Undergraduate /
Qualities of a good leader are not a concrete set. [2]
Would you mind showing me how I can improve my application essay? It's for Purdue University and the subject is: What are the qualities of a good leader? Use examples from your personal experiences to illustrate your particular leadership style. I have 874 out of a maximum of 1,000 words. I'm not sure about the personal experiences part, since I don't really have much of an opportunity to lead others(or skill). Any help is appreciated.
The qualities of a good leader are not a concrete set. The set will vary with person to person, group to group, and so on. Some may believe in limits, others in whatever it takes to get the job done. One person may believe one thing is right, while another believes the same thing is abhorrent. I'm here to show you my set of qualities possessed by a good leader. Proper leadership requires trustworthiness, intelligence, fairness, humility, and caring.
Trustworthiness is a very important parts of leadership. When a leader is trustworthy, the followers will work hard to achieve the assigned tasks, believing it will finish as a success. When a leader is not trustworthy, the followers doubt orders, because they don't know if it will harm them or do anything at all. Trust is what enables followers to believe their actions will be beneficial and useful. For example, a fire chief must be trustworthy because any hesitation, resulting from something counterintuitive possibly, can take the lives of everyone. Trust is what will make the fireman go against instinct, believing the action will be beneficial, instead of harmful.
Intelligence is another key factor in leadership. When a leader is intelligent, he sees plans in his information that can amplify advantages and nullify disadvantages, as well as knowing when to act offensively and defensively. When a leader is not intelligent, he will lead his followers into failure or death. Intelligence is what enables a leader to complete his goals successfully, taking advantage of timing to strike when the opponent is weak, and retreat when they are strong. A perfect example of intelligence is chess, imagining the pieces as little people. Admittedly, there won't be much trust, since chess involves a lot of sacrifice. But that's not the point. The main idea here is that it takes intelligence to see the weaknesses in the other player's defense and maneuver his own pieces to take advantage of it, while simultaneously keeping his own weaknesses hidden.
Fairness is yet another part of proper leadership. When a leader is fair, followers will be motivated to produce quality work by rewards and unmotivated to break the rules due to punishments. When a leader is not fair, rewards are given to the incompetent, punishments to the innocent, and people are not motivated to work hard. Fairness is what enables followers to be disciplined, happy, and hardworking. A corporation exemplifies this pretty well. The general idea is that the competent are promoted, and the disorderly are fired. However, if people are promoted undeservingly, people begin to envy and doubt others. The people who have ambition, the ones who are talented, these are the ones who are affected the most. The ambitious will lose their drive, producing slipshod work, and the talented will leave, receiving better rewards elsewhere.
Humility is an important, yet underestimated, part of being a leader. When a leader possesses humility, he won't underestimate the opponents or assume he is better, instead believing in the capabilities of the opponent and using intelligence to defend against his weaknesses. When a leader is arrogant, opponents will be able to take advantage of his weaknesses, or he will attack where they are strong, both leading to loss. Humility is what enables a leader to be cautious and last. According to The Masters of Huainan, a Martial Lord of Wei once asked why a certain country was destroyed. His minister replied, "Repeated victories in repeated wars." It is then explained that continuous warfare weakens the population, and continuous victory makes the leadership arrogant. These two things combined are what brought down a once mighty country.
Caring is another important but underestimated part of being a leader. When a leader is caring, followers trust their leader won't sacrifice them or take advantage of them. Too much caring can, however, make the followers useless. When a leader doesn't care about his followers, the followers lack trust and never know if they are being sacrificed. Caring is what enables a leader to lead followers into danger willingly. According to Liu Ji in Mastering the Art of War, there once was a general named Wu Qi. The general shared the same conditions as his soldiers. When a soldier had a festering wound, Wu Qi sucked the pus out himself. The soldier's mother was dismayed when she heard about this, for the general had done the same thing for her dead husband. The husband served the general loyally, never retreating until he was finally killed by the enemies. The mother wept for her son because she has no idea where he will die, knowing he will fight to his last breath for the general.
Trustworthiness, intelligence, fairness, humility, and caring; these are the pillars upon which a solid leadership rests. Trustworthiness is what allows followers to know they are acting usefully and without harm. Intelligence is what enables a leader to plan and strategize, carefully and patiently overcoming the opponent. Fairness is what enables discipline and hard work. Humility is what enables a leader to last a long time. Caring is what enables followers to willingly enter dangerous situations. Neither trait is more necessary than another, for without even one, a leader puts himself and his people at risk.
