Well, I havn't submitted any articles for quite sometime due to exams and such. Although this article is not my best one, I'd thought it'll serve well as a filler.

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What qualities contribute to a good leader?

Everyday, everywhere, we see leaders of all fields all around us, from a Prime Minister to a class captain, who people are leading us in some way. Coach Boone from Remember the Titans, directed by Boaz Yakin, is no different from an average leader. He is eloquent, courageous and daring. Indeed, many of us possess those already, but what set leaders apart from us is that they know when best to harness those qualities when occasions require.

Leaders are usually persuasive and inspiring. They are able to speak critically and confidently to people around them. They are able to assess the situation on what to speak about so that their will become memorable. Martin Luther King Jr., the African American Civil Rights leader, picked the day of the late President Lincoln’s anniversary to not only remind America about Lincoln’s honourable act to the blacks, but to also speak critically about his “dream” of a non-racial America. Effect as it is because racial tensions were in an all time high during the 1960’s. Coach Boone is also similar to Martin Luther King. After the run to Gettysburg graveyard with the boys on 3am, he spoke about them “fighting the same war as our ancestors did”. Indicating the crucial need for the boys to work together and unify as a whole team. Otherwise, they will to be “destroyed” like the ones who died in the Gettysburg war by the pure hatred of racism towards each other. Both leaders made their point effective by speaking critically about the problems to the people around them.

Courage: yet another quality which a good leader should have. Courage is what helps the leader to drive their goals and ambitions. Without courage, a leader will never achieve anything. Unifying the black and white boys together to play football may be an easy task for coaches today, but during 1971 it was a daunting task. Especially for a black coach such as Boone as he had to endure white players not co-operating, insults from the community and a little girl named Sheryl. Times such as when Gerry demanded that he substitute half the black players for half the equivalent of white players, or else the white players won’t even play for the team at all. And the time when he visited Coach Yoast’s house, Coach Yoast’s daughter, Sheryl, gave him a snide comment and almost slammed the door right in front of him. Because Coach Boone had the courage to stand up to what he believed in: unifying the black and white kids to play as a team and win the state champions. He is able to achieve this goal at the end of the film. Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, made her own comment about the meaning of courage which pretty sums up what courage is about: “Real courage is when you know you’re licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through the end no matter what.”

Finally, a leader must also be a risk taker. Not the reckless risk takers, but calculated ones who know what they are doing, and stick through it to gain the greater reward. Martin Luther King risked his life from white extremists during his “I have a dream” speech as well as various riots. But the result from that risk made him one of the most influential person in the 20th century to speak up to the public about racism. The late President Lincoln risked his office time from being kicked out to support his views of abolishing black slavery down south. Coach Boone is no different to them. The risk of attempting to unify the black and white boys together is very high. If the plan fails, the boys will hate each other even more and the end result will be more hatred and racist views to each other. But the careful calculation and planning from Boone, by making know each other, treating them equally unified the team after the camp. It just shows to us that leaders must be willing to take risks to gain the greater benefit, and I second to that.

A good leader should possess those, if not all, the listed qualities above. Leaders are no different from each other, they’re courageous, risk taking and are able to express their views effectively. We all have the same potential to be a leader. It is just how we harness the qualities being given by God that makes us a good leader or not.


Last Edit: Jun 26, 2006 22:20:59 GMT by Chris