"It's a mix of a lot of things, but first and foremost it's about having faith … A. A good politician – in Machiavelli’s remarkable view – isn’t one who is kind, friendly and honest, it is someone – however occasionally dark and sly they might be – who knows how to defend, enrich and bring honour to the state. Listed in no particular order – because of the subjectivity of the issue – are 5 outstanding traits of political leaders. What are the qualifications that make a good leader? The criteria needed for political leadership are vague if they exist at all. Inspire Others. Of course, no leader is going to declare that he is not up to what he regards as an essential component of leadership. No doubt, qualities of integrity, strength, confidence, charisma, and decisiveness come to mind. I have often wondered how Blair would have dealt with Iraq if he had been a Home or Foreign Secretary before becoming Prime Minister. Do you have information you want to share with HuffPost? It is not necessary for a good political leader to be a paragon of every domestic virtue, as Bob Hawke amply demonstrated, though the times are clearly becoming more demanding in … Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. So what makes a good political leader? It takes time and practice to be a top line leader. Large majorities say that when it comes to intelligence and innovation, men and women display those qualities equally. Integrity. It is not enough to simply give the appearance of boldness in an emergency, or proclaim boldness while merely following media fashion. In other words, a good political leader has an internal locus of control while he is aware of the effects of the external forces. All rights reserved. Have Faith in Their Beliefs. It can only … I do not believe that we would have better politicians if more of them worked elsewhere first. Is Ed Miliband a natural born leader? But Miliband has done us a favour by raising the question of what leadership is all about. When outsiders move into politics they often struggle to adapt. A leader must have the skill to build a programme of policies that is linked to a party’s values while appealing to the widest possible section of the electorate. At the end of one entry Macmillan concludes: “The Russian view in favour of war has hardened.” The diary was followed by the opening of PM, with a stream of headlines about the hardening of Putin’s line in relation to the shooting down of the Malaysian plane and the robust words, but imprecise actions, of EU leaders in response. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Clegg had only been an MP for a single Parliament when he became Deputy Prime Minister. He or she must be, or become, a decent speaker and an engaging interviewee. In order to become a nurse, teacher, police officer, doctor, lawyer, or train driver there are clearly defined requirements. A good political leader in order to succeed needs a good education, training and experience. *Please note that the reason this article uses he rather than she is for simplicity. Macmillan points out that one of the more useful was Archduke Ferdinand, a senior figure in the Austro-Hungarian Empire that wanted to work with Serbia rather than invade it. Politics is a tough vocation requiring distinct areas of expertise. Some of the fragilities of Cameron, Blair and Clegg are explained by their early rise to the top. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. They must be genuinely courageous, and able to resist orthodoxy. Leadership skills are important, but they can be used for ill as well as good. The criteria needed for political leadership are vague if they exist at all. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. To get to the very top demands a titanic range of skills. He played down the significance of presentation, partly because he is getting low marks for this particular art form. A caring leader is enthusiastic and inspirational. Here’s how. But communication is vital, marking out the difference between politics as a vocation compared with most others. Putting It Together: The Characteristics of a Good Leader While successful leaders may exhibit these 10 leadership skills to varying degrees, all good leaders leverage at least some — or most — of these characteristics. “Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to accomplish an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more cohesive and coherent”. But the characteristics below are unwaveringly related to a good leader. Politics is neither good nor bad. I have been in the military and business world for forty years and often get asked how I define great leadership and great political leadership. A good leader is a self actualized leader. A good politician will be well educated on local events, especially if she is running for local office. This gives us a degree of comfort that someone is in charge, … I know of no leader who meets this final qualification. Confidence. Know that the citizens of Athens managed to have equal political rights, freedom of speech, and the opportunity to participate directly in the political … Conclusion The best form on leadership style observed is the Transformational Leadership style The best method for a politician to leader is being ethical and following servant leadership. Any one has the capability to be a political leader as … They found that despite differences in culture, gender, age, and other variables, good leaders effectively model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act and encourage the heart. Leaders have to find a way to convey what they stand for. Let us begin with one of those raised by Miliband. If I were forced to list the absolute number one qualification I would suggest previous ministerial experience, or at least some background in major political battles, epic conflicts that help to shape the real political giants. These positive emotions are felt by the people. Together, they make up the backbone of leadership across leader levels, industries, and continents. Some of the best politicians have been mastering politics for their entire careers. According to Okachikwu (2018), a good political leader should be intellectually sound in his knowledge of the society, the theories and issues of politics, law and the behavioural sciences. Political leadership is influenced by various dependent variables including the views of a political leader or environment concerning various issues that affect the state of the environment being a major issue on which the government depends on, and the most government fails due to this environment factor. The question is, what amounts to a conscientious choice? Is there a titan out there who meets the criteria? "A good political leader is one who, with the interests of all in mind, seizes the moment in a spirit of openness and pragmatism. 