Essential Qualities of a Good Leader

張貼日期：Dec 18, 2016 7:59:58 AM

Abby Tsai

A leader is the center of a team or a group, even a country. Whether a leader is good or not will have great influence on the group or the country. A good leader will lead people and the group to be better. What are the essential qualities a good leader must possess? The following are my opinions about the traits of a good leader.

First, the leader has to be a good listener. It is important for a leader to accept different thoughts from others. Because it’s not easy for a person to consider every aspect of a thing, he or she may need other people’s opinions to help deal with problems. In history, Shi-min Lee, the emperor of Tang dynasty, was a good listener. He was willing to listen to his ministers’ opinions, so they were willing to give him suggestions to deal with problems.

Second, a good leader cannot be suspicious. In my opinion, the relationship between people is based on trust. People should believe their companions, and so should a leader. If he cannot trust his coworkers or subordinates, the dispute may occur easily and frequently, and he may lose his partners and followers. In history, Cao Cao who was interested in the literary inquisition was a typically suspicious leader. If someone wrote words which made him doubt and caused his misunderstanding, he would punish the person even kill him. In the end, Cao Cao lost lots of followers because of his suspicion.

Third, a good leader must be responsible. Because people are unwilling to obey an irresponsible leader, a good leader should have responsibility for his undertakings, and then he can win others’ respect and ask them to complete the tasks together. I think Yung-Ching Wang of Formosa Petrochemical Corporation may be a good example. He not only worked hard but also noticed his employees’ needs. Although Yung-Ching Wang was a strict boss to the staff, he also took care of them. For example, because the staff worked in the environment full of heavy metals, he provided a great deal of milk for them to help them reduce the harm of toxins.

The above examples demonstrate the essential qualities of a good leader: being a good listener, trusting, and responsible. I will work hard to cultivate those good qualities in order to become a good leader.