What Makes a Leader?

It is the same word but they all define it in different ways. The true exponents of the word, however, are those who redefine it. The word is 'leader. The British psychologist Havelock Ellis believes that a leader must "turns one's back on men". But what is it that turns Jinnah into Quaid-e-Azam, Gandhi into Babu and Bill Gates into what he is today?

One thing that these people have in common is their ability to communicate to be convincing and articulate. They commanded respect, not just loyalty. As Roosevelt said "The boss drives but the leader....he leads". George Bush led the Americans into war with Iraq led then to believe there were weapons of mass destruction there and that is why war was necessary and has now led them into forgetting that those weapons were ever an issue. He was convincing and methodical and the process boosted his chances for the re-election tremendously. He is a leader.

So what sets the leader apart from the common man? Why does every Tom, Dick and Harry not become a leader? It is very few think of...leaders are opportunists. Most believe that leadership is about die hard principles. In reality it is about diplomacy. During the lawsuit against Microsoft, Bill Gates kept a defiant face in public but was willing to save his company from a break-up by stepping down as its Chief Executive. The Capitalist and Communist systems were natural enemies, yet Stalin and Roosevelt were allies against fascism. They were leaders and they were opportunists.

But those are all the qualities of a leader, what is it that actually makes a leader? It is simply the existence of a cause, a fault is the system that the leader is able to pick up on. Yasir Arfat saw that fighting tanks with stones was not the solution; he was willing to give peace a chance. He got a Nobel award for his efforts. Alex Ferguson became manager of Manchester United at a time when the English soccer league was dominated by a defensive mindset and aging players. He was willing to take a chance with the youth and aggressive style of play. The team led by 'Sir' Alex won the league for eight years. They both saw room for change and were both willing to take on the critics from all quarters to purse their objectives. They both had a cause to prove to be leaders.

Leadership is something a hundred will have a different opinions on. Leadership is something that cannot be explained completely on paper. One thing is for sure that, a leader never fits into the mould; he makes it.