Great leaders are born and made, in my opinion. There is a certain knack for leadership, that some people just have. It's hard for you to define leadership but a wise man once told me the best definition ever. He said, "you can't define leadership, but when you see it, you know it." And strongly believe this is true, when you see a leader in action, it resonates with leadership. There are those who lead with an iron fist (but you need an absurd amount of power to do this), there are some who lead from a high pedestal (but you also need a lot of power). And the fact about both of these types of leaders is that their subordinates do not like them much.
In those two examples, their subordinates follow because they must, but at first change they will leave or kill the leader. The best way to lead is in the midst of your follows. Julius Caesar would never send his men to do what he wouldn't do himself, Lieutenant General "Chesty" Puller made sure to always fight with his men. The fact of the matter is, if you want to be a great leader, you must be with the majority. This is for three reasons. The first reason is because you will know your followers needs and wants more closely, and without your followers, you are nothing. The second is you will earn the respect of your followers because they know you are right their with them, feeling the same things they feel. And third and possibly most important is that you will be able to bond with your followers, there is nothing greater than a close, tight knit "family". This doesn't just apply to war scenarios but any aspect in life where you want to be a leader. Be it in a group project, a group of friends, an organization you belong to. If there's one thing to learn from this is to never let power go to your head, stay the little guy while being the leader and earn respect along the way. Have a good weekend and ill be back on monday!
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