What qualities are inherent in a leader - an innovator in business. How to awaken the leader in yourself? Methods for determining leadership qualities

In this post, I want to review the main leadership skills: what qualities a person must possess to become a leader. In order to be a leader in some business, in principle, at the same time, leaders have a much greater chance of achieving the desired goal faster. Therefore, it is still advisable to develop the qualities of a leader in yourself - this will definitely not be superfluous, but will only help you in any area of ​​life, business, work.

Why are some people leaders in any team all their lives, starting from school, others become leaders later, at some point in their lives, while others play supporting roles all their lives? The reason for this is leadership qualities. For the first, they are innate, the second develop them in themselves, and the third do not even think about it, they are satisfied with what they are. What are leadership qualities, and what they include - more on this later in this article.

What are leadership qualities?

Leader qualities Is a set of knowledge, skills, abilities, abilities from different spheres of life, allowing a person to gather other people around him, lead them, create his own team and effectively manage it. It is impossible to unequivocally name a certain quality that immediately makes a person a leader, leadership qualities are precisely the combination of a large number of different personal, psychological and organizational aspects that coexist at the same time.

At the same time, it is also not worth expanding the qualities of a leader too much, because, in fact, almost any quality of a person can be subsumed under leadership in one way or another. Therefore, I decided to highlight the main qualities of a leader, which are worth focusing on if you strive to become a leader. They are summarized in the following diagram:

As you can see, all leadership qualities of a person can be divided into 3 areas, each of which contains its own list of qualities:

1. Personal (personal) qualities of a leader.

2. The managerial and organizational qualities of a leader.

3. Psychological and social qualities of a leader.

Now let's look at all these areas and the leadership qualities that relate to them, in order and in more detail.

Personal (personal) qualities of a leader.

This includes those qualities that can be attributed directly to a person's personality. They characterize, first of all, the leader himself, and not his relationship with the team and other people. Consider those qualities of a leader that are included in this group.

1. Self confidence. The leader is always confident in himself and in his actions, he knows that he is doing the right thing. - one of the most important leadership qualities, without which it will not be easy to become a leader. But this faith should never be “blind”. The leader must have adequate self-esteem, strong volitional qualities, well-developed intuition. He must clearly and clearly imagine where he is going and why, that is, he must be able to set himself. It is almost impossible to convince a real modern leader and lead him astray: he will move towards his goal, no matter what.

2. Active life position. The next most important personal quality of a leader is activity. The leader is always in the center of events, communicates a lot, learns important news one of the first, and therefore reacts to them earlier than others, which means that he is always one step ahead. This is the result and leads him to success.

3. Willingness to take risks. The personality traits of a leader also include a willingness to take risks. To achieve the goal, the leader is forced to take risks and risks quite often, because any movement forward is always associated with risk. But, of course, this risk is not thoughtless, but adequate and well calculated. Even if a risky step leads to negative consequences, the leader never stops - he analyzes his mistakes and moves on.

4. Initiative. Another personal quality of a leader is initiative. In any team, the initiative always belongs to the leader, he shows even more initiatives in decisions concerning his personal life. The leader is not afraid to leave the comfort zone and go for some: he does not wait for them to overtake him themselves, he is the first to take the initiative and go towards changes.

5. Motivation. Speaking about the leadership qualities of a person, one cannot fail to mention motivation. The leader is always driven by something, he knows why he is doing some actions, where he is going, what he will get from it. The leader knows how to competently motivate not only himself, but also the team in which he works.

6. Honesty, decency. The personal qualities of a leader must necessarily include the most elementary: honesty and decency. If the leader is caught in a lie or dishonesty, even if it is insignificant, he will very quickly lose trust and cease to be a leader. This should not be allowed, so the leader must always be honest.

7. Subsequence. Another important personal quality of a leader is consistency in his actions. He does not just go to his goal, but always has a planned plan of consistent actions and is guided by this plan. His actions are always thoughtful and consistent, which helps him to achieve success.

8. A responsibility. And, of course, the personal qualities of a leader will be incomplete if you do not add responsibility to them. The leader must be able to take responsibility for the decisions made, in no case should he shift it onto others. If a leader is seen trying to evade responsibility, he will quickly lose his reputation and cease to be a leader. Leadership always implies full responsibility, otherwise there is no other way.

Managerial and organizational qualities of a leader.

The next group of leadership qualities includes everything that characterizes a leader's ability to assemble his team and lead people - after all, it is by these criteria that we most often say that a person is a leader. Consider the qualities of a leader as a leader and organizer.

1. Ability to lead people. The personal qualities of a leader give him the opportunity to act as an authority that is listened to, trusted and followed by other non-leaders. Leaders attract other people to themselves with their opinion, their ideas, their actions, their ideals, their ability to persuade. They are able to carry their ideas to the masses and always have their adherents and followers. Leaders build teams to help them achieve their goals.

2. Organizational ability. The leader is able not only to create a team, but also to streamline its actions, inspire, motivate, etc., that is, to organize the work of the team. The leader in the team is able to take over and successfully cope with it. Leadership qualities are always the qualities of a leader.

3. Vision of perspective. The qualities of a leader differ from the qualities of an ordinary person in that he always clearly understands the prospects for the development of the business in which he is engaged, and is able to convey this perspective to his team. He is able to single out the most important from the set of little things, focus on it, and delegate the more insignificant details to other team members.

