I was asked this question today and it is a very hard question to answer, and since there is written mountains of books about this topic, this question is not easily answered in a talk by the coffee machine. So what makes a great leader? Do you have to be a well educated management master? Do you need to be a political superhero? Does your leadership need to change the world? No, I do not think so, but I believe that leadership is all about touching the souls of people around you. I want to share with you the essence of answer today.

So what does it take?
First of all I believe that you need to inspire and motivate, this might be the most important ability you need to posses. Inspired and motivated people can make anything happen.
But inspiration and motivation won’t get you anywhere if you don’t have a direction. A leadership vision is a must. Where do you want to go? Can you get everybody around you to go there? What does it take to get there? And what kind of behavior is necessary to get there? What are you willing to do to get there? If you know, your leadership will be more authentic.

Defining your values is like putting a compass on your map. If you are faced with a crossroad, clear values will guide you to the right direction. Honesty, Trust, Ambition, Creativity, Humor, Knowledge, Friendship, Fun, Joy and Greed are all values. What is your drive against your goal? Why do you want to lead and what values do you want to represent?