 It's easy to assume you'll be a great leader someday when you find yourself in a position to lead because everyone around likes you and thinks that you are intelligent. But hey, hold on a minute. Leadership requires much more than intelligence. You see, certain qualities are needed to lead effectively. Effective leadership requires putting orders, their growth and success ahead of yours. To do this, however, requires a lot of hard work and patience. Ronald Reagan, an American politician who served as the 40th President of the United States, once said, The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He's the one that gets the people to do the greatest things. Look at it this way. Leadership is about the people, not about you. It's like this. You know the best way to get to a place, even though many other routes exist. These different routes, however, can confuse and also delay people from getting to their destinations. But because you care about them and you are not selfish, you'll lead them to take the right path, the path you took in arriving there. It is what leadership is all about. One of the greatest things to do is lead and manage a group of people because every human has will power and they always want to exhibit wherever they find themselves. No one wants to feel controlled or subdued even if you are doing it for their good. Also, if you don't seem to know where you are going, no one is going to follow you. So here's the challenge. You do not have to only learn to manage other people's emotions but also show them that you know what you are doing and you can lead the way for them to follow without making them feel that you know better than them. It sounds like a lot of work, I know. Anyway, guess what? In this video, I'll share with you 5 essential qualities of a great leader. If you are new here, consider subscribing so that you won't miss other exciting videos like this. 1. Clarity of Popes The first thing about leading is a person's ability to have clear vision, goals, targets and ethics. Otherwise, there is no point. No one will follow a directionless person. Without a clear sense of purpose or goals, nothing will ever be achievable. Look at it this way. Every product that exists first had a goal or vision before it became a reality. For instance, when the Wright brothers wanted to invent an aeroplane, do you think it was just something they stumbled on one morning? Of course not. They had a goal. They wanted to build something that could take people from one place to another via air and so they assembled a team, each person working best on their capacity or area of expertise. What if they didn't have a clear vision? What if they didn't have a clear goal of the device they were about to create? By clear vision, it means the shape, the size, the dimension and the likes. Do you think they'll achieve anything? Of course not. Jack Welch, an American business executive, said, Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision and relentlessly drive it to completion. Great leaders have specific, exciting ideas of where they are going and what they are trying to achieve, which is why they can lead others who are equally going in that direction. 2. Courage Imagine doing something that you've never done before. One thing is sure, it will require a lot of courage to believe in that dream and pursue it, especially while leading others along. That's what leadership entails. Mark Twain defined it this way. Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear. Great leaders like everyone else have fears, but they do not allow it to stop them from acting. Instead, they do the opposite of what everyone else does. They face their fears and take action regardless. Here's the thing, in life, there is no certainty. So every commitment you make and every action you take entails a risk of some kind. However, not everyone is courageous enough to make some of those significant commitments, but leaders act despite their fears. 3. Empathy and Emotional Stability The best leaders understand the feeling of their team members, customers and associates. They know when to praise and when to discuss problems. Without empathy, you would be perceived as harsh and someone who lacks understanding, but compassion, on the other hand, you'll be able to learn people's fears and desires. And when you understand why they have these, you'll be in a better position to help them. Alongside empathy is emotional stability. Jim Rohn said, the challenge of leadership is to be strong but not rude, be kind but not weak, be bold but not a bully, be thoughtful but not lazy, be humble but not timid, be proud but not arrogant, have humor but without food. Leadership often encounters situations that can lead to frustration and stress because of the number of challenges they face daily. As a leader, you need to have healthy and stable emotions so that you won't easily be kicked off track by those situations and occurrences. 4. Positive Minded It's easy to assume that everyone can maintain a positive mindset whether they are leaders or not. However, the truth is that not everyone does. It takes people with positive mindsets and attitudes to maintain their focus and choose to stick to their goals when everyone else doesn't support or believe in them. It is the only way they can support you and even motivate you as well. Also, when you are positive minded, you don't see obstacles and opportunities to back out of your dreams. Instead, you are open to numerous opportunities that can come from it. 5. Excellent Decision Making Abilities Leaders always face situations that require them to make decisions on the sport and in most cases, their choices have a profound impact on masses which is why they have to learn how to make decisions. A leader should have the ability to make the right decisions at all times. A good leader should also think long term and perhaps seek or consult key stakeholders before making some decisions mainly because the implications of their actions don't affect them alone but everyone else. As a good leader, always remember that your aim and purpose is to help others so whatever decision you make and whatever action you take ensure it is for the sake of orders providing value to them. Thank you very much for watching our videos. If you liked this video, watch more videos on our channel and subscribe. We love you.