What You Should Learn From Our Great Leaders

Leaders are not born every day. It takes guts, spirit and determination to be a leader. But, what kind of a leader would one usually like to look up to?

India has been home to many great leaders. During the independence struggle, there were many freedom fighters who became examples for the nation.

Their life, qualities and thoughts left an impression on many. Even today, they are remembered for their excellent leadership qualities.

We had great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Bhagat Singh, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and many more. In modern times, one example that comes to the mind is Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam.

Studying the lives of great leaders one gets to know the qualities these great men possessed that made them the leaders of this nation.

We have a lot to learn from them and implement these qualities in our personal lives. So, have a look at what are the qualities of a true leader and what you should learn from our great leaders.

• Patience: Every successful person shows a great deal of patience. It is this quality that controls a person's reaction to every situation; be it positive or negative. Being patient helps analyse situations, learn better and react accordingly. Had Mahatma Gandhi not had patience, he might not have been able to win over independence for India.

• Perseverance: Try, try and you will succeed. Perseverance is a quality that is fading out, especially in the current young generation. Everything is expected to happen in a matter of seconds. Our youngsters are not ready to take failure in a positive way and prefer giving up rather than trying. Great leaders never gave up and that is what took them to their goal.

• Planning: The result of an activity is determined in its planning stage. If planning is perfect and foolproof, then chances of success are greater. At the same time, it is also important to plan for emergencies. Study the lives of our leaders and you will get to know precisely about their planning and how it used to be. Take for example Bhagat Singh. He had decided that to reach out to the masses, he would have to get himself arrested. History is proof of what he achieved.

• Having A Vision: A vision in life helps take you forward. It provides you with a purpose to live; a purpose that makes your life meaningful. All our great leaders have had visions which have helped India travel so many years and successfully at that.

• Humbleness: Your deeds speak for you. No matter how much you babble about yourself, it is your actions that make a lot of difference. So, it is better to act rather than to talk. Your good deeds will be recognised by others and when they speak about it, it will make a difference. Our great leaders never blew their own trumpets. They were busy working for the betterment of the society and the country.

• Responsibility: One great quality of every leader is responsibility. This responsibility is not just for executing tasks, but also to take responsibility for one's own actions and words. A person who passes the buck on to someone else will never be able to win over the trust of anyone. Being recognised for responsibility and trust is a huge quality.

• Lead By Example: A quality that all great leaders possess is to lead by example. When they place their thought, they make sure that they practice what they say. This can be the other way round too. Preach what you practice and only then can you be truthful to yourself and to others as well. This applies in every walk of life, starting from your family to your workplace.

It is true that everyone cannot be a leader, but following and practising the principals of leaders can make everyone a better person. It is, however, necessary that we choose our leaders with caution.