What it takes to be a leader...

Here's the National Post's take on business leadership...
"Mitch Moxley
4 November 2006
National Post
There is a shifting dynamic at the top. Many of our business leaders are reaching retirement age, creating a demand for fresh executives. This is opening the door to a new set of business leaders -- many of today's rising Canadian executives are young, many are women and many come from the West.
Take Sean Durfy, for example. He is WestJet Airlines Ltd's. recently appointed president. He just turned 40. Research in Motion Ltd.'s wunderkind Dennis Kavelman is still in his mid-30s. And Kathleen Sendall, senior vice-president at Petro-Canada, is a rising star in the oil patch and the first woman to chair the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers.
They may be new faces but they are commanding attention. Today, the leaders of top companies must be more than business-savvy. They must be inspirational, says Don Nolan, president of Nolan Associates, an executive recruitment firm in Toronto. "People want to join companies managed by great leaders," Mr. Nolan says. "The best leaders are those who are empowered by their followers." "...

Here's my take on characteristics of a good leader (at least the type of leader I aspire to be):
Motivated, inspirational, decisive, charismatic, good communicator / public speaker