I am a leader, but I would have to say that I am the reluctant, silent type. More often than not I am one of those who has leadership thrust upon him. This is not as simple a question as it sounds given that many use leadership and management interchangeably. Those words are not interchangeable. A manager does not have to be a leader (let alone a good one), and many leaders are not managers. I think to be a leader you have to be knowledgeable in your field of endeavor. You have to also be willing to put in hard work, and you have to be willing to lead by example. Do not ask anything of those you hope will follow you if you are not willing to do it yourself. I could go on, but this is just a quick two cents on the topic.