Leadership

You value each member of your group and inspire people to do their best.

What is Leadership?

Leadership can be both formal and informal. It is concerned with getting others to do what needs to be done while maintaining group morale to ensure readiness to act in the future. This character strength’s focus is on the personal qualities of leaders, rather than the practice of leadership. These qualities include the ability to understand others and inspire them toward a common goal, the capacity to mitigate conflict and mold consensus, and the desire to lead other people.

Positive psychology focuses on transformational leaders. This type of leadership is a process where “leaders and their followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation.” These leaders are able to create a vision, communicate the vision, develop a coherent strategy to achieve that vision, and lead the charge towards its attainment. Through their words and actions, these leaders develop an inspirational relationship with their followers. That is, they fill others with the spirit to attain the vision.

Virtue: Justice. Strengths of justice refer to the optimal relationship between the individual and the group or community, rather than the more one-to-one relationships in the humanity virtue. These strengths include: teamwork, fairness, and leadership.

Individuals with this strength might be described as inspirational, encouraging, motivational, a trailblazer, a leader, or a guide.

The content on this page is written for adults — and the character card linked below is our Grades 9–12 version. Our curriculum is differentiated by grade level, from Pre-K–12. Request free lessons to get a closer look at how P2 teaches character strengths across grade levels.

Individuals with this strength are likely to think, feel, or behave in the following ways:

I am able to envision the future and communicate my vision.

I have the capacity to motivate others to think or behave in a certain way.

I like to be a leader in my groups, both formal and informal.

I am skilled at organizing others towards a common goal.

People look to me to lead.

Why does leadership matter?

For individuals, leadership is a way to achieve what you know is important, as groups of people invariably achieve more than individuals. If you want to achieve your vision for the future, you need to inspire others to join you. As an individual’s ability to lead develops, so does that person’s confidence and sense of self-efficacy. However, common dangers to guard against are egotism and arrogance.

A group’s effectiveness and sense of inspiration is tied directly to the leader. Study after study shows that leaders (and managers) have the biggest influence on group success and morale. Leaders can be developed and it starts with character. As General Schwarzkopf said, “Leadership is potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

Quotes on Leadership

“Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done, because he wants to do it.”

- Dwight D. Eisenhower

“Success is a collection of problems solved.”

- I.M. Pei

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.

“When the world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful...Let us remember: one book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.’”

- Malala Yousafzai

Appreciation of Beauty & Excellence

You notice and value the world’s beauty and people’s skills. You don’t take things for granted.

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