I believe being an effective leader comes down to being ethical, responsible, and confident. A leader has to believe in the mission of the group, they need to be a good communicator and they have to make the right decisions in the face of adversity. They have to be selfless and available to their team members. A good leader will mentor, motivate and provide constructive feedback to others so that they can be the best they can be. A great leader has to be willing to teach others and educate the people around them. A leader understands that training their group is essential because one day, that leader will need to pass the torch to someone else and that person has to be prepared to lead the group. In order to understand both perspectives of a team, a leader must also be able to take orders and follow someone else’s guidance. Most importantly, a leader has to be competent. They need to be confident in all of their decisions because in some instances, the leader’s decisions can impact the welfare of the members of the team.