What do Martin L. King, Gandhi, and Mother Teresa have in common with you?

If you live long enough, you will find great leaders. Most people believe that leaders are born and few believe that they themselves can become any kind of leader.
Now I am a believer that the old axiom, “leaders are born, not made” is false.

Leadership is not easy, but it can be learned. Leadership is demanding and can be frustrating. However, leadership is noble and rewarding. Therefore, it is important not to take your leadership role with an arrogant attitude.

There are nine facts about leadership that we can all aspire to have. I have found these characteristics to be most commonly evident to the most extraordinary leaders of our time. People like Gandhi, Martin L King, and Mother Teresa possess these nine qualities.

You don’t need extreme circumstances to propel you into a leadership role. However, for anyone to become a great leader, they must have a love for people and a desire to improve the lives of those they meet.

For example, Mother Teresa’s love for people living in the slums of India inspired her to spend sixty years feeding and clothing the poor. Her love prompted her to take on a leadership role in which India’s presidents, dignitaries, and people were willing to sit in congested rooms just to hear what she had to say.

The second and third characteristics of leadership will challenge the prevailing sentiment and will have an emphasis on learning. Martin L. King knew that the nation could no longer treat one segment of the population differently from the rest.

Martin L King uses his erudite and great oratory invoking these words of our Constitution: “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of the Happiness “…. Martin L King challenged the status quo of the United States in 1960 for the betterment of society.

To be a leader, you must be willing to challenge the status quo and continue to educate yourself.

The fourth and fifth characteristics are a driven commitment and have a vision beyond the current circumstances. Gandhi knew that the Indian people had to be self-sufficient if they were to survive in the future. Gandhi’s commitment to the Indian people that they will one day be independent from the monarch of England was a vision few Indians believed or felt possible.

However, Gandhi’s vision of the future, commitment and self-sacrifice are the reasons why India is independent from English colonial rule.

The seventh and eighth truths have to do with the people around you. “Most people will follow a leader who can clearly articulate their WHY” begins with the WHY (Simon Sinek) in life. Most can tell you what they do and how they do it, but very few can tell you “WHY” they do what they do.

Let’s go back to the three leaders I mentioned earlier, Mother Teresa, Martin L. King, and Gandhi. The “WHY” of Mother Teresa was feeding the poor, the “WHY” of Martin L. King and Gandhi the injustice of the people. All three knew that one person couldn’t do it, so they inspired others to participate.

Finally, the ninth and most crucial truth is YOU. I also include myself. “You make a difference”. The Truth About Leadership (James M Kouses Barry Z Posner) We must believe in ourselves. We must believe that we can make a difference and move in that direction. We must believe that we have all the attributes to challenge the status quo and be in love with the desire to change the world around us.