4. Flexibility, agility. The leader must be flexible and agile in his affairs, he must be able to quickly navigate the situation and. But at the same time, maneuverability should not lead him away from the movement towards the goal, it should simply make it possible to choose the safest path and “go around sharp corners”.

5. Diplomatic ability. The most important leadership qualities of a leader are the ability to be a diplomat. Moreover, both in communication with the external environment, and within their team. A leader is always a diplomat who knows how to competently negotiate and defend his position diplomatically.

6. Willingness to support. The qualities of a leader as a creator and a team member include the ability and willingness to support their like-minded people and followers. People will always support just such a leader who cares not only about his own interests, but about them too. Without this quality, a leader can quickly lose his credibility.

Psychological and social qualities of a leader.

And finally, the last group of leadership qualities, which consists in the leader's ability to build relationships within the team, within his team, in the social function that he takes on. Consider these qualities of a leader.

1. Sociability. A leader must be able to communicate. And not just communicate, but find a common language with people of different views, different ages, different social groups, different sexes, different characters, etc. This is a very important quality of a leader, which helps him build and maintain his team.

2. Justice. The most important social role of a leader is that he must be fair and provide fair decisions for his team members. People need to know that they can always turn to a leader for advice and help, and get it. The leader for the team is a fair judge who objectively and impartially resolves all controversial situations.

3. Defending the interests of the team. A modern leader-leader must take care not only of his own interests, but also of the interests of his team, be able to defend them in front of some external authorities, in the presence of external danger, threat.

4. Creation of conditions for self-realization of followers. And, finally, the social qualities of a leader should include the provision of opportunities for self-realization to his followers, his team, perhaps even “growing” new leaders from its members. This is a very important leadership quality that will always be appreciated and respected by his followers and successors.

These are the qualities of a modern, good human leader. Develop these qualities in yourself - and you, too, will join those who are able to lead. In other publications on I will analyze in more detail how to develop leadership qualities in yourself, so join the number of our regular readers and stay tuned.

Do not forget that leaders are not necessarily born (although this is possible), they become leaders, and this is quite realistic, the main thing is to set a goal for yourself and strive to achieve it. Thank you for your attention and see you soon!

A person's behavior and leadership qualities of a person determine a leader. Such a person is able to organize the activities of the team: make decisions on behalf of the entire group, organize work, set an example. He proved that his choice for management is appropriate and justified. He does not give in to solving problems that may seem insurmountable. Leadership and personality are interrelated concepts.

The leader organizes the activities of the employees

The main character traits of a leader

The main character traits of a leader include:

• control over behavior and emotions;
• positive vision;
• resistance to stress;
• readiness for change;
• confidence in success;
• clarity in the expression of thoughts;
• willingness to overcome difficulties;
• ability to manage time wisely;
• ability to persuade;
• the ability to conduct a constructive dialogue.

A leader is a strong personality, able not only to solve problems and overcome difficulties, but also to anticipate them in the future.

Formal and informal leadership

Leadership can be formal or informal.

The formal leader is the official team leader. In rare cases, it arouses the sympathy of employees, at most - respect. An informal leader is a leader who is unofficially recognized by most of the group. They like him more. But his decision-making is controlled by the leader.

An informal leader often appears in a team with an authoritarian management style. With this style, the official leader is perceived as a tyrant, and the socio-psychological process in the team is perceived as unfavorable, in need of a strong leader. In liberal or democratic governance styles, an informal leader is extremely rare. No one is afraid of a leader, and no help is needed to defend their interests.

The decision of the informal leader is monitored by the official leader

Leadership qualities

A business leader must be persistent, decisive and able to give orders, make decisions, control and direct the activities of the team. A leader at work must be able to:

• to determine the statement of tasks of the group, which he leads;
• communicate them constructively to employees;
• convince of the need for the set goal;
• motivate as many employees as possible to complete tasks quickly;
• maintain authority in the team;
• stay calm regardless of the situation;
• promptly respond to any change in the situation;
• think broadly and positively;
• achieve set goals, despite obstacles;
• listen to the opinions of others;
• build the right questions;
• to take risks;
• make long-term plans and achieve results;
• dump ballast.

The problem with leadership and leadership is that the leader is not always endowed with the qualities of a leader. In addition to qualities, a leader must be able to behave like a leader.

Demonstration of qualities

The qualities of a leader are demonstrated by words, intonation, the way of conducting a conversation, facial expressions and gestures, confidence and firmness in views.

1. A confident person maintains posture.
2. Does not take his eyes off the eyes of the interlocutor.
3. Smiles only in appropriate situations.
4. Respectfully treats the interlocutor.
5. He dresses appropriately for the position held.

Main types

Striving for leadership is a desire to take a worthy place in society. And it is common to all people. According to the style of decision-making in the team and the methods of approach to solving problems, the types of leadership are determined: authoritarian, liberal or democratic.

Authoritarian leader

Authoritarian leadership provides the leader with the ability to make decisions autonomously, and also implies the subordination of all team members to the leadership. The implementation of the decisions made is monitored. The leader has the right to criticize and, without explaining the reasons, take measures to punish subordinates, which causes massive discontent in the team.

