A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.”-Ralph Lauren

A leader is seen as someone with a can-do attitude, the person whose glass is always half full. Hurdles in the road are not obstacles that prevent him from achieving his goal. Rather, they are challenges to be faced, to be overcome, and to be learned from. A leader believes that failures present the opportunity for self-improvement, and that performance on the next go-round will only be enhanced through the lessons previously learned.

A leader does not point to a location, tell his followers to go there, then tell them how to accomplish a goal. Rather, the leader is at the front of the pack, forging ahead of the rest and blazing a trail. The leader demonstrates to everyone else how things should be done, and works harder at accomplishing his goals than anyone else.

Whether you are striving to be a leader in your career, or simply want to be a leader in your own private life, there are many lessons and characteristics that will serve you well in either of these endeavors.

Consider these traits and then give thought to your own style. Are you a leader? Can you become one?

A Leader Must Have a Vision:This could be your grandest goal, or an overall sense of accomplishment. Either way, the leader must be able to visualize where he wants to be, where he wants his company to be, or where he wants his family to be. Everything begins with a worthy vision that provides a goal to work towards.

A Leader Must be Able to Develop Relationships:Great interpersonal skills are necessary for any leader to possess. The hermit will not achieve greatness, no matter how adept, because the world will not notice him. The leader builds quality relationships based upon trust, respect, cooperation, and teamwork. The leader does not ask what others can do for him, but rather what he can be doing to help others. A leader inspires others to join him in his quest for success.

A Leader Must be Able to Strategize:Successful leaders not only have a great vision, but they are able to develop a plan to reach their goal successfully. The leader knows what accomplishments need to be made, what obstacles must be overcome, and what resources will be needed in order to realize his vision.

A Leader Must be Able to Resolve Conflict:A good leader will examine conflict from all angles and be able to determine its root cause. In addition to realizing the feelings and perspectives of others, the leader will also recognize and acknowledge his own role in the conflict. He will then work collaboratively with other involved parties in order to successfully resolve the conflict issue while keeping important relationships intact.

A Leader Must be a Good Problem Solver:No matter how well thought out, the road to realizing a vision will be full of potholes. Thorough planning can help smooth out the road, but there will be some ruts in the road that threaten to rip the wheels off of the car. A good leader will recognize this ahead of time and plan accordingly, offering a backup plan when the original one goes awry. A leader is able to think on his feet, gather all available information, decipher the facts, and use some good common sense to come up with a workable solution.

In life, leaders are not necessarily the highest ranking person, or the one who holds the most impressive job title, or the one who claims to be the keeper of the home. A leader is someone whose actions have placed them in a position of trust and authority among their peers. A leader is someone whose advice is sought frequently, but never forcefully pushed onto others. A leader is someone whose spirit and desire for excellence eclipses that of everyone else around him. A leader sees the value in others, and inspires each person to perform their best, many times allowing them to exceed even their own expectations. A leader is also able to teach, to convey both physical skills and moral characteristics to those around him, and inspires those people to mimic him in his behaviors and attitudes.
 
  “領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者有著夢(mèng)想成真的遠(yuǎn)見和信念。他激發(fā)出成功的力量和能量。”
                                                         ——拉夫·勞倫

    領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者被認(rèn)為是有著積極肯干的態(tài)度，樂觀進(jìn)取的人。所遇到的障礙不會(huì)成為他通往成功道路上的障礙。相反地，他們會(huì)成為要面對(duì)要克服甚至要從中學(xué)習(xí)的挑戰(zhàn)。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者相信失敗代表他有了改進(jìn)的機(jī)會(huì)，并且由于前一次失敗學(xué)習(xí)到的經(jīng)驗(yàn)，下一次的表現(xiàn)會(huì)大有長(zhǎng)進(jìn)。

    領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者并不是指著一個(gè)地方，叫他的屬下過去，然后告訴他們?cè)鯓舆_(dá)到一個(gè)目標(biāo)。相反地，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者走在隊(duì)伍的前方，迅速領(lǐng)先其他人，成為開路先鋒。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者向其他人示范事情應(yīng)該怎樣去完成，他本人比其他人都更努力地達(dá)成自己的目標(biāo)。

