Leadership is hard and it takes a lot of effort and consideration. This is true in formal capacities as well as in informal groups or volunteer organizations. To be a leader is exhausting because the leader is all the time on. They are in fee 24-hours per day.
Leaders have to act fast and act efficiently. This means leaders can't rely on a rule- or guidebook in order to make the decisions that need to be made on a daily basis. You have to be kind and decisive all at the same time.
Leaders have to remain calm at all times, but also have to know when to put on an impassioned front whenever the situation calls for it. They have to be flexible while also being able to defer to a core set of beliefs in order to make decisions when all the best facts may not be ready to them. They have to be reasonable and analytical one little while commanding excitement and loyalty the next.
Leaders are confronted with a collection of different situations at a collection of different times. Some situations call for them to behave in some ways, while other situations can call for them to behave in totally different ways.
Leaders have to focus on the mission to make tough decisions when the situation calls on them to make tough decisions. They can't be swayed by politicians and cowards into manufacture the decisions that might not be in the best interest of the group or organization.
The best leaders are the ones who are open minded. They have to use this open mindedness in order to hear the ideas or complaints of those who work below them within their organization. But they also have to be meticulous not to be too flexible. They have to be able to stand behind the validity of their decisions and defend what they believe to be the right sass to any given situation.
Also, leaders have to be opinionated. They have to be able to ascertain their own positions and defend them from exterior threats - and sometimes even internal threats. They have to stand by their ideas.
If you are leader, remember these things. Keep an open mind but also stand fast to what you know to be the literal, answers. But also know when to be open minded about your determinations.
