What makes a leader

What makes a good leader? that is one of the questions that seems to be asked in every classes that I take.  each time there seems to be a different view of not only what makes a good leader but also what even  a leader is.  from all of the different response i have heard from both students and teachers but also from personal experiences i have an idea of the characteristics of the leader that i what to be following.  A good leader has to be one who takes charge and leads by example this is important because if you just yell and scream at someone to do something than it will never get done.  also a leader must be able to motivate his or her follows to do what the leader wants to see them do.  a good leader is also a good listener because if you do not listen to what your follows are saying than you might get away from their ideas.  final a good leader must be able to overcome a setback or defeat and still have faith in their cause. in my life i have lead a group many times in class but most of these leadership positions i my mind really are not true leadership positions unless in is a large group project. the biggest leadership position that i held was i was senior patrol leader of my boy scout troop which is the highest scout held position.  in truth i did not want most of the group leadership positions in school or i really did not want to be the senior patrol leader but once i took the position i felt it was my duty to try to be as good as leader as i good.  i never had a problem being the leader it is just that if i can avoid the spotlight. i would rather be the one who did the work in the background and got some credit but was not the star of the show.  that said i strongly feel that a group can not survive if they do not have a leader so many times if no one wants to step up and lead i will  become the leader because i do have confidence in my ability as a leader.  i am not trying to brag or sound self center i am just saying that a leader will not do well if they are confident in their ability.  a leader gets lots of credit for the groups success but a good leader will always remember that the whole group help not just the leader.