A leader draws people in and inspire them to action. Arizona’s former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi, named by Fortune as some of the world’s greatest leaders, all demonstrate remarkable leadership. Peter Economy, management expert and best-selling author of books like “Leading Through Uncertainty,” says remarkable leaders demonstrate qualities including awareness, decisiveness, confidence, focus, empathy, accountability, and inspiration.
Are you cut out for Leadership? Read more…
Awareness
Former Arizona congresswoman and gun violence survivor Gabby Giffords works to raise awareness of responsible gun ownership issues among elected officials. She co-founded Americans for Responsible Solutions (ARS) with her husband, retired astronaut Mark Kelly to persuade legislators of the importance of finding solutions to gun violence.
Decisiveness
The first female Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel has managed Europe’s debt crisis.She’s been called the most powerful woman in the world, and is not afraid to go against the grain to get things done. She is currently targeting the terrorists by sending arms to Kurdish troops fighting ISIS.
Confidence
President Bill Clinton has worked tirelessly since he left the White House to fix modern problems like HIV/AIDS, malaria, and greenhouse gas emissions. He does it with steady confidence by persuading others to commit to joining him and founded The Clinton Foundation as a way to do so.
Focus
Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has lived almost 20 years apart from her family under house arrest opposing military rule in Myanmar (formerly Burma). As Chair of the National League for Democracy, her focus on the ideals of democracy in the face of personal oppression is a beacon of leadership in her country.
Empathy
The spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has worked for peace, democracy, non-violence, and reconciliation across the world with empathy and charisma. He teaches compassion, forgiveness, and love, all strong empathetic characteristics that show people across the world a better way to live.
Inspiration
Malala Yousafzai has quickly become an inspiration to the world for standing up for girls’ right to education. She has become an advocate for education rights by not only standing up for herself at the young age of 11, in the face of extreme danger and violence, but for all girls around the world.
Do you have what it takes to lead like the world’s greatest leaders? Take this quiz to find out.
- Have you worked to raise awareness about any important issues?
- Do people think of you as decisive and being able to make things happen?
- Are you a confident leader or do you let doubt keep you from being effective?
- Do you know where your leadership focus lies?
- Do you have empathy for your peers and subordinates?
- Do you know who you inspire as a leader?
If you had problems answering these questions, you probably need to develop your leadership abilities. Look at the world’s best leaders and use them as your inspiration to improve. Best-selling leadership author Stewart Friedman recommends using a coach to improve leadership skills. He says it helps to experiment with little changes, and use regular self-reflection by writing down or keeping a record of your leadership efforts.
