An Effective Leader: 110 Stories to Encourage Your Soul

Leaders are great role models in society. People strive to do and be their best when they are with a leader in their life. So whether its your soccer coach, mom, dad, or a well known celebrity, a good leader is someone who is effective. But what is an effective leader? In my opinion, an effective leader is someone who has a positive attitude, is inspiring, and is honest.

An effective leader needs to be a positive leader. A leader with a positive attitude is effective because they make a good atmosphere for others around them. I know that in dance, there is always that one person in your group that pumps everyone up. They always have a positive attitude, making others around them feel more positive and uplifted. They always tend to look on the bright side. Looking on the bright side is a very good thing that leaders with positive attitudes do. One time I was onstage doing a solo, and forgot everything and made up the whole dance. When I stepped off, I was very upset and negative towards myself, and my dancing. My mom told me how it still looked great, like I knew what I was doing. In the end, I got second place in my category. My mom showed that even though I blanked on stage, I still placed. She was looking on the bright side. Another reason that a positive leader is an effective leader, is because they have the ability to influence others thoughts and opinions. Everybody wants to be like them, meaning they influence others. My cousin is a great role model and leader to me, and I know that when I was younger I wanted to be like her so bad that everything she thought… I would think. Everything she said… I would say. A leader with a positive attitude makes a positive influence on others, leaving the people around them feeling inspired.

Inspiration is quite often developed when you are around a leader. An effective leader has the ability to make you feel inspired. I get inspired in dance when I see people that are better than me. It makes me push myself to do the best I can. Effective leaders inspire you to be like them, and are great models. Just like my cousin for me when I was younger, or Terry Fox. Terry Fox showed great leadership qualities, and has inspired many individuals all over the world. Every year millions of people get together to do the “Terry Fox Run” to raise money for cancer research. This shows that he is still a great leader even though he has passed, he is still inspiring others today. There are many other great leaders in this world. They have a certain thing about them that makes them shine. Whether its their positive attitude, ability to inspire, or their honesty.

Effective leaders are always honest, and you feel “safe” to be around them, knowing they are always being honest, trustworthy, and a great person. Whenever you are with an honest leader, you are not afraid to speak your mind. In my class this year, my teachers have a very honest quality about them that encourages me to say what I want without being criticized. Honest leaders will stick to their word, so you can count on them to get things done. Sometimes I like to think of myself as a good honest leader, because I always have things done on time. If I am doing group work with my peers, I am usually counted on to get the work done on my spare time. Lastly, an honest leader will tell you the truth about how they feel and think. One time I worked so hard on an art project, that just wasn’t turning out properly. Since I had worked so hard on it, people kept assuring me that it still looked fine. It wasn’t until I asked one of my closest friends what they honestly thought, and she said, “not your best” and then told me what they thought I needed to fix. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and in the end it ended up helping me. I consider that friend of mine a great leader. Honesty is a large component of what makes an effective leader. I know that I look up to all the honest people in my life.

A leader is someone who has people “following” them. Wanting to be like them. They normally don’t think highly of themselves as being a leader… in fact they may not know the impact they are making on other individuals lives. A positive attitude, ability to inspire others, and honesty are all factors that make a leader effective. So are you a leader? Look behind and see if anyone is following.