"A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way. —John Maxwell"

The Oxford Dictionary defines a leader as a person who leads or commands a group, organisation or country. Leadership is therefore the art of influencing others to act in pursuit of the achievement of worthwhile set goals. Every person is a leader in one way or the other. Some are leaders in their households, in their communities, in their workplaces, in their religious affiliations, in their social groupings, in their sports groupings, in their political affiliations and in several other forums. The 21st Century calls for some definite qualities that every leader needs to exhibit. Times have changed and every leader needs to hone their leadership skills to the changing times. In this write up let us examine the ten critical qualities that leaders in the 21st Century need to exhibit.

The ideal leader has vision, charisma, integrity, emotional intelligence, an inspiring delivery and sterling character. But if there are leaders who don’t fit this image, then we cannot use our ideal to define leadership in general. Leadership can mean many things to different people. One good definition of an effective leader is:

• Creates an inspiring vision of the future.
• Motivates and inspires people to engage with that vision.
• Manages delivery of the vision.
• Coaches and builds a team, so that it is more effective at achieving the vision."

The top qualities of an ideal leader are Vision, Inspiration, Strategic & Critical Thinking, Interpersonal Communication, Authenticity & Self-Awareness, Open-Mindedness & Creativity, Flexibility, Responsibility & Dependability, Patience & Tenacity, Continuous Improvement

As well as providing direction, inspiration, and guidance, good leaders exhibit courage, passion, confidence, commitment, and ambition. They nurture the strengths and talents of their people and build teams committed to achieving common goals. The most effective leaders have the following traits in common as they share their vision, lead by example, demonstrate integrity, communicate effectively, make hard decisions, recognize success, empower others, motivate and inspire. The best leaders drive their team forward with passion, enthusiasm, inspiration, and motivation. Invest time in the people you lead to determine their strengths, needs, and priorities. As well as making them feel valuable. An ideal leader is the one that lives to the qualities listed above to inspire the followers to act having been empowered to the achievement of the set worthwhile goals and vision. There are many types of leaders but mainly we see six types of leaders:

• The authoritative leader uses vision to drive strategy and encourages team members to use their strengths and emerge as leaders themselves. The authoritative leader provides high-level direction, but he lets those he leads figure out the best way to get there.
• The Affiliative leader promotes harmony among his or her followers and helps to solve any conflict”, and the less conflict you have in a team, the better results you'll see.
• The Democratic leader is someone who asks for input and considers feedback from their team before making a decision. This leadership style is often credited with fostering higher levels of employee engagement and workplace satisfaction. But this is because they drive discussion and participation.
• The Coaching leader is a style that involves recognizing team members' strengths, weaknesses, and motivations to help each individual improve.
• The Pacesetting leader is when a leader leads from the front, constantly sets high standards for their team and expects them to exceed with minimal management.
• The Coercive leaders are known for their competitive spirit, as well as being mentally and psychologically demanding with the people they work closely with. Goleman defines a coercive leader as one that is characterised by demanding unquestioning obedience from subordinates, who are not consulted about what needs to be done or how things should be done; rather, they are told what to do and how to do it.
• Managerial Leader
• Relational Leader
• Motivational Leader
• Inspirational Leader
• Transformational Leader

Conclusion: Leadership involves the knowledge that success comes with a willingness to change how things are done and to bring in fresh eyes to inspire new ideas, in addition to trying to think outside the box as much as possible. Leaders must be able to listen, observe, and be willing to change course when necessary.

Teachers are the backbone of every person’s life. It is the teacher that teaches students the new meaning of life. They show us the right path and stop us from doing anything wrong. They may see from the outside hard but they care for each student and wish for their growth. Do not forget that student who does not respect their teachers, never grow in life. Teachers mould the student’s personalities. They are the only selfless person that happily gives all their knowledge. Dr. Radhakrishan was a great teacher that everyone loved. He was born in a middle-class family on 5 September 1888. He completed college and become a professor at Madras Christian College. He became principal at Harris Manchester College and the Vice-Chancellor at Andhra University. He was also the first philosopher and vice president of India. He became the president of India from 1962 to 1967. He taught Ethics at Oxford University for almost 16 years. He believed that education does not come from only books. Obtaining knowledge is far from what is professional and academic. Other great teachers in the world taught us many things. Aristotle’s life teaches us to be good learners and never stop learning. Gautama Buddha was born a prince but he left all the luxuries for the life of knowledge. Emma Willard who was a women’s rights activist teaches us to raise our voice against injustice and never be afraid of it. Savitribai Phule was a poet and an Indian Social Reformer. She taught us to treat everyone equally and with respect. We cannot imagine our future without the teacher’s guidance. They burn themselves to make our future bright. On this day, let us remember all the great teachers of the world and learn something from them. We thank the teachers for being patient with every student and working on each student’s weakness. Without your guidance we are incomplete. Thank you for your support and love.