• high probability of making erroneous decisions;
• lack of initiative and passivity of employees;
• dissatisfaction of the team;
• difficult moral situation.

This style is advisable only in critical situations: an accident or a threat to life. An authoritarian style is capable of suppressing mass grievances.

Liberal leader

The liberal species is characterized by a lack of control, clarity in requirements. The potential for unpredictable penalties exists.

Such a personality shows a regression tendency, is characterized by a lack of incentive to work, employee dissatisfaction with management and all work. The climate in the team is unfavorable. The negative influence of people on each other is expressed in latent conflicts.

Democratic leader

In a democratic state, a person engages the team in discussing the most important tasks and goals, making decisions. The group is given a certain level of freedom to discuss and stimulate work activity.

Such a leader is the most effective. High probability of making the right decisions, good indicators of labor productivity, favorable psychological environment. This type of leadership is an indicator of the professionalism of a leader and a good leader.

Leadership and leadership

Leadership and leadership are often confused. But these are not synonymous words. In order to understand what leadership and leadership are, it is necessary to consider their differences.

Key differences between leadership and leadership

Leadership	Management
informal relationship	official relations
psychological basis	social basis
can be a leader	may not be a leader
sets and realizes goals independently	sets goals and ways to achieve them through the efforts of subordinates
leadership is based on trust, leads followers	subordination of the team is mandatory, measures of awards and punishment are applied

Main similarities:

• leader and leader can be both at the same time;
• are representatives of the authorities;
• can influence the environment.

It can be concluded that leadership is an influence on your followers without the use of measures of coercion and punishment. A leader's credibility depends on his personality and ability to defend the interests of the group.

Leadership exerts influence through the exercise of formal authority. The position held provides leadership, but not leadership qualities.

Signs of a leader

It is quite easy to identify such a person in a group, its main features are:

• high activity and initiative in solving problems of the team;
• the ability to influence team members;
• high awareness;
• the personal qualities of a leader are inherent;
• the ability to see the situation outside the framework of recognized norms.

Leader functions

A leader must not only be able to convince and be active, but also perform certain functions. The leader's functions are as follows:

• organize the life of the team in all areas of activity;
• set rules and monitor group compliance;
• formally represent the group in your person;
• be responsible for the results of the team's activities;
• coordinate relationships within the group.

Conclusion

In order to be a leader, you must have not only certain personal qualities of a leader, but also constantly work on yourself, reasonably believe in your righteousness. Self-confidence helps to overcome difficulties and not give in to problems. Develop such leadership qualities as calmness, consistency, the ability to look from the outside. Building the strength of your leadership skills will certainly help you earn the respect and recognition of your coworkers, family, and friends.

Leadership and personality are one of the main topics for research in modern sciences related to social psychology. According to scientists, the formation of leadership is directly related to the search for certain personality traits that allow them to have an advantage due to their psychological and physical characteristics. The leader has a major role in organizing the activities of the group to which he belongs, and also forms and regulates the interpersonal relationships of its members.

Characteristic

What is a leader? There are many definitions from which we can conclude: a leader is a person who leads others, has authority and knows how to organize and distribute the activities of the group. The definition of leadership also means that an individual has certain abilities that help him to lead others. These abilities are formed from the psychological qualities of a person, which are a unity of knowledge, values, skills and abilities, norms of behavior. The leader always sees the big picture and knows how to achieve the goal, where to go. Even under unfavorable circumstances, he does not give up and purposefully moves forward. He is always disciplined, able to think analytically and helps others to achieve the desired result.

Basic qualities

Many researchers in the field of sociology and psychology argue whether leadership qualities can be innate, or they need to be developed. But there are personal and psychological qualities of a person that distinguish them from other people. They are strong and strong-willed personalities, open to criticism and closed from trouble, they have such character traits as:

• control over emotions and behavior;
• positive attitude;
• readiness for change;
• firmly believe in luck;
• expression of thoughts is short and clear;
• do not give up in front of difficulties.

The listed character traits of a strong-willed person are not all the qualities inherent in a leader. There are many others that characterize a strong personality. These include.

Calmness, honesty, dedication, reliability

An honest and purposeful leader is believed and followed because he is not afraid of difficulties and firmly follows his goal. Such a person is reliable and will never let down followers, bringing the matter to the end.

Openness

A good leader knows how to listen and take into account the ideas proposed by others, even if they do not correspond to his plans. The ability to consider alternative solutions to your own is a positive skill for a leader. Openness in the relationship between him and his followers means trust and respect in the team.

Creativity

It often happens that ordinary thinking does not help solve the problem. Then it is necessary to expand the boundaries of consciousness and think differently, apply a different approach to business. The leader is usually a creative person who has no difficulty in such matters. He does not despair, but suggests: "What if?" The leader's extended thinking pushes followers towards a similar approach to finding solutions to problems.

Confidence and responsibility

To achieve the set goals, the leader must be assertive, as well as responsible for meeting the expectations of the charges, so he gathers all the team's forces to solve the problem and bring to the final result. Such assertiveness is often perceived by weaker people as aggressiveness. But you should distinguish between these concepts.

