Famous People Known For Their Leadership Traits and Qualities

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

 was a phenomenal leader and some of the traits that he possessed were intelligence, self-
confidence, and determination.
 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr was a successful leader of the African American civil rights
movement in the United States.
 He was intelligent in the fact that he was able to lead African Americans in a nonviolent
way to the advancement of civil rights.
 He was powerful and he used his power to influence the believers.
 Having strong verbal ability, perceptual ability, and reasoning appears to make one a
better leader
 His verbal ability was extremely strong. The “I Have a Dream” speech was delivered
during the march on Washington where he called for an end to racism. 
 Over 40 years later the powerful speech lives on. Dr. King inspired many with his speech.
 Possessing self-confidence is also a major trait for a leader to possess. Self-confidence is
the ability to be certain about one’s competencies and skills
 Dr. King’s confidence and poise drew followers. He was confident in his abilities to lead
the African American community to one day be treated equal. 
 Dr. King lacked self-confidence he would not have been able to change the lives of the
African American people.
  Dr. King did not let any negatives against him stop him from achieving greatness.
 Dr. King was determined to fulfill his dream of one day being treated as equal. His drive
and passion inspired others to follow him.
 Dr. King put himself and dangerous situations for his people and he gave it all. The
perseverance that Dr. King had was why his movement was so powerful.
  In the end, he paid the ultimate sacrifice as he fought for freedom. He was assassinated
by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. Despite the turmoil that he faced with, he
was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. 

Nelson Mandela

 Mandela was a mindful leader, having invested hugely in developing his self-awareness
and managing his emotions The truly mindful leader gets their own life in order first
before engaging in advising others to do the same.
  Mandala once said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front especially
when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is
danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.
 Nelson Mandala was a beacon of hope, and like Ghandhi before him, a shining example
of what a leader can and should be. A man of great compassion and forgiveness and
humilty. 
 Mandela helped to unite South Africa as it dismantled apartheid, the cruel system of
white minority rule. He symbolized for all of Africa a commitment to democracy and
freedom.
 As a young politician, his rhetoric was angry, uncompromising and inspiring. His aim
was to incite revolt.Ultimately, the world remembers Mandela not for his call to arms, but
for his gentler call for reconciliation in a country deeply divided by race to this day.
 He was a man of quiet dignity to match his towering achievements; a man with an ever
radiant smile and immense and humble sense of humor. 
 He even inspired his enemies to be better than they had been through forgiveness and
reconciliation.
 In his latter years, Mandela acknowledged his weaknesses, his turbulent youth and his
tempestuous relationship with women. Mandela once said, “one of the most difficult
things is not to change society—but to change yourself.”
 Mandela was a rare visionary who would see beyond the current struggles and pain. He
was convinced that one day the best parts of humanity would prevail over the worst parts.
 He will be sorely missed, but as has been said, ““When you live on the hearts of those
you love, you will never die.”

References:

Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications.

Assefa, H. (2016). Martin Luther King Jr.: Restoring streets with his name – CNN. Retrieved
from http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/18/us/martin-luther-king-jr-streets/index.html.

https://raywilliams.ca/why-nelson-mandela-was-a-great-leader/