Leadership qualities that impacted my view of leaders

Nearly thirty years ago, the actions of a great man taught me four important aspects of leadership. This gentleman came into a situation where people were used to doing things a certain way. It had been this way for more than ten years. However, the objectives of the organization had been displaced and were not the primary focus at this location of the organization. As this man took over the leadership of this location, he was very proactive. He started by teaching the objectives by instruction and by example. He was concerned about every individual under his leadership. In order to reach out to the one, he made every auxiliary head accountable for knowing about each individual and had regular interviews with them where he would ask questions about each person under their jurisdiction. He was not very popular as he began to implement his leadership, but that did not deter him in his pursuit. About ten years later, I ran across this gentleman again in a different area of the organization. He had more responsibilities at this point and he conducted his affairs in the same way. At first, many individuals would dread the personal interviews with this man as they accounted for their responsibilities, but as time went on, they began to relax as they knew what he expected of them and what their job was. Under his leadership, the organization moved forwards fulfilling its primary objectives and the individuals within the organization were able to grow and progress. To me, he was a great leader and made a big difference in how I view leaders.

Have you had a leader that you admired or made an impact on your life or view of life? What leadership characteristics were used?