Sense of humor

This is a personal and important quality of a "strong" person, helping to relieve boredom, defuse the tense atmosphere in the team, and also contributes to the development of corporate spirit. Humor is a kind of power that provides control over group members.

Enthusiasm

A person with dedication to his work deserves the trust of his followers. Through the shown enthusiasm, the leader becomes an inspirer and motivator. Despite the difference in responsibilities, the leader helps others on an equal basis with them and is not afraid to plunge into "dirty work".

Analytical thinking

The leader always sees the general picture of the situation, but for a detailed study of it, he can "break" it into separate parts. So, without losing sight of the ultimate goal, he sets several small ones, which accelerates progress in this direction. These are the main personal and psychological qualities of a leader. They manifest themselves both in everyday life and at work. Also, the qualities of such a person include:

• persistence and determination;
• the ability to quickly determine goals and objectives and communicate them to subordinates;
• ability to motivate and inspire employees;
• the ability to remain calm in all situations;
• quick and broad thinking;
• the ability to quickly focus not on difficulties, but on the achievement of a set goal;
• take risks, but reasonable;
• it is necessary to clearly understand what can be abandoned and what cannot be;
• listen to others and discuss their ideas;
• the ability to accelerate movement towards the goal or stop dangerous processes in time.

It can be concluded that leadership and a strong, strong-willed personality are inseparable concepts. A leader must have many different character traits that help him achieve success in any field. But the possession of them does not mean to be the main one and to lead the society. You need to learn how to show them correctly.

Demonstration of qualities

• proud posture shows confidence;
• a calm and firm gaze directed directly into the opponent's eyes indicates a strong personality;
• an appropriate and infrequent smile;
• respectful and supportive manners;
• the image should make a good impression.

When talking, you should believe in your own righteousness and demonstrate to the interlocutor loyalty to the chosen path. The personality that characterizes the leader has self-confidence and strong will that help in overcoming problems and difficulties. But what if these qualities are not observed? Can they be developed? The study of this issue is relevant to this day. Many researchers believe that it is possible to develop leadership qualities if you just work on yourself for a long time and hard.

Formation of the necessary qualities

The development of the leader's personality must begin from childhood, but if the moment has already been missed, you should not be upset, because it is never too late to engage in self-development. There are many different leadership development trainings that aim to create a clear self-development plan with specific steps.

First, you need to divide your plan into several sections for the gradual formation of a personality as a leader:

• short-term goals to be achieved in the near future;
• medium term goals to be achieved in a few months;
• long-term goals that require a year of self-improvement.

They say that practice is more important than theory, which is fundamentally wrong. Without a theoretical foundation, it will not be possible to become a leader, but only the ability to copy the words and actions of other people with more outstanding abilities will be formed. For success in this field, it is necessary to learn how to observe and analyze their activities and behavior, creatively applying the experience gained to solve their own problems.

To develop leadership skills at the beginning of a purposeful path, leadership specialist D. Edair came up with an exercise that will help to achieve success. It consists in a list of key goals, of which you need to highlight some for yourself and follow them:

• Take several self-improvement trainings in a year.
• Chat with established leaders to understand leadership ideas.
• Chatting with employees about what they value the leader for. The answers need to be written down and pondered.
• For a year, read several manuals on self-development and determine 5 practical steps on its basis.
• Find out the exact information about the opinion of the company about yourself, your potential in it.
• If there is no opportunity at work to develop leadership qualities, you need to change it.
• Choose a long-term course of study to expand knowledge in a specific area.

This exercise is very effective if you are completely immersed in self-improvement. When creating a plan, it is necessary to take into account the development of leadership qualities in oneself. This is a very time-consuming job, but as a result, success will not take long. Psychologists, having studied the biographies of the most famous personalities, have identified 10 qualities necessary for success in the field of self-development.

Movement towards results

The leader always sees his goal, knows where to go and what to do to achieve it. In order to learn this, you can read stories of successful people, books on self-development and motivation.

Making decisions

A person with a strong, strong-willed character is afraid to make difficult decisions. To develop decision-making skills, you need to learn to accept them in areas where rejection will not be a serious blunder. It needs to be analyzed and not stopped there.

Risk

A true leader acts despite the lack of guarantees of a positive outcome. To learn how to take risks, you need to analyze the problem and draw up several options for its solution, assigning a scale for each from 1 to 5. Then you need to think about whether everything will go as planned and then take appropriate measures. Do not despair if you lose. By making mistakes and understanding their essence, leaders "grow".

Motivating people

The leader knows how to clearly express his thoughts and goals to others, inspires confidence and striving for the heights, which they could not think of before. Under his leadership, the rest of the group tries to improve their personal and professional qualities. How to motivate others: Explore the needs of all group members to motivate them to take action. Each of them must understand the importance of their teamwork.

Team building

The leader's team consists of strong and productive individuals, where the corporate spirit and mutual understanding reign. To build your team, you need to focus on the opinions of others during discussions, on their best qualities.

Self-knowledge

Good leaders strive for excellence by recognizing their strengths and weaknesses. They are open to criticism and willingly change their qualities if necessary. To expand knowledge, you need to analyze your own actions and consequences. You can ask others for their views on what changes are needed to improve leadership skills. A great experience for self-discovery is keeping a diary with the most important events. It can help you track your progress towards improving your skills.

