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: ______ An effective leader is "genuine", internally and externally consistent. A good leader is one of whom it can be said, "What you see is what you get"-- there is never any wonder as to whether the image, the "person" presented to the world, really reflects the person. Such a leader has honesty--he/she says what he/she means, means what he/she says. A good leader has a consistency of purpose, operates out of discernible principles,and "stands for" something worthwhile and detectable. Honesty and reliability require self-reflection, the ability to understand oneself honestly, the capacity to assess one’s strengths and weaknesses accurately, and acceptance of one’s self.