Leadership characteristics and values

Leadership characteristics and values

Leadership is the process of influencing others towards achieving specific set goals and objectives using tailor-made strategies. Leaders are important because they set organizations on the path of obtaining their vision and mission. According to Northouse (2010), a leader must be effective and skilled to guarantee the achievement of quality results. Some of the characteristics and values of a leader that catalyze their success include self-belief, courage, reliability, humility, honesty, loyalty, empathy, and result-orientation. Others include fairness, justice, kindness, creativity, and ability to inspire. The global leader that I admire most is the former US president Barrack Obama. Obama has unique and captivating qualities, values, and characteristics of a leader. He is a leader who has inspired many, including me. He is loved globally because of the values of integrity, confidence, and risk-taking, among others that he stands for.

Indeed, Barrack Obama has continued to exhibit solid characteristics and values of leadership even after leaving the office. The characteristics and values became pronounced when he was the US president owing to the achievements he realized. The notable characteristics and values that I like and admire most include honesty, fairness, humility, eloquence, and charisma, confidence, ability to inspire, and empathy. First, I cherish President Obama’s charismatic and eloquence character (Bowleg, 2017). The polished leader connects with the people well through his insightful, exciting, and flawless speeches. He knows what to say at particular times, depending on the situation and event. That is, he knows what to say, how to say it, and when to communicate the information (Bowleg, 2017). The aspect earned him massive points during the presidential campaigns. For instance, his charisma was manifest during the campaigns and acceptance speech after winning the presidential race in 2008, where he electrified the crowd with “yes we can” slogan.

Obama also can inspire people through his actions, speeches, and behavior. He acts responsibly, inspires hope in people, behaves reasonably, and talk sense always. He also motivates people, especially the youth, through the YALE program that empowers young leaders socially, academically, and economically. I like the inspiration aspect because it helps in transforming the lives of many people globally (Immelman, 2010). Another value that president Obama exhibits is honesty. The man is sincere in his dealings and engagements with people. He believes in openness, truth, and justice for all. His honesty character comes out from the way he treats his family and the genuineness with which he engages people.

Moreover, President Obama’s other important value is empathy. The aspect of empathy was manifest when he delivered a eulogy at Charleston church for the church leaders who were shot dead. He showed empathy from his speech, reactions, behavior, and tone. He felt the pain those people had at the moment (Immelman, 2010). I also prefer the humility character of Obama. The 44 US president is highly humble and reasonable. He has never suffered from pride related disorders. He always understands that his position and opportunities in life are meant to serve people and not to display pride (Husain, 2017). Further, Obama is fair and just in nearly all aspects of life. He believes in equality and respect for human rights, as he shows daily. A good example is a push for universal health care that was designed to eliminate discrimination of the minority groups from accessing quality hospitals. Secondly, he signed the law giving gays and straight people legal recognition in the country. The move was timely because he felt that the gays were just like any other person and that their rights ought not to be curtailed.

From a personal perspective, I share the characteristics and values exhibited by the former US president. I am humble, honest, inspiring, fair, confident, result-oriented, and understanding. The values and characteristics have helped me to connect with people from diverse backgrounds successfully. I relate well to people, and they appreciate my role in society as an upcoming professional. Nobody can build a positive reputation without holistic human values.

Notably, the values and characteristics of individuals are linked to emotional intelligence (EI) in context and content. This is because of emotional intelligence help in the actualization of the values and characteristics. One cannot remain honest and perform various functions honestly without deploying emotional intelligence elements. The aspect cannot be ignored since emotional intelligence involves the ability to use, understand, and manage emotions. It enables individuals to manage their emotions in positive ways to guarantee effective communication, relieving of stress, and overcoming challenges (Husain, 2017). Obama’s emotional intelligence levels are controlled effectively, and the process allows him to offer the best to people’s lives honestly, justly, and fairly.

Personally, I intend to impact lives positively globally through credible socio-economic and cultural activities. Likewise, I intend to inspire a generation through motivational initiatives such as youth empowerment programs. The aspirations cannot be achieved without upholding critical life transformative values such as honesty, humility, loyalty, fairness, and empathy. With the values, I see myself treating people with respect and dignity. I also see myself communicating and sharing with others honestly and fairly. Above all, I will show care and concern for others, especially the less privileged in the society. The intention to achieve positive things in life is excellent; however, the far one can go in the journey is dependent on the values and character traits that they exhibit.

Ultimately, life without underpinning values and character traits amount to nothing. It is the values that define a person’s relevance and reputation in society. For instance, former US president Barrack Obama remains a loved, cherished, respected, and valued person globally because of his character and positive values. He has continued to impact lives positively through his inspiring actions, speeches, and behavior. He is a role model for many globally today. I want to follow in his footsteps to impact lives and promote social integration through inspiring initiatives and actions.