Good leaders are often ______ . Good leaders rarely ______ .

The subject of my lecture at this morning’s training session is: leadership. What makes a leader? I think this question is very relevant for everyone here today since you are all senior, executives in your company and have leadership responsibilities to a larger or smaller degree.
  Being a good leader in business is very much similar to being a good leader in public life or even in the army. Many of the qualities required are the same though, of course, a few qualities are quite special to leaders in business. First of all, however, a good leader in public life or in business mustn’t be frightened to make firm decisions. You must be able to arrive at quick decisions and act on them. It’s no good thinking too long about what to do nor is it much use, seeking else’s opinion. And it’s not very good to be cautious and careful about, everything. No good leader appears hesitant to his or her subordinates. Good leaders know exactly what to do they always give the impression of being absolutely convinced about the correctness of their decisions and their subsequent actions. There’s no doubt in their mind about what they should do and, as a result, people find it easy to believe in them and to follow them They know they are right.
  So far what I have said will seem obvious. But what may not be so obvious is that some business leaders actually, create their own crises to give them an excuse or an opportunity, shall we say to control things. As a result they are able to act in a more authoritarian way and have direct control over a situation. Surprising as this may sound, it’s true. A crisis may not always be deliberately caused by any conscious decision or action, of course. Often good leaders are intuitively able to create such crises. Or possibly the crises arise since a good leader is invariably someone with strong opinions and firmly held beliefs.
  Good leaders are not necessarily bad people in any way. Above all, they are reliable. And they are consistent in their actions. They don’t change their minds easily and they keep their promises and agreements.
  As I’ve just implied, good leaders know precisely what they want to achieve. They have clear goals policies which they are determined to pursue at all costs. And also their messages are usually quite simple and clear, which everyone under them can understand and try to follow.
  Above all, good leaders are always good communicators whether in business or in public life. As I’ve just said their message is generally simple. But even when it’s rather complex and hard for some people to understand, a good leader knows instinctively how to communicate it with great ease and clarity. He or she will appeal to people’s emotions just as much as to their intellects. Good leaders can persuade others to do what they want by winning people’s hearts and minds. Ambitious leaders in particular play on people’s emotions. Sometimes a sense of humor will help in communicating a message.
  A lot of leaders lead by example. They are persuasive but they also provide examples and, in many cases, role models for colleagues and subordinates to follow.
  Almost all leaders know how to delegate their authority. They are able to identify the kind of people to act for them and carry out their policies. If they are in business, these subordinates are trusted to deal with all the small, but important policy details and the day-to-day running of offices and factories. Letting subordinates deal with everyday matters enables the leader to be free to concentrate on issues that are important.
There’s also the question of luck. Great leaders are invariably very lucky or perhaps they make their own luck. For example, a good leader seems to be in the right place at the right time. Whenever there is a crisis, the leader is there, ready to act just when needed.
I’ll stop at this point but I’ll set you a good exercise to do. Think carefully about the qualities I’ve mentioned and see how they can be applied to your own business organization. But don’t evaluate the leadership qualities of your boss! Concentrate on your situation rather than on any single individual. Consider which qualities are most important for successful leadership in your own organization. And, above all, don’t set out to do a self-assessment exercise of your own potentials!