Personal integrity

Integrity helps you stick to your principles, even if the other way is easier and more profitable. A person with such a character trait is considered by everyone to be reliable and an example to follow. An active search for communication with friends and colleagues will allow you to soberly assess the integrity, comparing your ideas about the goal and responsibility with their opinion.

Self improvement

To do this, you need to often communicate with people to exchange new ideas, analyze the actions and words of both your own and experienced strong personalities, read literature on the topic of leadership.

Productive communication

Good leaders can easily articulate their thoughts, goals, and ideas so that they can be followed. To learn this, you need to practice active listening, be able to see non-verbal messages from the body, convey the most necessary information and ask for it to be repeated, it is important to learn to read between the lines in a conversation.

Active mutual assistance

Encouraging even small successes of each of the team allows them to reveal their own potential, you can entrust some of their responsibilities. With the development of these qualities, success in various areas of life will not keep you waiting, the main thing is patience and perseverance, as well as a great desire to change yourself for the better.

To become a leader, you must possess or develop a certain set of qualities and character traits. Leadership skills affect the process of development and formation of the leader's personality in different ways. But it is impossible to single out one or two qualities that have the main impact.

Sooner or later, situations arise in the life of any leader when any of the leadership qualities listed below may be needed.

In addition, a leader is faced with diversified problems and tasks, and their solution requires a wide range of leadership qualities, which will ultimately allow achieving the desired result.

Therefore, I propose a list that contains 21 points and will reveal the main leadership qualities, the development of which will allow you to become a real leader.

1. Be a Leader in Your Life - Being able to manage your life, motivate yourself, set goals for yourself and take actions to realize them is the first step to leadership. It is this leadership quality that will serve as the foundation for your future success.

2. Perspective vision - this leadership quality requires constant development and training. The more knowledge and experience you have, the better and more reliably you will be able to imagine future events.

3. Openness - Leadership development is ongoing. Every day he receives new information, communicates with people, makes decisions - for effective implementation, openness is simply necessary. If we compare all leadership qualities, then openness is one of the most important.

4. Courage - This is perhaps the second most important leadership quality. The ability to control your fear and act in spite of fear is what a leader's courage is. Everyone is afraid, but success is achieved by those who continue to go towards their goal.

5. Decisiveness - the life of any person is limited. Therefore, leaders do not waste time on empty talk. If there is not enough information to make a decision, they will do everything to get it and continue to act.

6. Energy is one of the fundamental leadership qualities... The life of a leader requires enormous emotional and physical costs. And in order to withstand this, a strong energy is simply necessary.

7. Positive outlook - Problems arise for everyone and always. Only the one who does nothing is not mistaken. Positivity helps the leader focus on finding a solution rather than finding the culprit.

8. Ability to listen to others - no one can be an expert in all areas at once. And the leader understands this. The strength of a leader lies in the ability to find experts and organize them for the good of a common cause. This point can also be listed as one of the most important leadership qualities.

9. Mindfulness and Critical Mind — Leaders carefully gather facts and verify all information. Any business can ruin one small detail.

10. Confidence and Calmness - Calmness helps the leader focus on finding a solution. It controls emotions and prevents them from influencing the decision-making process.

11. Flexibility and Sensitivity - Our world is changeable. And the speed of change is increasing every year. What worked 5 years ago is no longer effective today. Continuous growth requires constant adjustments and leadership development.

12. Result Orientation - The greatest success is achieved by the one who achieves great results. The important thing is not how you did it, but what you achieved. And it is your results that will move you to success.

13. Ability to admit their mistakes - Leaders also make mistakes. But they know how to admit it in front of other people. That allows you to continue moving forward. If we take all leadership qualities, then in terms of importance it comes first.

14. Ability to Learn Continuously - The fluidity of the world has meant that knowledge is becoming obsolete at a tremendous rate. Obtaining new knowledge and skills will allow you to increase your competitiveness. New knowledge will help develop new leadership qualities.

15. Correct self-esteem - The leader is clearly aware of what he can and cannot. And he focuses his efforts on what he does best. This increases its effectiveness, which allows you to achieve better results.

16 Passion for Work - A leader loves what he does. This passion allows him to maintain interest in what he does, increases his efficiency and effectiveness. This item allows you to develop all other leadership qualities.

17. Knows how to light people - A leader without associates is not a leader. Having learned to motivate himself, the leader acquires the ability to kindle the fire of desire and action in people, motivating them to fulfill their goals and objectives. And thanks to this leadership quality, you can achieve a lot.

18. Charisma - helps to attract the right people. Great achievements require an effective team. And the leader knows how to create it.

19. Focusedness - this leadership quality allows you to isolate the most important thing among the cases and concentrate all your attention on it.

20. Competence - the ability of a leader to articulate what is needed, plan what is needed, and do what is needed, and in such a way when it is clear to others that you know how to act and it is clear to them that they want to follow you. In terms of the importance of leadership qualities, this is in second place.

21. Generosity - The measure of a leader's greatness is not the number of people who serve him, but the number of people he himself serves. Generosity requires putting others first, not yourself. The leader knows how to share and gets even more in return.

