We are all leaders:  Leaders of our families, jobs, social circles, and destiny.

It is our moral obligation to be the best leader possible.

The world needs leadership more than ever today, especially since so many people have been conditioned by society to be lazy sheep. Comfort makes people unambitious, and technology automates people’s thinking and the way they lead their lives.

But there’s a major misconception about leadership.

It’s not about superiority, authority, or control — but instead, the power to inspire, lead, and serve.

Being a leader is about having a vision for the creation of a better future, and inspiring others to help you reach that vision.

Here are six major qualities of a great leader:

1) A Great Leader Sees Every Task To The End

There’s a powerful saying we all subscribe to here at The Society, and it’s this:

How you do anything, is how you do everything.

A good leader sets a vision, determines what needs to be done to achieve that vision, and executes until the end.

The big test is if you can stay committed to your vision when things go bad or not as expected (and usually, they do).

Will you admit defeat and retreat to your comfort zone?

Or will you continue pushing forward, despite the risk, with your eyes set on a greater reward.

A true leader will set a vision, and follow through with it, despite all risks involved, and no matter what kind of adversity you will face.

2) A Great Leader Takes Risks

Anyone who plays it safe in life is not a leader, and will never experience a taste of ‘true success.’

Living a life without risk, in the comfort zone, will trap you in mediocrity, apathy, and numb all your ambitions and lust for life.

A weak leader will stand at the crossroads of life – paralyzed by the fear of failure.

I’ve written about this many times before:

Failure is awesome and a tool for growth – it’s something that will allow you to know yourself, your limits, your potential, and what you’re truly capable of accomplishing.

If you don’t take any risks, you will never make true progress in life.

3) A Great Leader Shares Success

A true leader is ambitious and aggressive towards reaching the vision — but is also humble, honest, and knows that success is not a solo effort.

You must inspire others with your passion and vision, because nobody can achieve something great alone.

You must be grateful for everyone who helps play a part in any success, and you must understand that people love to be recognized for their contributions – no matter how small.

4) A Great Leader Accepts Fault

A weak leader will take credit for success when the team succeeds, but will be the first to blame others when things get tough.

Blaming others will completely erode any confidence and loyalty your supporters have in you.

You must assume all of the responsibility for every consequence of every decision – even if you’re not entirely at fault.

5) The greatest leaders in history have had moments of extreme success, and moments of devastating defeat

It’s about how you react to the failure, or success, which makes for a great leader.

True leaders focus on what they can control:

How they react in the present moment.

Dwelling on the past or feeling uncertain about the future will do nothing for a leader.

And this reminds me of a powerful lesson a mentor shared with me:

When times are good, they’re never as good as you think.

And when times are bad, they’re never as bad as you think.

This has forced me to live “in the middle” – not getting carried away with my successes, and not letting the bad times make me feel less worthy.

And lastly…

6) Great Leaders Study the Past

I recommend reading books on the lives of some of the greatest leaders in history…

Here’s a short list:

Alexander The Great, Napoleon Bonaparte, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Abraham Lincoln, Jeannette Rankin, Martin Luther King, and Margaret Mead to name a few.

This does NOT mean simply reading their pages on Wikipedia. Go to your local library and check out some books about these leaders. If you don’t have a library card, get one. Or, you can order a book right now from any of these sellers:

• IndieBound
  (Enter your ZIP code for a list of independent booksellers near you)
• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Powell‘s Books
• Audible