Qualities of an Effective Leader

QThe Philippines is going to elect another leader this coming May. Who deserves to be the leader among those contenders? Who has the qualities of an effective leader?

There are a lot of people that say leaders are born. Some say that leaders are made. Whatever your opinion on this, leaders should be ‘effective’ in their leadership and should be responsible to their constituents.

Let’s discuss some of the qualities of an effective leader and apply these qualities to the country’s highest leader, the President, as we cast our votes this coming Presidential elections.


The highest form of leadership is servanthood. Leadership is one of the highest calling a person can receive. How can you distinguish an effective leader among the rest?

An effective leader is the one who serves, a bad leader wants to be serve.
An effective leader is one who empowers, a bad leader wants that power.
An effective leader wants people to grow and become great, a bad leader becomes insecure when someone grows and they always have to be the great one.

There’s this law in Physics that for every action, there is an equal reaction. The secret to become an effective leader is simple enough.

If you want to be happy, make someone happy. Instantly you become happy.

If you want to be motivated or empowered, motivate and empower someone. Instantly you’re motivated and empowered.

If you want to be appreciated, appreciate people and they will appreciate you.
If you want respect, of course respect them first.
If you want to be trusted, you must trust others too.

As an effective leader, you should not wait for someone to do those things for you first, You have to do it yourself first. An effective leader is called a ’leader’, because people follow what you do, not what you say. Effective leaders serve as inspiration and motivation among their followers.

Rich Dad Tip:

“A leader’s job is to bring out the best in people, not to be the best person.”

As an end to this post, I would like to give you the Leadership Litmus Test that I learned from Robert Kiyosaki:

- Are you depending on charisma to lead your team? Watch out—leadership has less to do with personal magnetism than with persistence in communicating your mission to your people.
- Do you hole yourself up in your office all day long, poring over numbers rather than getting out and talking with your team? Financial statements are important, but so is mixing with—and listening to—your employees. Watch out for the stuffed-shirt syndrome. The best way to keep abreast of company progress is through informal interaction and ad hoc meetings.

- When it comes to making decisions, do you put off the day of reckoning? Effective leaders need to be action-oriented; otherwise their companies will succumb to paralysis.
- Do you lead by command—telling people what to do, and punishing them if they don’t—or by enabling? Leaders who hire talented people and give them space to shine are establishing an atmosphere of trust in which creative ideas will flower.