Free mini-course- 9 Effective Lessons Will Show The Key To Your Success And Help Move Your Success From 0

Each person has their own prototypes for inheritance, idols or just people whose biographies motivate them to act. In world history, there is more than one example of biographies of famous people, after reading which one is inspired by absolutely any action. Often these are people who lived centuries ago, but there are also our contemporaries. For some, these are athletes, for others - politicians, for others - successful entrepreneurs. But one thing unites them all - they are leaders. And even today, when the world is changing rapidly, sometimes several centuries after the death of such figures, their ideas continue to remain relevant and contribute to the rallying of people. Isn't that the task of a real leader?

Political leaders

Professional politicians, skillful statesmen gave history the greatest number of famous leaders. The reason for this is the specificity of the region, where such people quite often decided the fate of the world, and their names were constantly heard. In addition, being successful in politics requires charisma, fortitude and, as a rule, excellent public speaking skills.

Winston Spencer Leonard Churchill(1874-1965) - British statesman, political and military leader, Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1940-1945 and 1951-1955. Journalist, writer, scientist. Laureate of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Greatest Briton in History, Air Force Survey 2002

W. Churchill is a man of extraordinary energy and erudition. He worked in many ministries, had a direct influence on the development of military action plans during the two world wars. Reading his World War II, one never ceases to be amazed at the detail with which the author describes the diplomatic vicissitudes of the late 1930s, and on the next page he gives a complete technical description of the magnetic mine. As a leader, Churchill took an active part in everything and was interested in everything that directly or indirectly related to government. He was an excellent speaker - his radio speeches during the war years (for example, the famous "It Was Their Best Time") attracted huge audiences, instilling in people optimism and pride in Britain. Many speeches of the British politician remain an example of oratory, and some phrases have become winged.

« Success cannot be guaranteed, only earned»

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(1882-1945) - American statesman and politician, 32nd President of the United States, the only president in the history of the country, who was elected to the highest public office 4 times in a row. He is the author of the New Deal economic program, which helped the United States to get out of the Great Depression, and also one of the successive innovators of the idea of ​​creating the UN.

F. Roosevelt is an example of a leader who is capable of uniting a wide variety of people in difficult times in order to achieve a common goal. Confined to a wheelchair due to an illness, this politician managed to assemble a team of many specialists and won support in Congress for reforms aimed at improving the economy. The Roosevelt administration gave refuge to many Jewish refugees from Germany after the Nazis came to power there. Possessing uncommon courage, determination and firm character, this figure had a tremendous influence on international politics in the 30s - I half of the 40s. XX century.

« Happiness lies in the joy of reaching a goal and the thrill of creative endeavor»

Nelson Rolilahla Mandela(1918-2013) - 8th president and first black president of South Africa, a famous fighter for human rights and against apartheid. For his activities he was convicted and spent 27 years in prison, from 1962 to 1990. Nobel Peace Prize laureate in 1993, honorary member of more than 50 international universities.

N. Mandela is a great example of transactional leadership. Dedicating his life to the idea of ​​achieving equal rights with whites for the black population of South Africa, he advocated peaceful transformation, but did not hesitate to prove his case by conducting acts of sabotage through the efforts of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). After winning the presidential elections in 1994, N. Mandela appointed his main political opponent from the National Party, F. de Klerk, first deputy, wishing to complete the settlement process that began in the 90s. Today this politician is one of the most respected fighters against HIV-AIDS.

« If you have a dream, nothing will stop you from making it a reality until you give up.»

Margaret Hilda Thatcher(1925-2013) - Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1979-1990. The only woman to hold this position, as well as the first woman prime minister of a European state. The author of tough economic measures to improve the economy, called "tet-cherism". She received the nickname "Iron Lady" for the persistence with which she pursued her policy and for the constant criticism of the Soviet leadership.

The leadership style of M. Thatcher, which best characterizes her leadership qualities, was close to authoritarian. She is a typical business woman: reasonable, logical, cold to emotions, but at the same time, she has a feminine view of the problem. The decisiveness with which the Falklands War was fought betrays her a confident politician, and the letters she herself signed for the family of each victim are her mother. The conflict with the IRA, human casualties, attempts on the life of the prime minister and her husband, difficult relations with the USSR - this is an incomplete list of what M. Thatcher had to face. How she coped with these challenges will be history. Only one fact is interesting - the iron lady was indifferent to feminism, trying with her whole life to show that there is no discrimination, and in order to achieve something, it is enough to be better than everyone else.

« If you want something to be said - ask a man about it; if you want something to be done, ask a woman»

Examples of business leaders

Business, unlike politics, this is an area where the word "success" is used in relation to famous people more often. Everyone wants to be successful, which is partly the reason for the popularity of books written by famous businessmen. Leaders in the economic arena are often bold innovators, risky adventurers and optimists who can get carried away with their ideas.

John Davison Rockefeller(1839-1937) - American entrepreneur, philanthropist, the first dollar billionaire in the history of mankind. Founder of Standard Oil, the University of Chicago, the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, and the Rockefeller Foundation, which was a philanthropist, donating huge sums of money to fight disease and education.

