According to ancient Chinese sage, Sun Tzu in his famous treatise "The Art of War," leadership is a matter of:
intelligence trustworthiness humaneness courage discipline
When one has all of these five qualities working together in balance then you are a good leader. Too much intelligence alone results in rebelliousness. If the leader is too kind and benevolent the country becomes weak. Too much trust produces foolish decisions. If there is too much reliance on courage then there is violence; and excessive discipline results in cruelty and stern leadership.
There are six main leadership styles that we generally witness and they are:
1. Authoritarian 2. Democratic 3. Laissez-faire 4. Relationship-focused 5. Task-oriented 6. Paternalistic
It's probably pretty obvious where the current US prez fits in...Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau style is laissez-faire/relationship and Russian president Putin is paternalistic. Russia has a long history of paternalism as do many African nations who prefer a father-figure.
Right-wingers generally favor either an authoritarian or paternalistic leader while left-wingers prefer either democratic, laissez-faire or relationship-focused styles in their leaders. Task-oriented leaders are generally engaged in a thankless role as they get the job done but lack charisma and people skills.
Much political mud-slinging is really a distaste for the style of the leader and not so much his or her policies or decisions. Again, current US president is loathed for his personality and not so much attention is focused on what he is actually doing (or not doing.)
From a purely spiritual point of view, Joshua ben Joseph was a perfect blend of all styles and displayed his self-mastery and command of every situation with trademark aplomb and finesse. Leadership is really about character.
It is said, "Better is one who masters himself, than one who takes a city." The fruits of the spirit culminate in self-control, self-respect and self-mastery. Joshua was truly a master of men because he had mastered himself.
Some notable leaders of the modern era are Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Mother Theresa and Martin Luther King. I'd like to suggest that Mahatma Gandhi was the greatest leader of the modern era because he exemplified a strong, yet restrained political leader, a man with enormous self-discipline, a man motivated by principles and as a leader of civil rights he inspired people all over the world. He proved that tyranny can be overcome with non-violent resistance.
Eleanor Roosevelt is quoted as saying, “To handle yourself, use your head; to handle others, use your heart.” If you don't love others or your nation, then you can never be a good leader. True leadership boils down to serving your brothers and sisters and remembering we are all part of a great family. Everything we do affects everyone around us, so a good leader is always aware of the consequences of decision, good or bad. Peace on Earth, goodwill to all.
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