This article will address my personal feelings about what leadership is. The characteristics that contribute to making a great leader will then be discussed. Next, I will evaluate my strengths and weaknesses as an effective leader in relation to my list of great leadership characteristics. As a final point, I will conclude with a plan for how I will improve myself as a leader. Leadership is a difficult word to define. There are many different meanings that leadership has meant over the centuries. My personal definition is: "Leadership is a positive process that helps people move in the right direction so they can eventually achieve their goals." Visionary: All great leaders have the ability to visualize a future for their company and are able to chart a path that will make that vision a reality. This skill is essential for a leader because it allows a CEO to take his company to new heights where it hasn't been before. Vision is a crucial part of a leader's repertoire. A leader without the ability to see into the future with his company in mind will lose his competitive advantage and turn into a manager who is just working to keep his company afloat. According to authors V. Anfara Jr. and K. Brown, “No matter what type of organization, or conception of leadership, a vision of what the organization should be seems vital to success, especially during turbulent times.” (Anfara, 2003) Without the help of vision, other forms of business growth are inhibited, so it is imperative that a leader has the courage to take the leap and follow his vision to ensure the success of the company.2. Motivator: Motivation is an important factor in how well people achieve their goals and dreams in the workplace at a... middle of paper... university in the Portland area. Another way I can develop my skills is to do volunteer work that requires the use of leadership in the workplace. I can finally take a job as a tennis teacher for children. Believe it or not, leading a group of kids is a great test of leadership skills. During my personal odyssey, I have found that leadership is a positive process that helps followers move in the right direction so they can eventually achieve their goals. This personal definition helped define the criteria for an effective leader who is proven to be knowledgeable, motivator, risk taker, a great communicator, integrity and a visionary. Unfortunately, I have realized that I do not possess all of these qualities in the quantity that I believe is necessary to be a perfect leader. Now that I realize this, I can work on my weaknesses and improve my leadership skills.