Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplashed
The African American community is now mourning the loss of a great leader, Rep. John Robert Lewis, a civil rights legend, who recently died of cancer at age 80.
“Rep. Lewis was the son of sharecroppers who survived a brutal beating by police during a landmark 1965 march in Selma, Alabama, to become a towering figure of the civil rights movement and a longtime Democratic US congressman, who served as the US representative for Georgia's 5th Congressional District for more than three decades. He was widely seen as a moral conscience of Congress because of his decades-long embodiment of nonviolent fight for civil rights. Rep. Lewis fought tirelessly against racial and social injustice.”
As I’ve reflected on Lewis’ death and on some of the negative things going on in the world, I’ve been thinking about what makes a great leader.
So, while relaxing on my sofa, gripping my iPhone with my left hand, and trying to mentally block out the madness going on in the world, I opened notes and let my mind wander back to a time, more than two decades ago, when I was earning my master’s degree in managerial leadership.
I recalled some of the classes and coursework required for me to obtain this degree. Truthfully, this was a great time in my life; therefore, going down memory lane was an enjoyable experience.
I thought about the words of John C. Maxwell, considered to be one of the world's top leadership thinkers: “Being a great leader is all about having a genuine willingness and a true commitment to lead others to achieve a common vision and goals through positive influence. No leader can ever achieve anything great or long-lasting all alone. Teamwork goes hand in hand with leadership. Leadership is about people-and for people.”
A definition of leadership by the late Dr. Myles Munroe is: “Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration, generated by a passion, motivated by a vision, brought by a conviction, produced by a purpose.”
Dr. Flo, a former colleague, summed up leadership this way:
“Great leadership is focused on the people and the mission. Weak leadership is focused on self-preservation and public perception.” Dr. Flo Falayi, Leadership Development Expert, Slalom Consulting
And because I love to read quotes and come up with my own quotes, I came up with this list of what I consider essential leadership qualities.
Sound leadership requires cultural competency.
Empathy and compassion are prerequisites for true leadership.
Servant leaders value lifelong learning.
True leaders understand that collaboration with others is a key to success.
A true leader understands that having good mental health is crucial for success.
Leadership is being able to empower others to silence their inner critic and embrace authenticity.
Soulful leadership requires more heart and less ego.
I am interested to know which of my quotes resonates with you. Please leave me a comment to let me know. Also, feel free to share with me some of your favorite leadership quotes.
For your information, my blogging goal is to write and publish on the 25th of each month at least one blog post. Eventually when things settle down, I will write and publish blog posts more frequently.
Thank you for taking time to read my blog post. I really appreciate it.
Until next time...
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