Inspirational leaders – Managerial traits
One of the most highly sort after managerial traits is leadership. A leader governs, inspires and encourages their workforce, which is priceless when it comes to motivating and getting the best out of your team.
In order to demonstrate what makes a good leader we at Discuss thought we would compile a list of inspirational figures from history… Bear in mind this isn’t a top 5 list as it would be near impossible to rank/rate some of these true greats when you consider the magnitude of their achievements.
Richard Branson
Let’s start with an obvious one… Richard Branson, he started with nothing and he’s now currently one of the most successful businessmen in the world (he lives on his own luxury island!).
This didn’t happen overnight and he certainly didn’t do it single handedly. One of the best things Branson did was surround himself with good, hardworking people, managed them correctly, encouraged them and most importantly, kept them inspired.
This has allowed Branson to build his empire on a solid foundation, one which he trusts. Now comes the clever part – he’s now collected such a huge financial mass he can afford to offer great rewards and schemes to his workforce, which keeps the boots on the ground motivated and inspired. Can you see the pattern here?
Due to his overwhelming success and dedicated workforce, we think Branson is a true modern day leader.
Martin Luther King JR
No inspirational leader list would be complete without Martin Luther King, as he ultimately lost his life fighting for equality for African-American people in the 1960s. Despite facing severe adversaries he stuck to his beliefs, inspired the better part of a nation and ultimately led peaceful protests across America.
The struggles he faced and the way in which he could peacefully bring people together to fight for a common cause makes Martin Luther King one of the most inspirational (and important) leaders of all time.
Mahatma Gandhi
This is a similar story to that of Martin Luther King; Gandhi showed great restraint and leadership skills by uniting a nation to peacefully combat the repressive rule of the British. His amazing and unique style of leadership (responsible for inspiring one of the biggest nations in the world) often earns him the tag of the most inspirational leader of all time.
Mother Teresa
Anyone who dedicates their life to a selfless cause, especially one that is responsible for saving the lives and supporting those in need in over 100 countries was always going to make our list.
Mother Teresa is one of the most giving leaders in modern history; her efforts not only changed the lives of 1000s upon 1000s of people, but they also earned her the highly sort after Nobel Peace Prize.
Putting others before herself made Mother Teresa one of the most celebrated leaders of all time.
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
She inspired the districts to unite and rebel against the oppressive regime of the capital… Okay you’ve caught us! Whilst in the fictional realm she might be a magnificent leader, we’ve only included Katniss Everdeen for giggles.
Are you interested in learning what it takes to become an inspirational leader? Why not check out the management and leadership programmes on offer at CU Coventry, CU London and CU Scarborough.