To Be a Great Leader, First Become a Great Person.

Be a great speaker, become a leader.

Whoever wants to be a leader should educate himself before educating others. Before preaching to others he should first practice himself. Whoever educates himself and improves his own morals is superior to the man who tries to teach and train others.

Leadership is what you need to learn next

The way to become a great leader is to look for the best in people – seldom criticise – always praise.

If you want great mentors, you have to become a great mentee. If you want to lead, you have to first learn to follow.

It is through service. The only way to truly be a leader, stay ahead and be on top of your game is to be in service to others. This is the only way you can truly discover salient needs and find ways to meet them. In my case, it was the health of the people. In meeting these needs, you become a resource person. People come to you for advice, direction and help. Another name for one who does all the above, if you ask me, is a Leader. A great man once said, “If service is beneath you, leading is beyond you.

The correct procedure I am sure it is to learn by doing, not by being told what to do. The notion that one can learn by attending a course of lectures is as absurd as the notion that the way to learn to ride a bicycle would be to hire someone to ride it for you, and to sit hour after hour watching him. The only reason for attending a lecture is to acquire hints as to the right method of tackling some particular problem or other. And this would be almost unnecessary in a properly designed and graded system of examples.

A good leader is always learning. The great leaders start learning young and continue until their last breath.

What is a leader?” people ask me. My simple answer: “Someone unafraid to take charge. Someone people respond to and are willing to follow.” I believe that leaders must be born with a natural connection and affinity to others, which then must be encouraged and developed by parents and teachers and molded by training, experience, and mentoring. You can learn to be a better leader. And you can also waste your natural talents by ceasing to learn and grow.

Leaders are learners, if you stop learning today, you stop leading tomorrow

1) Have a Vision and Develop a Game Plan. A leader must be able to provide a clear vision of a transformed future. Vision encompasses strategy and goal-setting, but is more than simply having a plan. Vision is a passionate commitment to creatively closing the gap between the present reality and the desired future.
2) Communicate Your Vision. A vision is useless unless it can be shared with others. A leader must possess a wide range of communication skills- articulating issues, listening to what others have to say, and understanding diverse perspectives.
3) Hire Excellent People and Delegate Authority and Responsibility. Leaders develop the networks, relationships, and culture that form a community. In healthy communities, everyone can find meaning and motivation. A "team" attitude exists and individuals are eager to cooperate for the common good. Collaboration makes a community greater than the sum of its parts and enables a vision to be realized. In short, this is the crucial idea of empowerment at all levels.
4) Make Decisions and Take Risks. True leaders must have the courage to act. They take risks and make tough decisions. Without risk there is no progress. Leaders must be willing to make bold moves and embrace the seemingly impossible.
5) Admit Mistakes and Apologize When Necessary. A leader who encourages risk-taking must understand that mistakes will be made. A leader should quickly recoginze mistakes, apologize, and remedy the situation. Accountable leaders learn from their mistakes and make changes. Being accountable means being in charge of your choices.
6) Be Trustworthy and Care about Others. Visions are based on values. For good leaders, the means are just as important as the end. They make improvements with integrity, taking the right actions for the right reasons. They know that trust and credibility are central to the leadership process.
7) Never Give Up. Never give up. Work hard. Those simple statements are at the heart of successful leadership. The best leaders love what they're doing and put everything they have into their efforts. Leaders make commitments and have the determination to see them through.
8) Have a Sense of Humor. Good leaders aren't afraid to laugh with others and at themselves. They maintain a healthy sense of balance and perspective and know that humor can sometimes defuse a tense situation.

Every single achievement you make, every single life you change and every single skill you acquire brings you one step closer to becoming a better leader. Every day you can improve the leader in you to become a better person and a greater leader.

The best leaders are lifelong learners; they take measures to create organizations that foster and inspire learning throughout. The most effective leaders are those who realize it’s what you learn after you know it all that counts most.