J. Rockefeller was a competent steward. In the early days of his oil company, he refused to pay salaries in cash, rewarding employees with company shares. This made them interested in the success of the business, because the profit of each directly depended on the company's income. There are many not very pleasant rumors about the next stage of his career - the takeover of other companies. But turning to the facts, one can judge J. Rockefeller as a religious leader - from childhood he donated 10% of his income to the Baptist Church, donated to the development of medicine and Christian communities, and in his interviews he repeatedly emphasized that he cares about the welfare of his compatriots.

« "Your well-being depends on your own decisions."»

Henry Ford(1863-1947) - American inventor, industrialist, owner and founder of the Ford Motor Company. He was the first to use an industrial conveyor for the production of cars, thanks to which Ford cars were for some time the most affordable on the market. He wrote the book "My Life, My Achievements", which became the basis for such a political and economic phenomenon as "Fordism".

G. Ford, without a doubt, was one of those people who had the greatest influence on the industrial development of the world in the twentieth century. O. Huxley in his anti-utopia "Brave New World" connects the beginning of the consumer society with the name of Ford, whom the world of the future considers to be a god. G. Ford's managerial decisions were in many ways revolutionary (an increase in wages almost 2 times made it possible to gather the best specialists), which was discordant with the authoritarian style of leadership, which manifested itself in the desire to make all decisions on his own and fully control the work process, confrontation with trade unions, as well as anti-Semitic worldview. As a result, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy by the end of the industrialist's life.

« Time doesn't like to be wasted»

« Everything can be done better than it has been done so far»

Sergey Mikhailovich Brin(born 1973) is an American entrepreneur and scientist in the field of computing, information technology and economics. Developer and co-founder of the Google search engine and Google Inc. A native of the USSR, now occupies the 21st place in the list of the richest people on the planet.

In general, leading a modest lifestyle and not being a public person, S. Brin is known as one of the world's most respected specialists in the field of search technologies and IT. Currently he is in charge of special projects at Google Inc. S. Brin advocates for the protection of the right to public access to information, freedom and openness on the Internet. He gained particular popularity among the Internet community after he spoke out against radical programs to combat online piracy initiated by the US government.

« Rich or not, I am happy because I enjoy what I do. And this is actually the main wealth»

Stephen Paul Jobs(1955-2011) - American entrepreneur, developer and co-founder of Apple, NeXT and Pixar animation company. He led the development of software for iMac, iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPad. According to many journalists, Jobs is the "father of the digital revolution."

Today, the name of Steve Jobs is as successful a marketing sign as the bitten apple. The biographies of Apple's founder are sold in millions of copies, thanks to which the company's products also win. This, to some extent, is the whole of Jobs: the success of his company and products is a merit not only of quality, but also of a set of actions planned to the smallest detail in marketing, sales, and support. Many criticized him for his authoritarian management style, aggressive actions towards competitors, the desire for total control of products even after they were sold to the buyer. But isn't it because of this that Applemania became a real cultural trend of the early 21st century?

« Innovation distinguishes a leader from a catch-up»

Leadership in culture

Without going into a philosophical dispute regarding the influence of mass culture on the civilizational development of mankind, we note the fact that it is the leaders in this sphere that most often become the subject of adoration and inheritance, understandable and simple, the same as an ordinary member of society. The reason for this is the sheer mass character of the concept of pop culture and its accessibility.

Andy Warhole(1928-1987) - American artist, producer, designer, writer, collector, magazine publisher, filmmaker, iconic person in the history of the pop art movement and contemporary art in general. Warhol is the world's second-largest selling artist after Pablo Picasso.

The influence of E. Warhol with his works as a hymn to the era of mass consumption had a huge impact on the development of culture in the 60s. and remain so to this day. Many fashion designers and designers consider his services to the fashion world to be simply titanic. Such concepts as a bohemian lifestyle and outrageousness are firmly associated with the artist's name. Undoubtedly, even today, Warhol's works do not lose their popularity and remain very expensive, and many cultural figures continue to inherit his style.

« The most beautiful in Tokyo is McDonald's. The most beautiful in Stockholm is McDonald's. The most beautiful in Florence is McDonald's. There is nothing beautiful in Beijing and Moscow yet»

John Winston Lennon(1940-1980) - British rock musician, singer, poet, composer, artist, writer. One of the founders and member of The Beatles. Political activist, preached the idea of ​​equality and brotherhood of people, peace, freedom. According to a study by the Air Force, it is ranked 8th in the ranking of the greatest Britons in history.

J. Lennon was one of the most famous spiritual leaders and inspirers for the hippie youth movement, an active preacher of the peaceful resolution of any conflicts in the world. A large number of young musicians admired his talent and activities. Lennon was awarded the Order of the British Empire for his contribution to world culture and social activities. The group's creativity, as well as their solo career, had a huge impact on the development of the culture of the twentieth century, and the songs rightly occupy places on the list of the best works ever written.

« Life is what happens to you while you briskly make other plans.»

Michael Joseph Jackson(1958-2009) - American artist, songwriter and performer of songs, dancer, composer, choreographer, philanthropist, entrepreneur. The most successful performer in the history of pop music, winner of 15 Grammy awards and hundreds of others. 25 times included in the Guinness Book of Records; in the world sold about a billion copies of Jackson's albums.

M. Jackson is a man who has taken the music industry and choreographic performances to a whole new level. The number of fans of his talent is measured in millions of people from all over the world. Without exaggeration, this person is one of the most significant personalities of pop culture of our time, who largely determined its development with his life and work.

