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A few days ago on Project Hope, we ran a competition for people to submit examples of great leaders and to explain the attributes these leaders had to make them great. There were many great submissions to the contest and I read all of them as a judge. They made me think a lot about leadership and reflect on what makes a leader a great leader.

I thought therefore that I would share a few things that I learnt from reading these great posts.

Visionary Leadership

Many leaders become great because they have a compelling vision. Perhaps one of the greatest visionary leaders was Martin Luther King who Hive account@wiseagent wrote about. King is obviously famous for his "I have a dream" speech where his vision drove the civil rights movement forward in the US and still resonates with some of the struggles we continue to have today. King didn't come with a 10 point plan - he came with a dream. And dreams inspire people.

It is clear though from history, that what may be an inspirational dream of some, is not shared by all. Hitler had a dream too and obviously not everyone aspires to his vision. In modern times, Trump also has a vision of "make America great again" that inspires so many (I am not comparing him to Hitler) and with this simple dream, Trump has persuaded so many people to vote for him. Again, not everyone would agree with his vision.

So a greater leader needs a vision that is compelling to the masses.

Moral Leadership

We hold many leaders in high moral regard. For example, Hive account@giocondina wrote about Mahatma Gandhi who undoubtedly took the higher moral ground with his pacifist approach. Hive account@adechina wrote about Nelson Mandela which was also Hive account@mariela53 choice of leader. Similarly, Hive account@janettyanez wrote about Mother Teresa and Hive account@oredebby wrote about Pastor Sam.

"I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people."

Mahatma Gandhi

Perhaps in the depths of history, the great leaders were warriors such as Genghis Khan or Ragnar Lodbrok. However, in modern times we see these leaders as brutal. Today's great leaders have much higher morals and as such, most would not see Kim Jong Il or Robert Mugabe as great leaders that set a moral standard for us to follow.

Optimistic Leadership

Great leaders also tend to bring an energetic and relentless optimism that keeps their followers going even through hard times. From the world of business, Hive account@josevas217 chose to write about Henry Ford who looked after his workers through the hard times which led them to follow him through hardship to success.

Some people wrote about leaders within our own community and Hive account@fucho80 chose to write about Hive account@crypto.piotr and similarly Hive account@ramsesuchiha wrote about Hive account@lanzjoseg

Great leaders such as those in our own Project Hope community help others to succeed even when it's hard. We are often thrown obstacles in our lives, such as coronavirus or the blockchain split resulting in Hive, and great leaders take on the challenge and find a path for their communities to follow through.

“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”

John Maxwell

Legacy

When we look back through the history of great leaders the one characteristic that I believe is the most important for defining a great leader is their legacy. Great leaders like Mandela, King and Gandhi leave a legacy behind them that is as powerful decades later as it was at the time. To define greatness, we need to see results. If a leader cannot deliver, then however great their speeches were, they will be forgotten as time passes.

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes."

Peter F. Drucker

Thanks to all who took part in the competition and gave so much insight into leadership qualities. Thanks also to Project Hope for making the contest possible and Hive account@crypto.piotr and Hive account@juanmolina for helping judge the entries.