Leaders: What to Look For “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” ~ John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams’ quote incites some thought. There are undoubtedly high expectations from people placed in positions of authority. A leader has many responsibilities placed on his shoulders. The most important characteristics to look for in a leader are impossible to determine; however, three virtues have been defined to watch for when looking for a leader: integrity, initiative, and inspiration. Integrity is the most crucial characteristic of a leader or any person hoping to one day secure a position of authority. It is the foundation for any form of success. Integrity is based on …show more content…
An individual with this trait does not complain when he is asked to do any specific task; he recognizes that the job needs to be done, and this sets him up for opportunities in the future. A successful leader takes pride in his work, but is not boastful about it. He values the success of the team over his individual accomplishments—he gives up what he could be for what the team could be. This comes from total loyalty to the team. When the individual sees something that could help the team, he does it, no questions asked. The leader that has this trait has a vision for the future and a goal for the team he is leading. Given these points, I show initiative in my schoolwork. I plan ahead and do homework well ahead of the due date, if it is assigned early. I try to be prepared for anything that comes my way, but sometimes life gets the best of us. When things need to be done around the house, I try to do them without being asked. This does not always happen, but I still try to help …show more content…
A leader must encourage his team to be the best people they can be, and then show them how to use their strengths to help the team, if he wants to be successful. He must believe that the people on his team can be better and push the members toward that. Sometimes this will involve “tough love”. Success is about the leader pushing people to be the best version of themselves, and if the leader finds that “tough love” is the most effective, then that is what he is going to use. Being a leader is about being for the whole team, but urging each member to being for the team as well. I do not spend a lot of time being “inspirational,” but people do ask me for advice, and I have given a few pep talks. I always try to encourage the person so that the individual will feel better about himself or herself and the situation after talking to