« You may have the greatest talent in the world, but if you don't prepare and work according to plan, everything will go to pieces.»

Sports leaders

Sport- one of the spheres of mass culture. To achieve success in this area, you need to have talent, to be distinguished by physical or mental abilities, but there are often cases when those who stubbornly went to the goal through exhausting training and complete dedication also achieved success. This makes sport the subject of idealization, because he knows most of the examples when a boy from a Brazilian slum or from a family of disadvantaged African immigrants reached the heights, becoming an idol for millions of the same children around the world.

Edson Arantis do Nascimento(better known as Pele) (born 1940) - Brazilian footballer, entrepreneur, football functionary. Participant of four world football championships, 3 of which Brazil won. The best footballer of the 20th century according to the FIFA Football Commission, the best athlete of the 20th century according to the International Olympic Committee. According to Time magazine, he is one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The success story of footballer Pele most closely matches the title description of a slum boy. Many of the Brazilian's achievements remain unique to this day, his name is known to almost all children chasing a ball in the yard. For admirers of his genius, the example of Pele is not only an example of one of the greatest football players, but also a successful businessman and public figure who turned a childhood hobby into a life's work.

« Success is not an accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, study, sacrifice, and above all, love for what you do or learn to do.»

Michael Jeffrey Jordan(born 1963) - famous American basketball player, attacking defender. One of the best basketball players in the world in this position. Multiple winner of the NBA championship, two-time Olympic champion. Today he owns the BC "Charlotte Bobcats". Especially for M. Jordan, Nike developed the Air Jordan footwear brand, which is popular all over the world today.

According to research published in an article titled "The Jordan Effect" in Fortune magazine, the economic impact of a brand called "Michael Jordan" has been estimated at $ 8 billion. M. Jordan is a cult figure for basketball, American and world fans of this game. It was he who played a huge role in the popularization of this sport.

« Borders, like fears, are often just illusions.»

Mohammed Ali(Cassius Marcellus Clay) (born 1942) is an American professional heavyweight boxer, one of the most famous and recognizable boxers in the history of world boxing. The BBC's sportsperson of the century, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, philanthropist, excellent public speaker.

One of the most famous boxers of the "golden era of boxing", Mohammed Ali is an example of how a talented person, even having lost everything, continuing to work hard on himself, reaches the top again. His three fights with Joe Fraser are among the best boxing fights of all time and are undoubtedly known to all fans of the sport. Even after the end of his career, Mohammed Ali remained one of the most recognizable athletes of the twentieth century, many books, newspaper and magazine articles have been written about him, more than a dozen films have been shot.

« Worrying about past mistakes all the time is the worst mistake.»

Military leaders

Today, thanks to the rapid development of technology, including the military, there is not much room for a military genius in history. But even a century ago, the fate of individual states and the world as a whole sometimes depended on commanders and military leaders.

Alexander III the Great of Macedon(356-323 BC) - Macedonian king from 336 BC NS. from the Argead dynasty, commander, creator of world power. He studied philosophy, politics, ethics, literature under Aristotle. Already in antiquity, the glory of one of the greatest military leaders in history was entrenched in Alexander.

Alexander the Great, whose military and diplomatic talents are unquestionable, was a born leader. It was not for nothing that the young ruler won love among his soldiers and respect among enemies at such a young age (he died at 32): he always kept himself simple, rejected luxury and preferred to endure the same inconveniences in numerous campaigns as his troops, did not attack at night, was honest in negotiations. These traits are a composite image of the characters of books and films beloved by all of us in childhood, heroes idealized in world culture.

« I owe to Philip that I live, and Aristotle that I live with dignity»

Napoleon I Bonaparte(1769-1821) - Emperor of France in 1804-1815, great commander and statesman, military theorist, thinker. He was the first to allocate artillery into a separate branch of the armed forces, and began to use artillery barrage.

Individual battles won by Napoleon were included in military textbooks as examples of the art of warfare. The emperor was far ahead of his contemporaries in his views on the tactics and strategy of war, government. His very life is a testament to how you can cultivate a leader in yourself, making it the task of life. Not being of high origin, not standing out among his peers in the military school with special talents, Napoleon became one of the few cult personalities in world history thanks to constant self-development, unprecedented diligence and extraordinary thinking.

« A Leader is a Merchant of Hope»

Pavel Stepanovich Nakhimov(1802-1855) - Russian naval commander, admiral. He sailed around the world in the team of MP Lazarev. He defeated the Turkish fleet in the Battle of Sinop during the Crimean War. Chevalier of many awards and orders.

The leadership qualities and skills of PS Nakhimov were most fully manifested during his leadership of the defense of Sevastopol. He personally traveled around the front lines, thanks to which he had the greatest moral influence on the soldiers and sailors, as well as the civilian population mobilized to defend the city. The talent of the leader, multiplied by energy and the ability to find an approach to everyone, made Nakhimov a “father-benefactor” for his subordinates.

« Of the three ways to act on subordinates: rewards, fear and example - the last one is the surest»

Reviews, comments and suggestions

The above list of outstanding leaders from various fields is just a small part of the material in this direction. You can express your opinion or write about a person who is an example for you using the form below.