The 21 Principles of Strategy, Persuasion, and Leadership

While it is no doubt true that some people are simply born with the personality and mindset to be natural leaders, it is also true that leadership qualities can be learned, practiced, and can ultimately become defining traits of those of us who aren’t naturally born with them.
What are the qualities that define a good leader? Good leaders are not necessarily those possessing the greatest power or control over others. More than anything else a good leader is magnanimous. According to Webster’s, the word means “1) showing or suggesting a lofty and courageous spirit; 2) showing or suggesting nobility of feeling or generosity of mind.” And concerning magnanimity: “loftiness of spirit enabling one to bear trouble calmly, to disdain meanness and revenge, and to make sacrifices for worthy ends.”
Leadership, more than anything else, is giving, serving, and sacrificing for a common good—and getting others to do the same—rather than getting control, power, wealth, or anything else for one’s self.
Keeping the foundational principle of “magnanimity” in mind, the individual principles summarized in this small volume will help guide you toward developing the mindset of a leader as well as leadership skills that will prove beneficial to both yourself and others for the rest of your life.