Personality Traits of Legendary Leaders
How did people like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King or Mother Theresa transform from regular folks to legends of their time and arouse so much love and devotion even long after they were gone? What cues can you take from them to carve your own path and inspire followership in your own generation?

Everybody admires great leaders and aspires to be like them. Some have inspired cult followership, not just in their respective countries, but globally; and in time evolved into enigmatic phenomena that have become subjects of study of remarkable human personalities.
At personal levels, these great leaders have enjoyed enormous satisfaction, reverence and goodwill that have lasted a lifetime and even outlived them. We closely studied some of the greatest names of this century for the unique qualities that made them legends that have provoked worldwide followership. Here’s the best 10 personality traits that’ll guarantee you too can inspire large and devoted followership...
Vision and Passion
If you ever get a chance to sit with your greatest mentor, vision is one of the first of many qualities that will immediately jump at you as you converse. They have a definite purpose and a definite plan for attaining it; and they are in love with their vision. They are enthusiastic, optimistic, and persistently fuelled by their vision.
Knowledge and Discipline
Leaders are usually the best or in the league of the best in their chosen field of pursuit, mopping up all available knowledge and information in their profession to be one of their career’s top craftsmen or women.
You perhaps didn’t know Mandela attended six higher education institutions including the University of South Africa (1943), Healdtown Comprehensive School, University of Fort Hare, University of the Witwatersrand, University of London International Programmes, and the University of London. Other great leaders like Martin Luther King and Mahatma Ghandi persistently searched for knowledge, learning how far humanity has come as motivation to push and make their societies better. According to Mandela; “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Character, Charisma and Conscience
The internationally revered father of Indian independence resistance movement, Mahatma Ghandi is profiled by the UN study centre as the forerunner of the ‘Soft Leadership’ model characterised, among other qualities, by character, charisma and conscience.
These primary tripod elements together make up the the key that differentiates good leaders from others. They also have an open mind and are tactful. They are first great listeners and gifted with exceptional communication and interpersonal skills.
Fairness and Integrity
Their near-impeccable character and integrity also means they are fair-minded and will collect all possible facts before making judgments. They are able to act without being guided by emotion. They simply treat others the way they would like to be treated.
Love and Sacrifice
A true leader is selfless and is ready to go to great costs to advance humanity. Their decisions put them in the public eye and often rob them privacy, placing great responsibilities on them to shoulder for the larger society.
Empathy and Loyalty
Leaders are loyal and equally know that empathy breeds loyalty. For business leaders, this their ultimate corporate secret and most powerful resource. It is the ability to sense and respond to the feelings, and then use it to form strong relationships. Empathy in leadership is what inspires loyalty among their followers.
Humility and Responsibility
True leaders are not quick to point fingers at other team members for a project failure, even when that is in fact true. They can take criticism and learn from mistakes. They readily assume responsibility for the actions of the entire team and mistakes of their subordinates. This is because they recognise that somehow their behaviour affects and influences the group vision down to the base of the pyramid in the hierarchy. It takes humility to admit your mistakes in business or social leadership; it takes humility to learn new things and it takes humility to direct smarter individuals.
Non-Conformism and Out-of-the-Box Thinking
Great leaders make decisions because it is the right one, and not because it is the conventional choice to make. As non-conformists or iconoclasts, they think outside the box and would not simply stick to the easy path most would follow; like in the case of Mandela, who despite living in a highly repressive culture, opened a legal firm serving black clients in 1952.
Teamwork and Communication
Great leaders don’t work alone; they surround themselves with talented people who share their vision and delegate duties. For example, Steve Jobs was always on the hunt for talent in unique ways, like accepting invitations to lecture at universities so he could scout potential employees. The iconic late Apple CEO personally interviewed over 5,000 applicants during his lifetime, managing all the hiring for his team.
Also, being able to clearly and succinctly describe what you want done is extremely important. If you can’t relate your vision to your team, you won’t all be working towards the same goal.
Courage and Determination
When Richard Branson was younger, his aunt bet him that he couldn’t learn to swim during their family vacation. After failing to master the skill during the trip, on the drive home, he asked his father to pull over the car. He jumped into a river, swam, and won the bet. Today, Branson, the founder of the Virgin Group, which is made up of over 400 companies, believes in a philosophy of taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules,” Branson said. “You learn by doing, and by falling over.”
As a leader, you will need courage to hold the mantle of leadership; courage to face your worst fears and courage to do the right thing regardless of whose ox is gored. Courage is essential for handling challenges.