Text 2 [A] Thinks positively. [B] Knows that principles are more important than rules. [C] Possesses a sense of humor. [D] Communicates facts that are hard to take. [E] Cares for others and their well-being. [F] Has integrity and authenticity. Much has been written about the tasks of leaders and the skills required for leadership. There has been considerable debate about the question of whether leaders are born or made. Likely behind these arguments is the difference between personal characteristics that some people have at birth and skills that one can acquire through education and practice. But the important personal characteristics, while they may seem innate in some people, can be cultivated, and indeed, require cultivation in all of us. For unless they are strengthened through conscious attention and cultivation, they can, for example, easily be forgotten or ignored in the frenzy of activity often associated with leadership. What are some of these characteristics One could make many lists, but here are five personal traits that seem especially important. A good leader: ______ A good leader understands that order is important to a group but that rigidity stultifies and destroys the followers’ emotion state. Lasting, empowering order comes more from trust and the development of group norms than from regulations imposed by a leader. Doubtless, everyone would develop a somewhat different, and in many cases, a longer list of personal characteristics. But a leader who is conscious of such a list, who question the extent to which he or she lives and acts in accord with these traits, and who deliberately cultivates these characteristics is likely to be a successful and appreciated leader.