On Leadership: Four Qualities of a Successful Leader

As the individual in the large corporation becomes increasingly nameless and faceless, leadership traits and the ability to distinguish them grow more important.  The successful leader combines these four qualities:

1. He has faith in himself and his followers, but this faith is never dogmatic.  He is direct but not tactless, neither self-conscious nor oversensitive.
2. He is open-minded, interested in participating in and being part of the group.  He combines perspective with the least possible prejudice.
3. The third quality, single-mindedness, is equivalent to mental integrity.  He has a singleness of purpose and a desire to complete the tasks assigned to him.  He’s consistent but not rigid.
4. Responsibility is intimately involved with the other three qualities and is really an intellectual attitude.  The reasons for his actions are clear to himself and his followers, and his goals are soundly based.  He possesses a healthy optimism with a rational outlook and is ready to take the blame for his failures.

Actually, these traits are simply the qualities of a mature individual.

~ Thomas S. Monson