There are many facets to being a good leader today I think it would be best to focus on how a leader must make his decisions. There are two things that a leader must consider when making their decisions and they are these 1. his personal will and 2. his duty to his people. The second option, in my estimation, must be given greater sway. I say this because if a leader focuses on their duty as a leader then their decisions will make for a better future. Now do I mean that the leader must pander to his electorate even if he knows what they want is wrong? No never would I say that. The duty of the leader is to do what is best for the nation or group that they are leading. Reelection and popularity be damned if need be. The duty to the people is to do what is best not what is popular. Look at the example of Abraham Lincoln. He was despised in his day. Yet he followed his duty to the nation and did what he needed to guide the nation through the Civil War. His policies were hated, his motives question yet he never wavered in his duty to serve the people of the United States in bringing this nation back together under one flag. Consider this as well that he was willing to put aside his personal will for freeing the slaves until after the conflict had passed, such sentiments were outright stated in many of his letters. Lincoln the great emancipator followed where duty led.
This kind of leadership is lacking in today's politics. The congresspeople do not follow duty and hold to its course. No rather than take this difficult and hard road they follow the winds of change wherever they may lead. This kind of "leadership" is leading this nation over the edge and into hard times. Where are the leaders of old that would stand for what they knew was right though they knew it could cost them an election? They are long gone. A new generation may arise but what would that require? A bold and fearless leader that would be willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of all. Yes our nation is in dire need of leaders who are willing to put duty ahead of self.
With all this talk of duty I would be a fool not to discuss personal will. Often times personal will can and will make its way into decision making and that is a good thing. It makes for a good leader as well, so long as it does not supplant duty. For it is personal will that makes the leader human and causes them to look at the world from their experience and bring to the table a new perspective that perhaps would be lost otherwise. A leader can even make his personal will fit with his duty. Again to illustrate this point we turn to Abraham Lincoln and the emancipation of the slaves. Lincoln said if he could free all, none, or part of the slaves and save this nation he would do it. We also know that Lincoln had the personal desire to free all the slaves. From this perspective Lincoln, according to his duty first and will second, freed some of the slaves so that he could help to break the southern war machine, or cotton gin as the case may be. From this example we see that Lincoln followed his duty and his will when he freed only the slaves in states of rebellion. This move was best for the nation. Seeing that the border states would stay with the Union this continued to give the North a great advantage over the South in terms of men and infrastructure.
The way of the leader is difficult. It involves constant tough decision making and often it leads to being hated in the short term. Yet if a leader is good at what they do then it is possible for them to be revered in the long term and to make the nation, state, or community better for them having served there. Where are the leaders like this? They are within the populace of your community. The question I have for you now is this one: when will they decide to take the mantle? For that there is no answer.
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