True Leadership

To me, the leaders we see today all typically share somewhat similar traits and these traits are what I believe makes a leader. Intelligence is key to leadership because the ability to use knowledge in order to better the people you serve, I think, is one of the most important tasks a leader should face. In that also lies a second trait: compassion. A leader should feel a desire to create the best for others, the people he serves. Lastly, I believe boldness can be one of the most effective traits of a leader because a confident leader's attitude is contagious and can make the people he serves feel confident as well. Leadership is the ability to use each of these attributes and more to create optimal opportunities and situations for his/her people.

A good political leader must obviously have sufficient knowledge of government and politics, but also about his/her people. A good political leader listens to the desires of the people and reflects on their feelings, eventually deciding if what they want is best for their sake, not his/her own. I was once a coach at a summer sports camp for elementary school kids. As their leader, I did my best to listen to what games they wanted to play, but first I would introduce them to games in order for them to be able to experience them all. This way, I thought they would remember which games they liked the most and when it was their choice, there was no doubt in their answers.