[Number 4 in a series]
The Art of Manliness blog has a great article titled The 5 Traits of True Leadership. Be sure to read the entire post. Here is a basic outline to whet your appetite:
1. Quiet resolution. An effective leader has the resolve to see every task through to the end.
2. The hardihood to take risks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Great achievements come to those who are willing to take risks. A leader who continually plays it safe will never put themselves or the people they lead in a position to experience success.
3. The readiness to share in rewards with subordinates. A great leader, although supremely confident, humbly acknowledges that no success, no matter how large of a role he personally played in bringing it to fruition, is a wholly solo effort.
4. An equal readiness to take the blame when things go adversely. It is when things go wrong that true leaders are separated from the pretenders.
5. The nerve to survive storm and disappointment and to face each new day with the score sheet wiped clean; neither dwelling on one’s successes, nor accepting discouragement from one’s failures.