Everyday Canvas

Leading Effectively

Prompt: What would make an effective leader? Which characteristics, do you think, a good, effective leader should have?


---In the case of this entry, note that I chose the pronoun she for the leader. In the same vein, the same expectations should go for all the male leaders.--


Simply put, an effective leader needs a head and a heart, as Eleanor Roosevelt said, “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.”


As such, a leader should use her head to act by example, to be the best moral and logical being she could be, and to lead with the love of the people following her and not for the love of power. Then she should be open to the pain and suffering of the people and rejoice with them through their happy times. In this sense, she needs to do more and become more, and will have to do the best for the people, whether they like it or not. This is where lies her power, which shows her strength, and giving that strength to others is what she must do.


Gentleness, humility, prudence, economy, and boldness where needed are all parts of this strength. A leader needs to be open to learning, also. What she doesn’t know she learns so the people can accept her as their leader and can give her the authority to lead. Even in autocratic leaderships, true authority is given by the people, even if false power is imposed on the so-called leader by state.


Developing good leadership skills takes time and a lot of work, as it resembles to delivering on a project or perfecting an idea. Given time and effort, a good leader will have all the necessary skills and confidence to lead her people.