Leadership is defined as the art of motivating a group of people to act towards

achieving a common goal. (The Balance.) Although this definition does engulf the basic
qualities of leadership, it lacks the true depth and salient characteristics a good leader
does have. A good leader is someone who strives to do what is right for not only
themselves, but for the greater good. A remarkable leader is selfless.
A great example of someone who displays superior leadership qualities is
Katherine Goble. In Hidden Figures, Katherine showed how upstanding of a leader
she is while being one of the first African American women to be employed by Nasa.
While working this job, Katherine was discriminated against because of the color of her
skin. Instead of letting this bother her, she used this to push her. Despite the seclusion
she may have felt because of her race, she didnt let this halt her from doing what she
believed in. When she was told she was not able to attend the meetings to discuss the
landing coordinates, she didnt accept this. She told them that she needed to be there
and be a part of these meetings if they were going to continue to change the
coordinates. Katherine didnt push to be in these meetings to do anything to further
herself, but to help get the exact numbers to be able to send John Glenn into space.
This helped not only Nasa, but the country because it helped the get Glenn into space
safely and furthered the countrys venture into space exploration. This is a display of
selflessness and true leadership because she didnt do this to benefit herself, but Nasa
and the country overall.
Diligence is a notable characteristic that someone with superb leadership skills
possesses. A character that displays true diligence is Boxer, from Animal Farm. Boxer
is someone who always claimed to want to be better, and always was striving to work
harder. An example of this is when Boxer split his hoof, he was told to take it easy, but
refused to. He knew that the windmill needed to be finished. He put aside his injury, and
pushed through the pain to get the job done. This is very admirable, as many wouldnt
be so diligent and selfless in a time of pain. Although in the end Boxer was killed, he
died a noble death. It wasnt due to the betrayal of any other animal. Even in his time of
death, he is still speaking highly of the the work he has done and has no regrets.
In a new direction, Napoleon from Animal Farm embodies all of the
characteristics a leader needs, except selflessness. Napoleon lied and manipulated the
people he lead for his own personal gain. An example of this is on one occasion he
secretly raised nine dogs into feral animals who only listened to his commands, and
would kill any of his challengers. Napoleons actions, and personality led to an
unpredictable and corrupt environment. However, being a leader does not make one
selfless, being selfless makes a leader upstanding.
In conclusion, there are many leaders in this world, but not every leader has an
understanding of what type of characteristics make up a great leader. Leadership has
many qualifications, the prime being selflessness. Being selfless can easily be
overlooked since it is easy to be selfish. Selfless leaders are always remembered for
their bravery, and wisdom. This is because they knew and had the right idea as to what
leadership really was and what it came down to. Even though many leaders in the past
have been remembered for their cruel deeds, the leaders mentioned before are
remarkable, they are remarkable because they are truly selfless.