Have you ever been curious to know what leadership skills you may have shared with some of the world’s most influential leaders such as Ghandi, Mandela or say Lincoln? To be honest, I have never actually imagined myself to be on their level in any way, so the answer to my very own question is no, or at least not until now. I came across this interesting article written by Patrick Alain for Industry Leaders Magazine, that looks at the leadership skills of the worlds most influential leaders. If you are curious, take a look at the article and see with which leader you most identify.
Leadership Skills of The World’s Most Influential Leaders
Leadership has been defined as a process through which a person influences and motivates others to get involved in accomplishment of a particular task. This single definition, although universally accepted, fails to define the particular paths and ways of people who are deemed as great leaders. All great leaders had something unique about them and yet they were bound by greatness that helped them to lead masses to innovation and new ideologies.
Here is a look at some of the greatest leaders of all time and what made them great…
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known as Mahatma Gandhi, was born an ordinary boy with a determination to excel at what he did.His main characteristics were resilience, knowledge, people-skills, motivational approach and leading by example.
George Washington
What made Washington great was his foresight, vision, strategic planning and his ability to lead people to success.
Abraham Lincoln
The 16thpresident of the United States is also one of the most well known leaders of all time. His greatest traits were his determination, persistence, beliefs and courage.
Adolf Hitler
Although despised through the world, Adolf Hitler was one of the greatest leaders of all time. After becoming the chancellor of Germany in 1933, he was responsible for one of the greatest economic and military expansions the world has ever seen. His oratory skills, propaganda and planning made him a leader par excellence.
Muhammad
One of the greatest leaders of all time, Muhammad led to the spread of Islam in and around Arabia. His contribution to Islam was such that it has become the second largest and the fastest growing religion of the world today. His greatest leadership qualities were his courage, leading by example, motivational approach, persistence and decision-making.
Mao Zedong
Because of him, China is a world power and a potent rival to the dominant United States of America.
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was the first South African president elected in fully democratic elections. Mandela was also the main player in the anti-apartheid movements in the country and served a lengthy prison sentence because of the same. His main characteristics were his determination, persistence, focus and will.
Julius Caesar
He was also responsible for reforming the Roman government and thus laying the foundation to a great empire. His greatest traits were his decisiveness, boldness, eagerness, motivation, opportunism and strategic planning.
Fidel Castro
His traits of courage, strategy, hiring the right people and dissemination of duties made him the leader he was.
Winston Churchill
Churchill was known for his fearlessness, determination, unyielding perseverance and undying devotion to his goal.
When considering this list of the leadership skills of the world’s most influential leaders, I was taken aback to see that Hitler made such a list. I don’t consider dictators as serious influential leaders. In fact, I have a hard time considering those who did so much harm and terrorized their own countries as a true leader at all. Aside from that, I see myself most similar to Muhammad Ali. What about you?
