What makes a GOOD LEADER?

Well, somehow, off lately, a lot of my interpersonal discussions/reading has made me reflect on this topic in a greater depth, that what is it, that ultimately defines a good leader or how can I align myself to be a better leader as I grow in life.

Knowledge, Skill Set, Interpersonal skills, Conflict management, Inflection point management,Mentoring, Crisis management, Team Building... What is it?

Most of the people today have a greater subset of the above mentioned qualities, yet many fail to be acknowledged or personified as good leaders or leaving a good mark in the minds of their followers as leaders. Very few actually remain in memories of people as good leaders, let me clarify I am not talking of only good human beings, but leaders here.

Off lately, I came across this book called "Go, Kiss the World" by Subroto Bagchi, wherein the author has mentioned insights into life of great professionals he worked with and what was remarkable about them.
Quoting few excerpts that really touched me:

While describing Aziz Premzi :
"A great leader has the capability to attract and retain talent that is better than him in many aspects. He does not get insecure when surrounding himself with a top performing team. Yet, the better the team, the higher the incidence of idiosyncrasy among team members.......
.....When we look to hire people, we invariably look for sameness. It is so much comfortable. But progress requires intelligent friction, push back points and healthy counterparts. The job of the leader is to build high personal comfort with contrarians who think differently, create alternative points to view and have the power to question the state of things"

Another referrence to leadership style of Mr.Ashok, of of co-members of Mind Tree:

" Sometimes, in times of crisis, managers psych themselves into believing that doomsday is near. They come and tell their leaders why a decision has to be taken based on only on the recommendation that they have made.'If we dont revise salaries now, we will not get anybody to join us.'If we donot agree to his terms, he will take us to court.; leaders are often rushed into decisions on hearing such statements.
Ashok taught me a leader must not take decisions under such fraught circumstances. Always insist on some more time so that you can take a considered view, stepping away from the moment of high emotion. No decision is without risk, but when you take the time to think things through, you take very few regrettable decisions."

And my favorite one regarding Mentoring:
"Learning gives us knowledge but it is good mentoring that gives us the ability to relate it to the real world; it helps us to learn life skills and moulds our attribute. The self - confidence that mentoring can generate is huge. The principles of mentoring a child and a budding professional are not different. It all begins with the magical sensation of someone reaching out and whispering into your ears, 'Yes, you can!'. This is when dreams are created , and bridges built, to reach beyond the realm of impossible."

This just reminds me of my mentor in my project days, who knowing that I was an inexperienced person, still went ahead and gave me confidence and direction to take charge of a Live project. The project unfortunately could not get to final stage of live implementation then owing to Budget constraints, yet the learning, perspective, enthusiasm and self confidence it generated in me as an individual is something I've always carried. I wish, the world creates many more such people and in case, I reach there, I also take the right path and not the path of treachery, insecurity and narrow mindedness.

With this in mind, I welcome New Year, hoping to develop myself into a much better individual.

Happy new Year!!!