waste of breath and living's just a waste of death - so why put a new address on the same old loneliness?"

I'm the leader of the bunch - you know me well : i'm finally back to kick some tail. My coconut gun fires in bursts - if I shoot ya : it's gona hurt. I'm bigger , i'm faster , and stonger too : I'm the first member of the DK crew.

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