    無論你是想努力在你的事業(yè)成為一個(gè)領(lǐng)袖還是僅僅想在生活中成為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者，這里有許多經(jīng)驗(yàn)教訓(xùn)和品質(zhì)將會(huì)在任何一個(gè)方面都助你一臂之力。

    想想這些特點(diǎn)然后對(duì)照一下你自己。你是一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者嗎？你能成為一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者嗎？

1、領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須有遠(yuǎn)見：這可能是你最遠(yuǎn)大的目標(biāo)，或者是一種成就感。無論是哪一種，一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須要設(shè)想好他的目標(biāo)，他想在公司里達(dá)到什么位置，或者他想在他的家庭里有什么地位。每件事一旦有了良好的設(shè)想就有了一個(gè)為之奮斗的目標(biāo)。

2、 領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須會(huì)建立關(guān)系：好 的人際關(guān)系技巧是任何一個(gè)領(lǐng)袖必須具備的。一個(gè)隱士永遠(yuǎn)不能成就偉大事業(yè)，無論他多么內(nèi)行，因?yàn)槿ψ永餂]人會(huì)注意到他。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者在信任、尊重、合作和團(tuán)體配 合的基礎(chǔ)上建立良好的人際關(guān)系。一個(gè)領(lǐng)袖不會(huì)問其他人能為他做什么，相反他會(huì)問他能為其他人做什么。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者激發(fā)其他人加入他對(duì)成功的探索之中。

 3、領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須能夠運(yùn)籌帷幄：成功的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者不僅有偉大的遠(yuǎn)見，他們還能夠制定計(jì)劃成功地達(dá)到他們的目標(biāo)。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者們知道他們?cè)趯?shí)現(xiàn)夢(mèng)想過程中應(yīng)該取得什么成就，應(yīng)該克服什么困難，應(yīng)該得到什么資源。

4、領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須能夠解決爭(zhēng)端：一個(gè)好的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者能夠從各個(gè)角度發(fā)現(xiàn)爭(zhēng)端并且查出它的根本原因。除了意識(shí)到他人的情緒和觀點(diǎn)之外，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)著還能到意識(shí)到并且認(rèn)可自己在爭(zhēng)端中扮演的角色。他能夠和其他相關(guān)的人通力合作，成功地解決爭(zhēng)端同時(shí)保證人際關(guān)系不被破壞。

5、領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者必須會(huì)很好地解決問題：無 論想得有多好，實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)的道路總是會(huì)充滿著坑坑洼洼。通過周密的計(jì)劃能夠鋪平道路，但是總有著一些不平可能會(huì)讓你有翻車的危險(xiǎn)。一個(gè)好的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者能夠提前意 識(shí)到這一點(diǎn)并相應(yīng)地作出安排，在原先的計(jì)劃出岔子的時(shí)候提供一個(gè)后備的計(jì)劃頂上。領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者能夠快速地思維，能夠收集所有可以獲得的信息，分辨出事實(shí)，并且運(yùn) 用一些常識(shí)拿出一個(gè)行得通的解決方法。

在生活中，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者并不一定是地位最高的人，或者有著最顯赫職業(yè)頭銜的人，或者是聲稱管家的那個(gè)人。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者用他的行動(dòng)在他的同伴中樹立起信任和威信的人。 一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的建議被頻頻征詢，但從不強(qiáng)加于他人頭上。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者對(duì)杰出的向往和追求使他周圍的人都相形見絀。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者看得到他人的價(jià)值，激發(fā)每個(gè)人做到 他們的最好，甚至經(jīng)常給他們機(jī)會(huì)超過他們自己的期望。一個(gè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者會(huì)教導(dǎo)他人，將有形的技術(shù)和無形的道德品質(zhì)教給身邊的人，激發(fā)他們?cè)谛袨楹蛻B(tài)度上都效仿 他。