3. someone who can resist the various temptations and lures of the political arena 4. someone of strong c… Probably the most difficult job for a leader is to persuade others to follow. And solid majorities see no gender differences in ambition, honesty and decisiveness.Still, many A nonprofit dedicated to public education. In fact, political skill is a necessity, and when used appropriately, leaders can use their political savvy to create positive outcomes for themselves and others. She noted that with the schism in the Labour party in the 1980s she could go much further in following her more drastic instincts. There may well be two leadership contests after the election. You must have a background in epic Westminster battles, and a nose for PR, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Confidence. This was Thatcher’s genius. Ed Miliband’s speech on leadership last week was deeply subjective – a leader reflecting on what it takes to be one is hardly going to be objective. There were grim echoes and one big difference. Our modern civilization is indebted to the people of ancient Greece and Rome. While some people have more of a predisposed personality for it but all people can become a great leader with enough determination, self reflection, open mindedness, experience and knowledge. A good political leader needs to be both confident in himself or herself as well in their ability to lead. All great leaders have to exhibit an air of confidence if they’re going to succeed. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. Just look at what happened after August 1914. We define political savvy as the ability to maximize and leverage relationships in order to … Roya R. Rad, MA, PsyD Open, honest and effective: what makes Jacinda Ardern an authentic leader May 26, 2020 12.44am EDT. By some freakish accident the pragmatists in 1914 were written out of the script. But another essential skill is to recognise when rare political space opens up for a leader. As I am not about to make a run for office myself, here is my, more objective set of qualifications, ones that should be considered whenever there is a vacancy for the top job in a political party. Please … Miliband’s speech was unusual because he was trying to find a way to communicate by insisting he was not very good at it. 2. someone with good communication and inter-personal skills, who can work with a range of other people, regardless of political party or opinion, to achieve the greatest good for the general population. Before I begin, I make an unfashionable observation. FDR and Hitler both used leadership skills. Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. There is nowhere to hide. When people wonder what a leader will do next, they are assuming that the leader can choose his own course. In her early years she was more cautious, even promoting her internal opponents. When people feel that they are taken care of — economically, socially, and politically — it makes them feel secure and happy. In contrast, the imprecision in the EU, including the ambiguous actions of British ministers and the tentativeness of the Obama administration, is almost reassuring. Part of HuffPost Politics. Miliband looks young, but if he were to win he would be the first PM since Margaret Thatcher to move from opposition with past experience of being in power, a big plus for him even if he makes nothing of it because he regards the recent past as too electorally toxic. While on the leadership job, he/she could be trained on military and strategic studies, international relations, basic … A good leader: It is important to know that there is really no evidence indicating leaders are innately born. But when the likes of Shirley Williams left the Labour party she was off on her radical crusade. The most demanding qualification is another essential one, although we columnists tend to underplay it. Another one of the leadership qualities, is having confidence. You are not borne with leadership competencies. Lead The Traits That Make Women Great Leaders The president of EMILY's List, a group that has helped hundreds of female politicians get elected to … He accepts responsibilities for his actions and words. Another overall def… A great political leader is one who puts the good of the people before personal gain. It takes some doing. But if a leader leaves their party too far behind in a bid for wider electoral appeal, they will soon cease to be party leader. Admit it, there may be … In the twenty-first century, most governments are democratically elected and ordinary citizens are allowed political participation in a concrete way through the ballot box. Professional psychologist, motivational writer, Sign up for membership to become a founding member and help shape HuffPost's next chapter. A good politician candor’s and practices what he preaches. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. Ferdinand’s assassination triggered the moves towards war, as less flexible leaders trapped, or choosing to be trapped, by alliances and a defiant strain of nationalism ploughed headfirst into conflict. Finally, especially in a crisis, a leader must be indifferent to criticism and attacks from the media. Self actualization is the highest form of human growth, someone who is self actualized is a fully functioning human being. Andrei Alexander Lux, Edith ... just as political leaders represent the nation. He is very reliable. One classic understanding of good leadership was derived by Kouzes and Posner in The Leadership Challenge, who use data from over 1.3 million people about the observable skills and behaviors of leadership. Know why? Despite the fact that these societies made considerable contributions to the fields like art, literature, philosophy, the greatest gift to future generations was the modern perception of government. Create a commenting name to join the debate, There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts, There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts.