All About Being a Leader

At one of the high schools I currently work with, I noticed the following poster on the wall. It is the leadership creed for the JROTC program. I think this is the best summation of leadership qualities I’ve ever seen.

To know why to do something is called wisdom.

To know how to do something is called skill.

To know when to do it is judgement.

To strive to do it best is dedication.

To do it for the benefit of others is service.

To want to help others is compassion.

To do this quietly is humility.

To get the job done is achievement.

To get others to do all of these things is leadership.

If you are working with someone else, anyone else, even someone you do not know (critique through YouTube for instance), and you are not practicing these qualities then you are a bad leader. Are you a bully? An elitist? Do you come across as condescending? You’re a bad leader. Unfortunately, there are more bad leaders than good and you could be contributing to the population of bad leaders.